Online Tutoring
If your student just needs the occasional question answered, then online tutoring may be a good option.  But if they need more consistent help, online tutoring is not your best option.  So make sure you understand what you are getting.

For a time-strapped parent, online tutoring can seem like a gift from above.  It seems like the student can just sit in front of a computer and get help.  Online tutoring has the definite advantage of being convenient.  It is also timely, if your student is struggling with a math problem at 10:00 p.m., they can go online and get assistance.  This is why we, at Fyrebrite Tutoring, offer online tutoring as a tutoring option.  However, online tutoring has some significant downfalls:

• First, it requires some investments in technology: a scanner, a webcam, and a broadband Internet connection.  Some people have these already, but for those who don’t, it can be expensive.
• Second, online tutoring prevents the tutor and the student from truly connecting with each other.  This is especially true if you use a service were you aren’t connected to the same tutor each time.  Rapport and trust are the foundation of tutoring and they are not always possible with online tutoring.

Because of these limitations, we at Fyrebrite Tutoring offer online tutoring as a supplement to our in-home tutoring.  If your child needs a lot of help, make sure your online tutor can meet in person.  If your student just needs the occasional question answered, then online tutoring can work.  But be careful to monitor your student’s progress so that you see results.

If you want more information you can see my response to questions about online tutoring at http://fyrebrite.com/articles/online-tutoring-can-be-great-but-be-careful
(Online Tutoring can be great…but be careful.)

Learning Centers
As Los Angeles tutors, we see that this type of business fails most clients.  To make these centers financially viable, your child probably won’t get one-on-one attention.  Most learning centers provide a maximum of one teacher for three students.  Because of all the kids, they are usually very distracting places for struggling students.  Would you rather read in a quiet room or a busy train station?  Compare this to an in-home tutor where you get one-on-one care in the comfort and convenience of your home.

Learning centers are usually the most expensive option as well.  This is because they have to pay rent, electricity, water, etc. and those costs get passed on to you, the parents.  Their high overhead also means that they usually can’t afford to hire the best tutors.

Further, they are almost always the worst choice for a time strapped parent.  Living in Los Angeles, your commute, even down the block, is a significant factor.  Many parents need to leave work to drive home, pick up their child, drive them to the learning center, wait an hour, pick them up, then drive back home—two to three times a week!  For a working parent, this can be a terrible burden.

At-School Tutoring

The advantage of tutoring that takes place at school, usually after classes, is that your student is already there.  For parents this means that you don’t need to pick them as you would at a learning center.  However, there are several disadvantages:

• First, you may need to change your schedule to accommodate this tutoring.  This also means having your child dropping out of sports to accommodate the new schedule.
• Second, most after-school programs are nothing more than large study halls where your student probably won’t get the help they need.  If there is instruction, it is usually in large groups, which is similar to what got the student in trouble in the first place.  Every child is unique and benefits from personalized help.

Remember the old saying, “You get what you pay for.”?  If you are going to rearrange your schedule, make sure that the program will really help your child.

In-Home Tutoring

At Fyrebrite.com, we provide in-home tutoring in Los Angeles, so I can speak to its usefulness.  From the very beginning, we designed our entire program around this format because we believe so strongly in its effectiveness.

First, In-home tutors come to you and usually work around your schedule. (Some private tutors don’t have the flexibility that companies with multiple tutors do.)  This means if you get off of work at 7:00 p.m., and your child has soccer until 8:00, an in-home tutor will usually have the flexibility to accommodate your schedule.

Second, because they are working one-on-one with your child, they establish a strong rapport with your child.  This is critical when the child gets frustrated and needs to rely on someone they trust.

WARNING: Not all in-home tutoring is created equal.  Make sure that the tutor you are getting is qualified.  Further, (and this goes for any tutoring option you choose) make sure that your child and the tutor “click.”  A strong rapport is important; if there isn’t a connection between the tutor and student, change immediately.  At Fyrebrite, we believe this is so important that we guarantee it.  If you want another tutor for any reason, we will replace the one you have immediately.  Make sure the tutoring company you go with has this same policy.

Also, BEWARE of tutors with limited experience tutoring one-on-one.  There are opportunities and pitfalls with one-on-one tutoring, and you need to make sure that your tutor is aware of these.  You can find more information about how to choose a tutor at our website: http://www.fyrebrite.com/how-to-choose-supplemental-education

I hope this helps. Below are some links to help you get started.

In-home tutors – http://www.fyrebrite.com
Online – http://www.onlinetutors.com
Learning Centers – http://www.sylvan.com

If you have any further questions, please email me at: info@fyrebrite.com.

Hope this helps.

Sean Markin

President
Fyrebrite Tutoring ( http://www.fyrebrite.com )
Every child is bright—WE CAN MAKE THEM FYREBRITE!