news quote " tutoring companies also have fallen victim to the economy. "
money 101 for tutors Business by tutorcrm.com
September 18th, 2009
Your New Tutoring Business by tutorcrm.com
Whether you’re just starting out, working part-time, or launching your own full-time tutoring business,
these smart tutoring tips and tricks for accounting should help you keep your books balanced .
How to set rates
- While rates will vary based on location, subject matter, and the duration of a particular job, a tutor can generally charge from $10 to $20 an hour; tutors with more advanced skills might be able to charge more, according to cleverapple.com, an internet resource for tutors.
- Research the market for tutoring in your area by looking through listings on Craig’s List, SuperPages, Yelp, or CitySearch.
- Base your rates on those charged by other tutors with comparable tutoring skills.
How to track finances
- Regardless of how much you think you’ll make, first you need to register as a “sole proprietor.” To do so, visit the state department of taxation or business, and your town or city hall. Once you complete the registration process, you’ll be assigned federal and state employer and tax ID numbers. If your business grows to the point that you’re making more than $5,000 a year, you will need to update your business status to an LLC (limited liability corporation) or other corporate entity.
- Keep your records safe, and always keep a history dating back at least three years. Store back up computer files at least once a month.
Don’t let a computer crash ruin your business — the IRS reserves the right to audit you at any time. - Invest in finance-organizing software and tutoring software . Look for programs that cater to small-business tutoring owners. These packages provide business forms and templates, and plenty of information to get you up and running. Begin by creating business ledgers, which should include cash-flow worksheets to track your spending, fixed and variable expenses, income, and other financial records. Tutorcrm Quicken, QuickBooks, Microsoft Money, and PeachTree are some popular options.
- Hold on to receipts. Cell phones, computers, equipment, and office space are only a few of the items that can be deducted come tax time.
- Speak with someone at your local Chamber of Commerce, which has resources to help you set up, run, and finance your tutoring business. The Chamber of Commerce can also help you promote your business, and might even lead you to potential clients.
Why Parents Don’t Make Great Tutors for Their Kids
September 17th, 2009
Most times when I try to teach my children something – how to mow the lawn, do a budget or clean a toilet – I feel as if I have a positive or at least a neutral effect – with one big exception.
When I have tried to tutor my children in school, or simply help with homework, I often feel like Typhoid Mary. In most cases I have managed only to confuse them.
As the school year revs up, many parents are now trying to figure out how best to help their kids academically. More parents are trying to tutor their kids at ever-younger ages, as pressures mount for even the youngest children to perform well in school. Based on my e-mail, though, tutoring is no slam-dunk for parents; many puzzle over how they can wield deep professional skills at work, yet fail so completely at tutoring their children in related skills at home.
Studies on the value of parent tutoring for elementary-age children yield mixed results.
For older students, say Duke University researchers Nancy Hill and Diana Tyson in a recently published study, parental tutoring is linked to worse performance in school. By middle school, the researchers say, students may see parents’ attempts to help as interference or pressure. Parents often confuse students by presenting material in different ways than teachers. Also, parents may not dive in to help until a student is already in trouble, and the students know that, reinforcing their discouragement.
Parents who are anxious about school or test performance can easily infect their kids with the same angst. One mother I interviewed, who started a professional tutoring service helping students prepare for the SAT and ACT, says she spends a lot of time undoing the anxiety and confusion caused by parents who try first to tutor their kids themselves.
If do-it-yourself tutoring is your only option, confer with teachers and brush up your skills before you begin, experts say. Don’t make the mistake I did – trying to figure out your kids’ homework while working side-by-side with them. Working with my stepdaughter on her algebra homework years ago, I found her assignments so baffling that I had to give up in frustration. And my son and I halted our junior-high algebra sessions years ago, after several meltdowns. He’s been doing great ever since – with no help whatsoever from me. I have watched in joy and relief as he has surpassed me in math, both in grades and the difficulty of his courses.
Tutoring service is ready for back-to-school
August 22nd, 2009
Dan Allen considers himself a bit of maverick in his business.
“There are about 400 of these Club Z franchises across the country,” he explains. “The easy formula is to hire tutors that are all certified (as teachers) and then say you offer the best there is. But, usually when a parent comes to you and says, ‘My child is lazy. He’s got the ability, but he’s just not doing the work,’ there are other issues involved.”
