Being a specialist in the teaching industry, I am often asked a question by parents: “Is home tuition or going to a tuition centre better?” Due to the popularity of this question among parents, and to save myself the need to keep repeating my answer, I shall address this issue here.

When I ask parents for their opinion before answering their Number 1 question, more often than not, I will always receive the immediate reply that tuition centres are better. Why? Because they are more expensive, they have more students and the teachers will be qualified. Let me explain why this answer is worrying.

Firstly: the cost of tuition. The importance of education cannot be underestimated especially in a world that thrives on research and innovation. However, this does not justify the misconception that the most expensive is definitely the best. I have come across many parents who have been disappointed with the performance of their children after sending them for supposedly the ‘best tuition in town’. One has to recognize that what works for someone else’s child may not work for yours. It is more advisable to remain open to various suggestions on improving your child’s grades instead of solely relying on tuition centres.

Secondly: tuition centres have more students. From the surface, yes, tuition centres appear to have more students. That’s because tuition centres usually conduct classes in large groups while home tutors tend to teach students individually, and the lessons are often at home. Also, you will never know the actual number of tutors and students tuition agencies have under their charge. The statistics are always changing in real time.

Lastly: the teachers are qualified. If you are saying that with 100% confidence, you might want to reduce that by half. Currently, there are no regulations or checks done locally to ensure that teachers at tuition centres are genuinely qualified. Tuition is a lucrative business. Employing another teacher would mean that additional classes can be opened, which in turn, converts to higher profits. And, is there a way for you to view the teacher’s certificates? Probably not. In other words, parents are ASSUMING that the teachers are qualified, and they are forking out enormous sums of money at their OWN RISK.

Having cleared the air, what are the other alternatives? The most obvious competitor to tuition centres would be home tuition. Home tuition in general comes at a lower cost and with the individual attention given to your child for the full two hours (which is what a tuition centre cannot offer), it can potentially be more effective. In addition, it is more convenient and flexible as tutors travel to your house and can adapt to your schedule. Also, tutors can remain under your scrutiny at all times if you want to ensure that they are not sleeping on the job. On the other hand, sitting in class with your child in most tuition centres is definitely not allowed. Most importantly, you are certain that the tutor’s credentials are genuine having been screened by the tuition agency, then by yourself upon request.

So, you may wonder, if home tuition is better, how can it be cheaper? Again, allow me to emphasize that the quality is not always determined by the price. Home tutors can afford to charge lesser because they do not need to pay rental fees and employment benefits. Unlike tuition centres, there are no miscellaneous costs such as enrollment or registration fees, and no one-month deposits. A one-month advanced notice for termination does not apply either. Essentially, you are only paying for the lessons taught.

Despite the benefits, some parents are concerned over the fact that the tutors are students themselves. Yes, most tutors are students themselves who are offering tutoring services to earn some allowance. But, that does not mean that they are not qualified and a reliable tuition agency will only recommend tutors that are knowledgeable and experienced enough. You may be surprised that many relief teachers in our local schools and junior colleges are polytechnic graduates or are students who have just completed their ‘A’ level examinations. Now, surely you can be assured that a third-year university undergraduate is qualified enough to be your child’ tutor.

The comparison between home tutors and tuition centres is unlikely to end and depends heavily on its suitability for your child. Although expensive tuition is not always the best, be wary about the cheapest offer too. Select reliable tutors at reasonable rates, or be prepared to pay a heavy price instead.

By: Jacqueline L.

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Starting a home tutoring service is a small business that does not require much start-up costs or training. Essentially, this service is an excellent business for stay-at-home moms who love to deal with children and make some money on the side. Apart from that, this home business provides time flexibility as the tutor would only need to spend a few hours each day on tutoring. Of course, more classes can also be scheduled according to personal preferences.

In fact, a tutoring business can be conducted either within the comfort of the tutor’s home or at the home of the students. This essentially eliminates the need to pay for rental costs of any kind, with the only cost being transportation costs and the time spent on the classes.

Start Up Costs and Financing Sources:

Starting a tutoring business does not require much in start up costs. In fact, the bare essentials that you need to purchase are pencils and paper as well as some books, all of which will cost you less than $20.

Pricing Guidelines for Service:

Tutors normally charge between $15 and $40 an hour for their services. Rates are dependent on the subjects and the levels that are being tutored as well as the location where the services are offered. Naturally, services offered in larger cities will cost more.

Advertising and Marketing:

Advertising and marketing your tutoring service is one of the most crucial steps in order to ensure success in your business. In fact, there are many ways in which tutoring services can be marketed. The first thing that you should do is to create a profile for yourself. List down your credentials, including the details of your degrees as well as any previous tutoring experience that you may have. Apart from that, other teaching related experience such as peer tutoring while at the university may also help in building a strong profile.

Next, think about which area of study that you are interested to teach as well as the specific age group. Most tutors specialize in specific subjects like Arithmetic or History, while others may deal with just elementary students.

Once you have your resume all ready, you are then ready to approach the schools to market yourself. Inform any school teachers that you know about your expertise, experience and the services that you are offering. This is as many parents enquire with school teachers on where they can send their children for tutoring, which makes teachers the best people to promote you. Alternatively you can also approach the school counselor or principal about your services, as they may be constantly seeking tutors to recommend to the parents of children with problems in their studies.

The next thing you can do is to stick a small ad on bulletin boards located in stores around town. You can find these boards in laundromats, convenience stores and supermarkets. Some parents may notice your ad and call you up for a tutoring engagement. Apart from that, you can even design a nicely printed flyer, highlighting your services and credentials as well as your contact information and send them out to mail boxes within your area.

Another thing that you could do is to contact a local home school group in your location. Many parents of home schooled children require tutoring in certain subjects and may be seeking tutors for this purpose.

Recommended training, experience, or needed skills:

A tutor does not necessarily need to have a degree in teaching in order to be qualified for tutoring. However, teaching experience will help in building a profile, as parents will be more confident with your abilities. Furthermore, as a tutor, you need to seek out the latest syllabus and texts which are being used in classes so as to ensure that what your teaching is aligned with the current education system.

Additionally, a visit to the library could help in obtaining lists of books specifically on tutoring your areas of focus. Furthermore, you will be able to find a wide variety of material to present to your students in class from within the local library. You may even obtain creative teaching and tutoring ideas that will help draw the attention of your students during class.

Income potential:

The potential earnings from a home tutoring service are really dependent on the efforts and the commitment of the individual. If more time were allocated to tutoring, then more income will be generated.

There have been tutors who have successfully made an annual income of $10,000 to $15,000 tutoring just 20 hours a week from home.

Target market:

Students from Elementary Level up to High School

Success tips:

One of the factors influencing the success of a home tutoring service is the level of education and guidance that has been provided to the students. Usually, this is measured by the results attained by the students. Once a student scores an ‘A’ in a subject area that he or she has been poor in, your effective tutoring work will travel quickly by word of mouth as parents will make good recommendations to other parents. In fact, word of mouth is the channel that facilitates rapid growth in your business.

By: Randy Wilson

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