Deciding
whether to tutor in person or online can be a very difficult decision. Although I have done both and I am aware of
the many reasons someone may choose one style over the other, I am partial to
online tutoring. Apparently, so are my
students. Students that I have worked with
were asked to fill out questionnaires and below are some of the comments that they
gave regarding why they prefer online tutoring over traditional tutoring.
"I
don't have to travel anywhere to meet up with the tutor. This is less of a
disruption to my life and my family's life. If my session runs for an hour from
5-6, I get online at 4:58 and log off at 6:02. No time is wasted!"
"My Mom or Dad can overhear the sessions while still working on whatever
they need to do - bathing my siblings, preparing dinner, watching tv... Plus,
they can listen to how the tutor helps me through problems and teach me the
same way if I need help later on. It helps teach my parents also!"
"I can schedule my sessions around my busy schedule. This is great for
kids who are involved in extra-curricular activites or who have a lot of things
to do after school."
"I feel less inhibited while talking to a tutor online than I would if I
had to work face-to-face with a tutor, especially when I don't understand
something or know the answer."
"I am very shy in class and don't like to approach my teacher or stay
after school. However, I feel much more confident working with a tutor online
who is there for just the purpose of helping me and only me. He or she won't
compare me to my other classmates and make me feel stupid. In class, I feel
silly asking questions, but I'm supposed to ask questions during my online
session."
"I can email my tutor stuff that we are working on in class after scanning
it in, stuff found on my teacher's webpage, pages in online books, etc. I can
also work on stuff during the week and email it to my tutor so she can check it
out before we get online together."
"The web is a HUGE resource. Often times my tutor and I will leave our online
classroom and visit websites to help me understand stuff. For instance, I
didn't understand the difference between mitosis and meiosis (cell division)
and my tutor found a couple of animations online that helped me understand the
processes. The tutoring sessions don't take place just in the online classroom
- we go all over the web!"
"My tutor helps me with more than one subject. I can get help in all of my
classes from the same person."
"It may be difficult to get a local tutor for certain subjects. However, there
are so many available tutors when you are looking for a tutor online. I can
live in California and have an online tutor from New York!"
"The prices that online tutors charge are often a little less than what traditional
tutors charge. As a college student on a
limited budget, I’m more willing to schedule more sessions online with a tutor
than I would if I had to meet them personally.
Plus it is more convenient since I don’t have a car and can’t travel to
meet someone.”
"I LOVE the computer and using technology to learn. Doing homework with
pen and paper is boring. Working out the same problems on the online whiteboard
is much more fun."
"Time seems to fly by while I'm working online with my tutor. Before I
know it, my hour is over and I'm ready to schedule my next tutoring
session."
I’ve used quite a
few of these comments when I put together my brochures and discuss my business
with potential clients. The statements
seem to help convince people that students truly benefit and enjoy online
tutoring and that it is a better option than face-to-face tutoring for many
reasons. Feel free to incorporate some
of the above statements in your advertising strategies and you can soon begin
collecting your own comments once you start acquiring your own clients.
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