| | Sylvan | The Tutoring Club | Expert Math Tutor |
| Registration Fee | $50 | $50 | N/A |
| Assessment Test | $99 if on Weekday, $149 if on Weekend | $25 if pre-scheduled, $50 if drop in | N/A |
| Teacher / Student Ratio | 1 to 3 | 1 to 3 | 1 to 1 (Groups Welcome - NO ADDED FEE) |
| Please note the above comparison: I am a one-on-one tutor. My competitors are 1 tutor to 3 students. |
| Rate | $440 for minimum 8 hour block of time | $350 for minimum 8 hour block of time | Statistics: $75/hr, all other Math: $60/hr |
| One-to-one Tutoring | Offered at $70-$75/hour | Offered at special request (Rate Unknown) | Always1 (Groups Welcome - Share the Cost) |
| In-Home Tutoring | Not Available | Not Available | Available - Travel charge may apply2 |
| Contract3 | No | No | No |
| Guarantee | Yes - only applies to 8th Grade and below | No | Yes4 |
1Groups may be formed if the student elects to find/participate in a group (click here for more on groups)
2A travel charge will be added to each tutoring session (if applicable). The amount always depends on the distance traveled. Here is a breakdown of travel charges (charges are per trip - not per hour):
Distance is measured from the intersection of Brookhurst & Adams
| Distance | Charge | | 0-3 miles | $0 | | 3-5 miles | $5 | | 5-8 miles | $10 |
Distances greater than 8 miles are typically out of range but consideration will be made on a case by case basis.
3It's interesting that Sylvan and Tutoring Club do not require contracts but they do require you to buy blocks of time in order to receive their discounted prices. They both say you can quit with 2-week notice and get a 100% pro-rated refund. I have a hard time trusting the refund would work out in-line with my expectations.
4My guarantee is simple - if you are not happy with the instruction provided, you don't pay. If you schedule another tutoring session with me, that means you were happy with the session that just ended. |
| Comments about the categories |
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Registration Fee
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Registration fees do not enhance the quality of instruction given to the student. This is a way of transferring the cost of doing business to the customer.
This is another opportunity for the tutoring service to charge a fee. |
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Assessment Test
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These tests are sold under the guise of pinpointing student strengths and weaknesses. I believe, in most cases, assessment tests are not necessary and are just another way of charging a fee.
A tutor should work directly with the student to identify needs rather than the tutoring service administering a costly assessment test. Furthermore, in some cases,
parents can provide assessment information from their child's school along with results from state achievement tests. Any-which-way - a student's skill set or lack thereof will quickly
become apparent to any qualified tutor. |
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Teacher / Student Ratios
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I'm astonished that Teacher / Student Ratios of 1 to 3 are standard at tutoring service companies. This is a huge win for the company (as in dollars and cents) and a huge loss for the student
(as in dollars and cents and the amount of instruction provided to the student). The tutoring services do their best to shift focus away from this significant handicap - the instruction their
tutors are capable of providing to their students as a result of this business model is significantly diminished. My tutoring sessions are always one-to-one unless you elect to find/participate
in a group (click here for more on groups). Also, tutoring services can not guarantee a student will always get the same tutor. When the tutor is always the same the student and the
tutor establish a rapport. A good rapport can make a huge difference in the efficacy of the tutoring and also make the help seem more like fun and less like punishment. |
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Hourly Rate
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Obviously rates vary. The most significant difference in the service I provide as opposed to my competition isn't really the rate - it's the value delivered.
Please see the next category (One-to-one Tutoring) for description.
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One-on-one Tutoring
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This is the most significant differentiating factor between my service and the service provided by my competitors - the way in which the service is delivered.
My competitors use a model in which there is one teacher to three students.
My instruction is delivered in a one-to-one environment. In this setting I dedicate 100% of my time and instruction to a single student making sure that one student is given the opportunity to succeed.
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In-Home Tutoring
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I offer in-home tutoring. Both Sylvan and Tutoring Club do not. With their service you need bring your child to their location and wait or go back home only to need to return
a short time later to pick them up and you don't really know what your child is doing or the quality of instruction your child is receiving. With my service I come to your home.
While your child is being tutored you can go about your business at home doing whatever needs to be done and/or you can listen in on the instruction - you will know exactly what
your child is doing and the quality of instruction they are receiving. |
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Contract
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See footnote (3) above. |
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Guarantee
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Guarantees vary. See footnote (4) above for my guarantee.
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