So, Allen looks for tutors who are both motivating and inspiring.
“It might be a high school honor student or someone who had problems as a student who turned themselves around,” he says. “I look for tutors who are role models, who can deal with issues beyond academics. They have to be experienced, not necessarily certified, to help one child deal with attention deficit, a divorce in their life, having had three teachers in a year or some other trauma in their life. Ironically, I wasn’t a very successful student. Maybe if I’d had a tutor when I was in school, my life would have been different.”
Allen’s database contains some 200 tutors throughout Lee and Collier counties, waiting to assist Southwest Florida students in everything from math to music.
“We tutor those facing learning challenges, but we also tutor gifted students who want to be able to achieve more,” he says. “Our goal is to develop lifelong learners and give kids the skills to become successful.”
Tutors are matched with prospective students based on location, age, availability, subject area and sometimes, gender. All come with spotless references and credentials and must prove their capability in the content areas they teach through testing and interviews.
Students, and the subjects in which they need or want help, cover a broad spectrum, according to Allen, ranging from a two-and-a-half-year-old who was learning Spanish and piano, to a 70-year-old who wanted to learn to play the organ.
Allen says some standout areas of tutoring aren’t necessarily academic.
A proprietary study skills program teaches how to succeed in the classroom, including things such as listening, note-taking, memorization, time management strategies, organization and test- taking.
A leadership program that begins with an attitude and aptitude survey gives tutors a handle on what students are thinking, as well as what their abilities are.
“Then we work to change or improve or strengthen their perceptions,” said Allen. “Students get better grades as a result of goal setting. It’s self leadership. If you know where you want to go and how you’re going to get there, others will follow.”
Allen, an accounting manager for most of his life, bought the franchise as a business investment in 2001.
Now, Club Z holds contracts to provide free tutoring at numerous school sites in Lee and Collier counties as a part of the “No Child Left Behind” program. Allen says he’s proud to also have a contract with the Collier school district to provide tutoring to homeless children at various after-school program locations.
“When I first looked into this as a business opportunity, I thought it was such a positive premise for making a difference in the community as a whole, as well as for individuals,” he says.
Tutoring tots? Some kids prep for kindergarten
August 22nd, 2009
For two hours a week this summer, Krissy Rubesch has been working with a tutor on reading and math. Summer schooling isn’t unusual for kids who need a jumpstart on academics for fall, but Krissy is only going into kindergarten.
Already a pro at reading phonetic words such as “cat,” she has spent seven weeks learning about the silent “e,” letter combinations such as “sh” and other more advanced reading skills. She’s been working on addition with four-digit numbers and has done some creative writing to improve her penmanship and ability to sound out words.
Krissy, who turned 5 this month, will be among the youngest kids in class, and her mother emphasizes she isn’t trying to create a superstar student. She just wants to make sure her daughter is prepared to keep up with the other children who are learning their words and numbers, too. All of them will be expected to master various academic skills in the upcoming school year, or risk retention.
Area libraries offer online tutoring
August 22nd, 2009
Students who struggle in Barrow, Jackson and Banks counties will get their pick of tutors to help them this year, and it won’t cost parents a dime.
The 11 libraries that make up the Piedmont Regional Library System began using HelpNOW, an online tutoring service provided by the New York-based Brainfuse company, on Aug. 1.
Whether students are stuck on an algebra problem or just don’t understand how to apply the quadratic formula, they’ll be able to find help with the click of a mouse, said Alan Harkness, library system director.
“(The tutors) won’t answer the question,” Harkness said. “They walk you through the problem until you understand.”
The Piedmont system set aside $14,500 earlier this year for a one-year contract with Brainfuse, so that students can log onto the site from a computer at home or at the library from 2 to 11 p.m. each day, he said.
All a student needs is a library card to access the site from the library’s Web site to chat one on one with a tutor instantly.
“You can use it in the library, or with a library card you can use it remotely from home,” Harkness said. “We’re trying to make more of our services available remotely so people can get access when and where they need it.”
People in Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Madison and Franklin counties have used a similar online tutoring service, called Library Service Express, for at least four years, said Rhiannon Eades, public relations specialist for the library.
