As schools get back in session and kids get back into their studies, any potential needs for a tutor is going to become pretty apparent very soon.
There is also another start-up in session as well, improvA. They are opening up a whole new way to find a tutor. Unlike learning centers and tutoring offices, this website holds the information on a variety of tutors that specialize in many different areas of need. When a parent feels their student would benefit from a private tutor, they can search the improvA database to see what is available. Each tutor page tells a little more about that individual and their fees. From there the parent can decide on the person they feel would work the best.
At this time it is free for those in need of a tutor to search their database, and they currently have free registration for tutors that make it through the screening process.
What is improvA and what are some of the benefits that a private tutor can provide a student?
improvA is a breakthrough tutoring service that uses the Internet to connect quality, private tutors with parents and students who need their services. Parents go to www.improvA.com to search for, hire and pay experienced tutors whose skills and expertise match the unique needs of their child. Additionally, educational consultants can be reached at 914-337-3871 to help parents search improvA’s tutor profile pages to find a pre-screened, qualified tutor. improvA combines personal service with Internet efficiency to give parents outstanding tutor choices.
Private tutoring helps children of all ages and all abilities. Even in the best school districts, teachers find it almost impossible to give children enough individual attention. Students can start to feel uncertain about their ability to learn when they feel they can’t interrupt classroom instruction to ask critical learning questions. Private tutoring gives an educator the opportunity to address the individual needs of a student. With private tutoring the tutor can monitor the progress of a child at each step of the learning process. Private tutoring can build a child’s esteem, enable a child who’s falling behind to catch up, or be the catalyst that causes a child to excel.
What are some of the reasons you find that motivates people to hire a tutor?
Parents use the services of private tutors for a number of good reasons. Many educators say there are three critical areas that a teacher needs to assess when looking at a child’s performance in the classroom – The first is most obvious – content knowledge. A good tutor determines whether a child understands the subject material and works with the child to master skills and techniques to be sure the child comprehends the curriculum material. The second area is organization. A good tutor explores with both the parent and the child the student’s ability to keep track of all that’s required of him or her and help the student to map out a course of action that, for example, keeps track of the due dates of long-term and short term assignments. Organizational issues can become especially difficult for a child transitioning from elementary to middle school. Finally, a good tutor looks at motivational issues to evaluate a child’s self-esteem. Does the child enjoy learning and if not, what can the tutor do to engage the child in the subject? This might be the most important area as a great tutor is first and foremost a great motivator, preparing a child for a life-long journey of self-learning.
What is the average cost of hiring someone through your service?
Tutors in the improvA.com network work independently and are free to determine their own hourly lesson fees. That’s one of the wonderful aspects of improvA. Parents can review the profile pages of many different tutors within a subject area and hire tutors based on their individual hourly rates and experience. Tutors with higher hourly rates usually have the most experience, but not always. Our tutor profile pages give parents the chance to review rates, educational training, experience and much more, before making a sound selection.
What was the inspiration behind the launch of improvA?
improvA was created by a team of local parents and educators who felt that parents wanted a way to compare tutors before choosing one appropriate for their child. Too often, parents said, the same over-booked, very expensive tutors seemed to be the only choices within a community. improvA gives parents and students more choices. With improvA parents can easily identify potential tutors, for free. They can quickly review the profile pages of dozens of tutors and then make an informed choice based on criteria such as a tutor’s fee, education, teaching experience, location, special interests, teaching philosophy and more. improvA’s easy to use, quick tutor search makes this unique tutor selection possible.improvA was designed to be much more than a matching service; its mission is to improve the tutoring service industry. Parents told us they wanted a service that would carefully qualify tutors and we take a great deal of time interviewing professional references, talking with our tutors, and checking their credentials and backgrounds to make absolutely sure they are qualified. All tutors are required to undergo a LexisNexis screening to assure parents that every tutor in our membership has been thoroughly vetted. Of course, many of our tutors have also undergone background screenings by their school systems.
Additionally, improvA provides parents and tutors with easy to use, communication tools. Parents and tutors use improvA’s convenient, e-mail messaging system to schedule lessons, report on a student’s progress, and generally stay in touch. After each lesson is completed, tutors write a lesson summary for parents, using improvA’s eReport Card. improvA is designed to maximize the communication between tutor and parents for the benefit of students, parents and tutors.
Some parents told us they wanted us to help them find the best tutor for their child. That makes a lot of sense; we personally get to know our tutors through our extensive interview process. For these parents, we created an enhanced service, improvA+ where one of our educational consultants evaluates the child and then finds the perfect tutor match for him or her.
Have you seen any increased need within some subjects more than others? What are the most common subject areas that you find people looking for help in?
Math and Science subjects, AP and Writing courses, SAT preparation, College counseling, ESL, Special Education, and language courses are areas where there is huge need for instruction. But that’s somewhat misleading; it really depends on the needs of the child.
