“A long established company, Tutor.com is a great option if you’re looking for trustworthy on-demand help from high-quality tutors.”
What We Like
What We Don’t Like
What is Tutor.com?
Tutor.com is one of the oldest online tutoring companies out there, founded all the way back in 1998. It is an online tutoring platform that matches students with tutors to try and find the best fit for their needs.
Interestingly, it is the current owner of the well known test prep and study guide provider The Princeton Review.
Price: How Much Does Tutor.com Charge?
The pricing plan for Tutor.com can get a little more complicated than others, but is still somewhat flexible.
In general, they offer a middle of the road pricing structure that, generally speaking, is around $39.99 per hour (prices correct as of writing).
Students can buy one time sessions or packages of hours.
You can subscribe for 1, 2 or 3 hours a month:
| Subscription | Per hour |
|---|---|
| 1 hour/ month | $39.99 |
| 2 hours / month | $79.99 ($39.99/hr) |
| 3 hours/ month | $114.99 ($38.33/hr) |
OR
Buy one time packages of 10, 30 and 50 hours per 6 months.
| Package | Price |
|---|---|
| 10 hours per 6 months | $349.99 ($35/hr) |
| 30 hours per 6 months | $949.99 ($31.67 /hr) |
| 50 hours per 6 months | $1449 (29.00/hr) |
While definitely affordable, these pricing options might not be the most optimal solution for students that need intensive tutoring (such as those with learning disabilities or special needs) and really struggling students, as they would probably require more hours per week of tutoring and would therefore run out of hours quickly (50 hours over 6 months is roughly only 2 hours a week of tutoring).
If your student does not need intensive tutoring or just needs some qualified help here and there during the school year, tutor.com might be an excellent solution.
How Flexible is their Online Tutoring?
Tutor.com is quite flexible.
They offer 24/7 online tutoring access on demand. Students fill out a short questionnaire with the subject they need help in and the specific problems they are having and the company will quickly match them with an appropriate tutor.
To their credit, if a tutor is unable to help a student they will offer to switch to another tutor that can, and the student is not billed for the waiting time.
Students also have the ability to schedule appointments with a tutor, provided they give 48 hours notice. They can choose a subject, view available tutors and select the next available time.
Tutor.com also lets customers upgrade and downgrade their plans as needed, which isn’t very common among tutoring companies.
What Kind of Tech Do They Use for Online Tutoring
Tutor.com uses an online learning environment that contains a number of tools designed to help with learning:
- Recorded – so that lessons can be viewed later
- Voice – teachers can speak to students through VOIP (requires Adobe Flash)
- Whiteboard – where students and tutors can work together to solve problems
- Chat
- File upload – files can be uploaded and worked on
However, unlike many other online tutoring solutions there is no video in the online classroom. Instead students and teachers can be represented by an avatar.
Some customers may not mind this and appreciate the anonymity, however some students do need to be monitored for eye contact and attention and so this would not be ideal.
Is Tutor.com Safe for Kids?
Tutor.com really shines when it comes to student safety.
The company checks the academic credentials of all applicants, and runs background checks on applicant tutors as a matter of course that can include SSN verification and criminal record. .
Students also remain anonymous to tutors and there is no video in the online classroom, which can preserve this anonymity.
Finally, the company employs tutor mentors to review sessions for both quality and safety. tutors
What kind of Tutors do they have?
Tutor.com offers tutoring in around 40 subjects, including math, science, humanities, english, languages, business, AP exams and standardized test prep. Accordingly they have a variety of tutors ranging from teachers, subject matter experts, industry experts and college students.
However, tutor.com does make a strong effort to ensure that the tutors they use are as qualified to teach as possible. Every tutor they hire has to take a subject proficiency exam in what they wish to tutor. We found that past and current tutors report that these exams can be fairly difficult and in-depth compared to other tutoring company screening exams and can last several hours.
Finally, prospective applicants are given mock tutoring sessions to see how well tutors can teach and use tools.
Do They Have Tutors That Can Work With IEP/504 plans?
They have teachers and mentors with experience in IEP and 504 plans. Tutors that don’t have the background are encouraged to transfer students to one who does. Further, there are tutor mentors who assist and supervise tutors, and our research found a number with IEP and 504 experience.
However, access to these tutors would be subject to availability, so parents of students with learning disabilities or special needs might need to look for services who can better cater to their needs.
Does Tutor.com offer Tutoring for Learning Disabilities?
While tutor.com has excellent screening for teachers and many of whom have experience tutoring kids with various learning disabilities, there is no particular way to easily find tutoring, and no section particularly for learning disabilities or special needs students.
Further, we don’t feel that the pricing structure is really set up for the intense long term sessions that some students need.
FAQ
About the Author
Anne Miller is the editor of The Smarter Learning Guide and is a passionate advocate for education and educational technology. A mom of two, she majored in English Language and Literature and worked as a substitute teacher and tutor for several years. When not writing she continues to root for the Yankees and the Giants.