Each month, the site attracts about 90 students, Eades said.
HelpNOW primarily is for students in third through 12th grades and can help with math, science, social studies and English. HelpNOW also offers tutoring services in Spanish, and includes practice tests and sample questions students can use to prepare for the SAT and ACT.
Tutoring available to poorest students in NH
August 22nd, 2009
DOVER — Sean Hoeing expects his business will be very busy this coming school year when area school districts contact him and request private tutors for schoolchildren who need help with reading and math.
That’s because Hoeing, owner of the Sylvan Learning Centers of New Hampshire in Portsmouth and Hampstead, along with several other private tutoring companies certified to help New Hampshire schoolchildren, will receive their share of federal No Child Left Behind Act funds through the state’s Department of Education’s Title 1 program.
Hoeing said a combination of additional money for supplemental education services and more school districts being placed on the state’s list of schools needing improvement under the federal law’s guidelines will keep his 25 part-time tutors very busy this year.
A portion of the $33 million in Title 1 funds the state Department of Education received this year in federal economic stimulus funds is being set aside for school districts, Hoeing said. Parents will be able to ask their child’s school district to hire a private tutor to help them improve their reading and math proficiencies, he said.
But there is a catch.
The free private tutoring services can only be offered to children who are considered poor on the socio-economic scale because of the way the federal law was structured, Hoeing said.
He said children who receive free school lunches or discounted school lunches because they come from low-income families can take advantage of the private tutoring.
“Like most federal programs, the resources go to the families with the greatest financial need,” Hoeing said.
Deb Connell, administrator of the Bureau of Integrated Programs with the state Department of Education, said students in grades 3 to 8 who did not achieve passing math and or reading scores required by the federal law can access other services in their school districts.
She said federal Title 1 regulations call for school districts to provide additional support and services for children regardless of their socio-economic status. But those services can differ from district to district, she added.
Stephanie Lefreniere, director of the state agency’s Title 1 program, said the funds are available only to school districts that are in the second year of needing improvement under the federal law.
She said some districts choose to invest more Title 1 funds in additional staff to provide in-district tutoring or additional professional development to better equip teachers on how to help students who have not met the federal law’s math and reading standards.
“I don’t think parents take advantage of the SES (Supplemental Educational Services) as much as they should,” Lafreniere said.
According to the state agency’s website, there are 30 private tutoring providers based in New Hampshire or elsewhere. They also serve different grade levels.
For instance, Sylvan Learning Center and Strafford Learning Center in Somersworth serves students in grades kindergarten through 12, but Howe Tutoring Associates in Hanover serves students in grades K to 6.
Hoeing said some of the providers offer private tutoring at their offices or at sites such as public libraries, community centers or at students’ homes. Some only offer on-line tutoring services via computer, he said. A complete list of providers in New Hampshire can be viewed on the state Department of Education’s website.
Parents also have the ability to choose which private tutoring company they want their school district to contract with, Hoeing said. But the location of a given provider often determines which ones they select, he said.
For example, Hoeing said the Dover, Farmington, Portsmouth, Rochester, Somersworth and Newmarket school districts have already expressed an interest in working with Sylvan Learning Center because it is located in Portsmouth.
Parents have to drive their children to the center’s office in Portsmouth to receive the private tutoring services, he said.
Because many of the students come from low-income families, Hoeing said his company offers parents a $25 gas card every six weeks to make the travel easier for them.
Hoeing said he is also sensitive to families who don’t qualify for the federal program. He said for every 15 students who enroll through the program, Sylvan Learning Center will award a 36-hour scholarship to any students in a school district who needs tutoring in reading and math.
Wonder-Space Mobile Tutoring Service
June 29th, 2009
When it comes to technology companies, Houston is no Silicon Valley. Not yet, at least. But the world’s oil capital is home to scores of hopeful entrepreneurs looking to strike gold with a hot Web site, software or mobile phone technology. Here’s one of an occasional set of snapshots of local tech startups. Time will tell whether they catch fire or flame out.
the company gives students cell phones and minute plans they use to call in to tutoring sessions. “For low-income students, many don’t have Internet at home so even if you gave them a computer, they couldn’t use it,” said founder Emmie Chang. They listen to scripted stories in which characters encounter math problems. Students follow along in a workbook and dial in answers. The more work they complete successfully, the more minutes and texts messages they earn. The company plans to add more subjects soon.
http://tutor.wonder-space.com/
Top Test Prep Offers $25,000 Reward.
