As summer approaches, test prep and tutoring professionals need to start thinking about how to generate revenue during what has become a typically slower season. With students out of school and many families taking vacations, it can be a challenging time to maintain a steady stream of clients. However, with some careful advanced planning and creative thinking, it is possible to turn the summer months into a profitable period for your business.

Here are some tips to help test prep and tutoring p...

Many tutoring programs start out with the premise "if you build it, they will come."

This approach is a great foundation for a referral based business and there is no better advertising than client referral.  In fact, many tutoring programs generate six digit revenue streams by doing little more than providing excellent service and high quality tutors.

That having been said, this type of business model inevitably tends to plateau.  That is to say, year-over-year revenue growth settles between ...

By Robin Satty, Ed.D.

Wouldn’t it be convenient if we could read our students’ minds and see exactly what they were thinking? Exactly what they know and what they don’t, exactly where the made the error, and exactly what was holding them back?

We haven’t (yet) developed the technology to do that, but formative assessment is the next best thing. Formative assessment “provides information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happening” (Garrison and Ehringhaus, 2011).

In ...

By Robin Satty, Ed.D.  

Setting the right pricing for tutoring services is crucial for tutors and educational institutions alike. It requires a careful analysis of various factors, such as market demand, costs, competition, and perceived value. In this article, we will explore the process of establishing pricing for tutoring services, drawing insights from industry articles and incorporating pricing strategies taught at Wharton, while also comparing and contrasting the approaches.

I. Understanding Market Demand and Co...

The unique and profound stress that comes from a tutor missing an assignment is a common issue faced by tutoring company owners. In such a situation, the owner must determine how much to explain, defend, or concede to the client during a difficult conversation with the parents.

To mitigate the impact of such situations, it's important for tutoring companies to anticipate and plan for such events in advance. Tutor no-shows can be considered a predictable crisis and contingency planning can help ...

By Robin Satty, Associate Director, TPAPT

Hello there,

Are you passionate about a particular subject and have a desire to share your knowledge with others? If so, becoming a tutor might be the perfect career path for you. At TPAPT, we understand the importance of effective tutoring in the academic journey, and we're here to guide you through the process. Here's a step-by-step guide to becoming a successful tutor.

1. Identify Your Expertise: The first step to becoming a tutor is identifying your area of expertise. This could be a subje...

Recruiting exceptional talent is a critical component of an organization's strategy.  Commercial tutoring companies know this and tend to support a steady funnel of candidates year-round.  To support that endeavor, they typically have designated human resource professionals posting, screening, and onboarding potential tutors; these folks focus 24/7 on finding new talent. 

In contrast, small businesses (like ours) have minimal infrastructure.  So, human resource functions  happenas needed by one...