What kind of obstacles did you, Yves Coleon and Betsy Howard come across while the three of you worked together to build this service? Is there any experience in particular that sticks out in your mind? What did you learn from them?
Good question. Perhaps the biggest obstacle, so far, is building recognition throughout the community that we offer a different kind of personalized, high quality tutoring service. We are an Internet company, but we are very service oriented. We are a local, Bronxville-based business, with strong roots in the educational community. We want our customers to know that we are real people behind our business, ready to help them, should they need it. We believe the company will grow steadily as parents realize the ease, reliability, and excellence of our service.
Was there any previous experience that you were able to bring with you when you joined in to help start up this business?
The improvA.com business team is comprised of three individuals, each with different experiences and skills. Founder and president of improvA, Yves Coleon, is a management consultant, specializing in business innovation. He has started and nurtured several businesses over the last ten years that have succeeded in the global market place.
Betsy Howard, improvA’s Business Manager has both personal experience as a Westchester parent or three teenagers who have used private tutors as well as professional consulting experience with small businesses. “As parents ourselves and active members of the community, we understand the challenges parents face in helping their children excel academically,” says Howard.
Marie Rama, a former high school English teacher, enjoys communicating with teachers and understands the value of supporting tutors who want to maintain their independence. “Tutors tell us they have waited a long time for a company like improvA to come along.”
How much does it cost for a tutor to become included within your network?
Right now the cost to a tutor to register with improvA and become a member of our network is free. Tutors pay improvA only a modest processing fee for the convenience of billing and communication services. We recognize that as a new company we need to build our data base of excellent tutors and show them we can connect them with our services to new parents and students. We are willing to invest our time and resources now to build a successful future base for our great and exciting new company.
What kind of process do they need to go through and how long does it take?
Tutors in our membership are carefully vetted in a registration process that takes about ten days. We ask them each for at least three references – two of these must be professional. We interview each applicant to get to know them as much as possible. Our tutors undergo an independent background check by a professional screening agency that adds an extra layer of assurance to parents. It’s a thorough vetting process that is quite time consuming, but absolutely necessary to insure the best possible tutor members.
How much does it cost for someone to use your website to find a tutor?
Parent registration is free. Parents pay only for the actual tutoring services their child receives. Tutor members determine their own hourly fees which typically range from $25.00 to $120. This range of fees is one of the more compelling reasons for using improvA. Parents can compare the fees of different tutors and use that information to help guide their final tutor selection.
Services are charged to the credit card account provide at registration. improvA’s secure billing system provides parents with the convenience of automatic payment and assures tutors that they will be paid for each lesson. Parents tell us they very much like the fact that they can use a credit card for payment. It’s so much more convenient than cash.
How would they go about using your search to find someone and what do they do once they’ve found the person they’d like to contact?
Parents register with improvA and then connect with pre-screened tutors in three easy steps.
1.) Search improvA’s network of qualified tutors.
2.) Review a tutor’s personal profile page and make a selection.
3.) Use improvA’s secure messaging system to contact the tutor and schedule a lesson.However, we want to share with parents that improvA is designed to be much more than a simple tutor matching service. It also gives parents and tutors easy to use, unique communication tools. Parents and tutors use improvA’s convenient, e-mail messaging system to schedule lessons, report on a student’s progress, and generally stay in touch. After each lesson is completed, tutors write a lesson summary, using improvA’s eReport card that reports on progress made and gives insightful recommendations for future lessons. improvA is designed to enhance and support student learning by maximizing the communication between tutor and parents.
Where would you like to see this service go in the coming years? Are there any big plans for growth or possibly expanding into a different area?
Right now, we’re focused on growing the business organically, on a local level. However, we strongly believe in the matrix of the business model we’ve created, and will look to eventually expand the model nationally.
What kind of advice do you have for those interested in becoming a tutor and selling their own services?
I can be quite difficult for educators to establish themselves as private tutors. We feel improvA offers superior services and management tools to tutors who want to maintain their independence and grow their professional tutoring business. Our professional website, www.improvA.com allows tutors to determine and post their hourly rates. Other tutoring companies hire tutors directly and pay them a small portion of a predetermined lesson fee. improvA reverses that equation by freeing each tutor to set his or her own lesson fee rate. We retain only a modest processing fee for website support and promotion of our tutor network. Many tutors tell us they are tired of posting fliers in supermarkets to reach new students. Our professionally designed website gives private tutors a 21st Century tool to promote themselves to the entire New York metropolitan area or to reach people who live only within the boundaries of their home towns. Educators are very busy people who need flexibility in their tutoring schedules. Other tutoring companies control the hours and times tutor work. Because improvA members determine their own hours and schedule lessons with parents at their convenience, they maintain scheduling flexibility and control.
cassy on September 10th, 2008 at 3:15 am
I visit improvA website and looks pretty cool, has good to offer especially to those parents out there.
Good luck to improvA.