Educational Tutoring
Getting kids to go to school used to be a problem for reasons other than pandemics and even basic logistics. Today, parents must be even more vigilant if they want their children to receive a full education and have a chance to continue on to college. Even attending college is impacted by multiple logistics issues, with new decisions to make regarding on-campus, online or hybrid course options. Thankfully, educational tutors are available for students in grades k-12 and beyond. Hiring a tutor for yourself or your child student is an important decision, which could significantly impact the quality of education you or your child receives. Continue reading to learn all you need to know about educational tutoring today.
Intro to Educational Tutoring – Origins and Modern Uses
Educational tutoring is a combination of one-on-one teaching and learning. The concept and practice dates back multiple centuries, and like the Socratic seminar might be one of the earliest forms of learning methods in history. Tutoring is known to be especially helpful for students who have fallen behind in their studies for whatever applicable reasons. Both politically and economically, tutoring is even quietly gaining momentum as a possible antidote to unemployment. The theory proposes unemployed degree-holders and students pursuing degrees (albeit behind in their classwork or GPAs) both benefit from one-on-one tutoring. How does this apply to you and/or your child?
Tutoring 101
Educational tutoring is available in many different types and styles, for multiple different subjects. The process involves vetting a private tutor on your own or by hiring a professional tutoring service. Professional tutoring services help match you and your educational needs with the best, most qualified tutors available. Availability is not limited to local accessibility anymore, either. Modern tutoring options combine different learning mediums and formats to accommodate needs of students from every age group to nearly every nation. Online (virtual), in-person and hybrid tutoring sessions are now available, which means tutors are also available from locations around the world.
Professional services use multiple vetting methods to establish each tutor’s experience, educational backgrounds, and overall credibility. Conducting your own research is of course also sensible, and necessary if you choose to hire a private tutor without going through a professional service. Charges are usually billed on a per-session or bulk-session basis. Hourly, flat rate and combination pricing options are all used. This means the costs for hiring a tutor might vary as much as the different selections of tutors and agencies available overall.
Modern Tutoring is an Important, Growing - and Lucrative - Business
The modern private tutoring business is expanding rapidly. Students and parents are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on tutoring sessions each year, which means more tutors are available. This presents a challenge when trying to find the most qualified tutor from a saturated list of options. This also gives you or your child access to some of the best tutors in the world, if you know where to find them and the right questions to ask.
Types of Tutoring – Levels, Mediums and Subjects
Tutoring is available starting for kindergarten students through high school seniors. Tutoring is also available for all college level programs, ranging from certificate to doctoral levels. If you are an adult simply looking to reeducate yourself on certain subjects or a senior citizen looking to keep your brain active and healthy – tutoring is available for you as well.
Mediums and Locations
Where your tutoring takes place depends on the service you hire, individual tutor policies and your preferences. Student age restrictions applicable to where tutoring takes place might also be regulated by law. Some tutors travel to your home to conduct your sessions, while others require you to travel to theirs. Alternately, some tutors rent space or a room in a public or privately owned facility to conduct their tutoring sessions. Skype, Zoom or other video conferencing-based learning sessions make scheduling tutoring sessions convenient for anyone with a reliable Wi-Fi connection and a Wi-Fi-accessible device.
Subjects
Subjects taught during educational tutoring sessions are highly diverse. Basic education tutoring on subjects such as English, math and history are available. Science and chemistry tutors teach the subjects either generally, with specific fields of specialization or both. Language teachers are available who are both educated tutors and native speakers of the languages they teach. College-level tutors tend to have more specialized areas of study for which they are best suited to teach. Some college-level tutors teach general education at the college level to help students who struggled with certain subjects in high school obtain degrees in specific fields of study. Some college-level tutors might only teach up to certain degree levels, while others are capable of tutoring students through their master’s or doctoral programs.
Tutor Specializations
College preparatory and aptitude examinations are vital to obtaining an advanced education. Some tutors specialize in preparing students for the American College Testing (ACT) examination. Some specialize in preparing students for the College Board Standard Aptitude Test (SAT). Other tutors can help students prepare for both. College placement examinations are used to gauge a student’s ability to pass a course in advance of taking any applicable classes. If you pass a placement examination with a certain grade or higher, you receive credit for the course without needing to take the entire class during the applicable semester. College placement examination tutors help students accelerate their graduation process.
Average Costs for Tutoring Sessions
Tutoring sessions range in price from affordable to expensive. Many times, tutoring is a get-what-you-pay-for service as well, although this is not always the case. For example, tutors teaching the same subject might be available side-by-side on the same freelance website, with one charging $20 per hour and the other charging $100 per hour. The only way to know for certain which tutor is better is to inquire about certifications, background, education, and other relevant information.
Session Billing
Tutoring sessions are commonly billed as 30, 45 or 60-minute blocks of time. Private tutors set their own rates, while those working for services/agencies might have to adhere to company fee scales. Prices and packages range from $40-$100 per hour or more, with rates affected by a variety of factors, including:
- Discounts for multiple sessions booked.
- Discounts for long-term packages.
- Overtime charges.
- Location/regional economy.
Find Top Educational Tutoring Now
Care.com is an excellent resource for finding qualified nationwide educational tutors near you. TutorDoctor is another excellent tutor-locating resource, as are Thumbtack, Varsity Tutors and PrivateTutoringAtHome.com. Additional resources, including specific nationwide tutoring services available today include: