10 Things Tutoring Services Won’t Tell You (10 Things)

January - 30 - 2010 Author: admin Respond

1. “We don’t have to stick to any educational standards.”

For the class of 2013, Columbia University received 25,427 applicants and admitted 2,496; Princeton received 21,963 applications and admitted 2,209. To beat these odds, students increasingly are turning to tutoring and learning services, hoping for both academic support in high school and for help prepping for college-entrance exams. The problem: Unlike schools, which must meet federally-mandated (and in some cases state-mandated) standards, supplemental education companies are exempt .

That means that students can end up with either a well-educated and qualified tutor—or a crummy one. What is a parent to do? Check references, says Lauren Verrilli, a San Francisco-based private tutor and educational mentor.

These can come from a favorite teacher at your child’s school or from family or friends who recently enlisted a tutor for their child. Focus on credentials and experience. Whether you’re considering an individual, private tutor or one who works for a learning center, ask for references. Ask past clients if their child’s grades went up and if they show more interest in their school work, if the tutor was reliable, and if the tutor and child had a good rapport. Also, make sure the success stories involve the same subject your child needs help with, says Verrilli. “A tutor could be great in math, but it doesn’t mean they’re good In English,” she says.

2. “Our tutor could be a stalker – or worse.”

Another problem that accompanies an unregulated industry is lack of oversight. Many tutoring services conduct background checks on the tutors before they can work with students. But not all do, at least not thoroughly.

Because background searches typically costs around $100 a person, some companies skip them to save money, says Lisa Jacobson, CEO of a tutoring and test-prep firm in New York, Boston and Philadelphia. (Jacobson says her company, Inspirica, contacts each applicant’s references and checks for a criminal history). Parents should ask learning centers where they find tutors and if they do background checks; if tutors are certified teachers, that’s also a good sign. In addition, parents who hire a private tutor for their child should first conduct their own background searches.

3. “Our rates aren’t always pinned to quality.”

Costs for tutoring can vary wildly, depending on whether your child gets private or group tutoring, and if he or she receives it in-home or at a center. Individual tutoring can cost anywhere from $30 to $500 an hour, and the higher-end of the price range is charged for test prep, including the SAT and ACT, says Jacobson. “In cities and surrounding areas, costs are generally higher,” she says; for example, in Manhattan, tutors can charge $150 to $500 an hour for one-on-one sessions. “Sometimes people think the more expensive the better, but you don’t always get what you pay for,” she says.

So how do you choose where to send your kid and how much to pay? Steven Shapiro, director of Pinnacle Learning Center, a Canton, Mass.-based tutoring company, suggests word-of-mouth recommendations. “[It’s] the best way to find a service you’ll be happy with,” says Shapiro. “Talk to family, friends, a neighbor, or your child’s teacher.” As for pricing, tutoring isn’t exactly a “you get what you pay for” market. “Some people might buy into that,” Shapiro says, but in reality, “you’re going to get some places that charge a whole lot and don’t do a great job, and you’re going to get places that are great for not a lot of money.” When in doubt, go for the experienced teacher. Ask questions about their background, their qualifications to tutor a specific subject, and how many students they’ve tutored on that subject. And make sure that you understand the company’s pricing methodology—beware of centers that require a minimum purchase up front, for example—and cancellation policies.

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