April 20th, 2009
Top Test Prep, a private tutoring and admissions consulting company, today announced a new incentive program to give back to students who get perfect scores on the SAT or ACT.
“For a limited time, Top Test Prep will be offering a $25,000 reward to any student who enrolls in our Gold or Silver test preparation package, and subsequently receives a perfect score on the SAT or ACT within one year of his or her enrollment,” announced the President of Top Test Prep, Ross Blankenship.
Any student who enrolls in a qualifying package during the promotional period will be eligible for this reward.
“Top Test Prep wants to give students an incentive to work hard and study for their exams more intensely,” continued Blankenship. “We want the chance to reward our students for their dedication and their confidence in the services we provide. We strongly believe that our tutoring methods are the best and that students will see actual results. Top Test Prep is willing to put its methods and strategies to the ultimate test.”
Top Test Prep’s admissions consultants and private tutors go directly to students and provide unique methods for improving test scores, from tutors for the SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, TOEFL, AP Exams and SAT IIs.
REACH student tutor, program receive national honors
April 18th, 2009
Sometimes a student just needs a little extra assistance to make sense of a subject. Since 2000, the University of Louisville’s REACH has provided that help for undergraduate students at all levels of academic achievement.
In early April, the Association for the Tutoring Profession (ATP) will honor REACH and one of its master tutors at its annual conference.
REACH, which stands for Resources for Academic Achievement, was created in 2000 to improve student academic success at UofL. Services target students primarily in the first two years of study, which national retention studies suggest is when most students are likely to drop out.
ATP will present REACH with its 2009 Program of Excellence Award for its student employee training, scope of purpose and range of tutorial support to students.
The association will name senior biology major and honors scholar Scott Howard its Peer Tutor of the Year for 2009.
One of an average of 150 student employees who work for REACH each semester, Howard has tutored biology, chemistry and Spanish since his sophomore year. He will enter UofL’s School of Medicine in the fall and plans to return to his hometown of Topmost, Ky., a small rural area in the eastern part of the state, to practice medicine.
“I never expected or even dreamed of winning an award like this,” Howard said. “Receiving my international master tutor certification from CRLA (College Reading and Learning Association) was a big thing for me.”
Howard has a passion for helping others, said Julie Hohmann, his supervisor. He finds creative ways and real-life examples to explain difficult concepts, is extremely patient with students who may become frustrated with the material and empathizes with them when they have difficulty grasping a concept.
“I have been tutored a few times myself,” Howard said. “I think that helps the students relate to me because it shows that I am human too, unlike the professors whose knowledge can make them seem unapproachable.”
Howard also attributes his success to REACH’s tutor network.
link:http://php.louisville.edu
Tutoring company donates supplies
April 18th, 2009
It was Christmas in April for Mt. Hebron High School, as the school received more than $300 worth of school supplies from Peer2Peer Tutors on April 1.
The tutoring company, which aims to set up student tutors with peers who need academic help, purchased three boxes binders, dividers, highlighters, pens, pencils, index cards and more for the school.
Peer2Peer owner and founder Erik Kimel said he recently read that teachers spend anywhere from $300 to $500 out of their own pockets for their students’ school supplies annually, and wanted to help alleviate that load on teachers by donating supplies to the school. Some of the student tutors Kimel employs attend Mt. Hebron.
One of the student tutors, junior Chris Fieldhouse, said the donations were aimed at helping students who can’t afford supplies.
“(Peer2Peer) wanted to help some of the underprivileged students,” he said.
Mt. Hebron principal Scott Ruehl said the staff was grateful for the mid-year influx of supplies.
Kimel founded Peer2Peer in 2004, his senior year of high school at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, gathering fellow classmates that excelled academically to tutor peers.
He said the program has the potential to create a more powerful connection between the tutor and the tutored.
Added Fieldhouse, “They seem more interested when they’re hearing from someone their age rather than just another teacher. It’s really helped them excel.”
The company now employs about 85 tutors, with pay starting at $12 per hour, Kimel said.
link: http://www.explorehoward.com
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