Online tutoring- opinions needed

[Pammela]

Hi,

I have changed my username for this as it is in a professional capacity.

I am a secondary teacher and I occasionally tutor for friends. I am setting up an online site for online tutoring- specifically concentrating on English, biology and maybe modern studies- our specialties at the moment.

I want to have tiered pricing as tutoring is so expensive and so am thinking about putting in some activities/with ability to receive recorded and written feedback for much cheaper than a full session. Also thinking about offering shorter sessions based around a specific topic and, hopefully, some totally independent activities that pupils could use for studying. Although this is a lengthy process to create.

Would any of the above be appealing to anyone with children in secondary school? Is there anything else I could add to make it more appealing? I will offer the usual tutoring sessions- but online- too. I just hope that a tiered approach might be more viable for some.

Thank you in advance!

As a parent of a child using tutors, I prefer 121 sessions on topics of the pupils choosing, or past papers, or a different unit each session.
I do not like tutors who offer group sessions - DD does not like being in a group with strangers and be less likely to speak up. She may feel uncomfortable if she perceives those students to be 'smarter' than her.
I would be interested in easter revision online courses but few available. So that could be something you can offer and help you stand out.
There are already loads of maths and english tutors, also science tutors. Not enough tutors for other subjects like the social subjects. That could again be something that you could use to stand out.
And if its online, you can tutor pupils from anywhere in Scotland so don't limit your advertising to local.
Watch your prices. I saw an online tutoring agency get criticized by several parents on facebook for charging £200 per day for a maths easter revision programme. Might seem a normal price but parents are feeling the pinch.
You're leaving it a bit late to get started. Exams are in 2 months.

Thanks for the feedback. I did think an Easter pack would be good but I realise it’s quite close! I think I could offer some modern studies and geography activities. I could potentially offer more but would need to speak to friends and I fear I might be biting off too much if I start with too much!

I am aiming to do this as a more long term thing too. I might offer some online guides etc for folio pieces throughout the year too.

I have never done group sessions, so I probably wouldn’t do this. I was thinking that activities/topics that have info, activities and then submitted to the teacher, that could then be marked might be very useful when studying at home.

I will aim to sort out some study guides/activities as quickly as possible and use that as a starting point.

Also- thanks for thoughts on pricing.

I was thinking I could offer the activity packs with feedback for around £15/20 for each section? It would include specific revision information, activities and marked feedback- does this sound ok or too much?

I might offer some online guides etc for folio pieces throughout the year too.

There are lots of well established books that include very good guides for folio pieces and the rest of the courses too, Bright Red, HTP, Leckie etc. With some exercises and marking guides they can look at instantly. How would you convince a parent to buy a pack from you rather than go with one of those guides, which are more of a known quantity, instead?

ds found there was no shortage of published, revision guides with answers, school packs of practise questions, SQA understanding standards commentary, past papers and marking guides that students can do themselves. When kids can't work their way through them by themselves it is the tailored 121 support and encouragement that most parents are looking for.

I think marking of essays or exam style questions would be the only "tiered" thing I'd think would be useful.

yes DD has plenty of 'how to pass' style books not that she looks at them so I'd much prefer actual tutoring. I'm currently trying to find some easter revision classes for maths and history. She doesn't need weekly tutoring for these subjects but I think something over easter, even one day, could help.
Its a shame you're thinking about this at this late stage because its a bit too late for most kids who already have tutors in place, or won't have much time to catch up.

Yes, I know about all of the books available- I’m an English teacher- and those books are written by the former teachers who now work for uni/sqa and sometimes lack the nuances from classroom teaching.

I am mainly thinking from an English subject perspective because pupils can’t mark their essays from the marking key and the written aspects of the other papers are also interpreted through a vague statements on the marking schemes.

So, I think, having someone to actually say what is good/what isn’t when studying would be helpful. Same for the folio writing- ideas stimulation etc which is more personalised would be helpful.

I have study booklets etc already for my classes so I’m going to look at those and create a little pack with the offer of personalised marking after. And get them available this week. I’ll offer the usually one-to-one tutoring too.
thanks for the info!

Are you "allowed" to use booklets created in work to sell? I think this can be a gray area - did you produce the work in your own time or at work, in which case they might say they own it.

I created all of them and use them with just my classes. I probably created them at home because we don’t get much time to actually make resources in school. But, yes, I can use them for tutoring etc- just like you would use the sqa past papers.

I actually see the main selling point as the marking plus feedback afterwards and directions beforehand. The completion of the activities is checking for consolidation of learning.

Check with your LA that this is allowed - friends who are teachers have found that they can't tutor within their own LA but can tutor kids who attend schools in the neighbouring LAs. Not a problem in the central belt - more of an issue if you are in Highland!

It is definitely allowed. I tutor through the school already and the school emails put parental requests for tutors too. So we tutor kids in school (not in our own classes) and from other LA with payments/links from the LA.

People tutor within my LA regularly.
I thought you were planning to sell the resources, not just use them with a tutor.
Out of interest, did you decide how much you'd charge for online tutoring?
There could be a market for emergency, week before the exam stuff too! (A bit like an end of tenancy clean as opposed to a weekly clean)

I haven't quite decided yet..I think I will charge about £15 for activity pack that includes individual feedback- so a much shorter version of the traditional tutoring package.

Your idea re emergency tutoring is a good one too, thanks. I think I will create an 'Easter Package' where there is the traditional one-to-one and then a revision pack which is then sent back in with feedback returned either as a voice over or note form, and cheaper.