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Now Hiring Ambitious, Talented, and Creative Private Tutors
by Brian McElroy, President, McElroy Tutoring
So you’ve done some tutoring before, and you’ve discovered that you have a knack for teaching in a one-on-one setting. Perhaps you’ve helped your college classmates with their problem sets. Or maybe you’ve helped your younger cousin with his/her algebra homework and English essays. You may even have experience working for one of the fat cat, franchised test-prep companies. And despite the fact that your parents and friends don’t consider it a “real” job, you’re considering tutoring as a possible profession.
And why wouldn’t you want to tutor? It’s a dream job, really: flexible hours (afternoons, evenings and weekends), no boss constantly looking over your shoulder, and great hourly pay. (Contrary to what most people think, I can tell you from experience that tutoring IS a real job that pays real money.) You can also make a huge difference in your students’ lives: our best tutors are not only teachers, but mentors as well. The problem is that finding clients is very difficult these days, because there is so much competition. Craigslist is great, but anyone can call him/herself a tutor, and every day more and more people post tutoring ads on the site, so the competition is fierce. Most prospective tutors soon become discouraged and look for work elsewhere, because they aren’t able to find enough clients/students to pay the bills.
Even when you do find a client, you have to deal with last minute cancellations, clients that forget or refuse to pay, and all sorts of hassles. Of course, you could decide work for a big tutoring company who will find students for you, but then you’ll often have the opposite problem. You’ll most likely be overworked, underpaid (usually tutors make around a 15% cut of what the company charges), and be forced into a “one size fits all” method of teaching that focuses on the COMPANY’s technique rather than letting you formulate your own unique teaching style. I know this from experience as well: I am a former Princeton Review instructor who quickly became disenchanted with the lousy pay and mediocre materials. Plus, they usually won’t even let you work for any other tutoring companies!
So what’s the solution, you ask? You need to work for a company that gives you the best of both worlds: it finds you clients, promotes your services, provides you with access to helpful tutoring advice, pays you very handsomely (many of our tutors make up to $50/hr or more), yet allows you to embrace your own unique teaching styles and techniques as well. Oh, and you can also create your own tutoring business or work for as many other tutoring companies as you like. We’re so confident in our tutoring company that we’re not afraid to let you work for other ones on the side. That company is called McElroy Tutoring. I’m the director, and CEO, and I ‘d like you to consider working for us.
A little bit about me: four years ago, I moved to San Diego, California with the goal of starting an independent private tutoring company geared toward preparing high schoolers for the SAT, ACT, AP exams, as well as the college application process. Now that company is one of the most successful independent tutoring companies in California. And I’m returning home to Providence to start a second branch of the business right here in my hometown.
We’re also planning a substantial facelift / expansion of the web site…tutors will soon have their own dedicated pages where they can post pictures and other information about themselves. I’m spending lots of money on this, and putting a ton of my own time into the project, because I truly believe in the potential of this business. Tutors will be first in line for promotions within the company as we continue to grow. Tutoring is an up-and-coming business that will only grow in popularity in the upcoming years, and we plan to be at the forefront of this expansion.
I realized a long time ago that it’s not the company, or “brand-name,” that makes good tutors. Nor is it a silly, weekend-long training program where companies “certify” their tutors and then toss them into the fire for lousy pay. The only way to learn is by doing, and the only way to become a master tutor is to tutor! We give you that opportunity, and we offer some of the most competitive rates in the country. We have our own payroll service, we offer direct deposit, and we protect you by enforcing a strict 24-hour cancellation policy with our clients. If a student cancels your lesson less than 24 hours before it is scheduled to begin (experienced tutors will attest to the fact that this is a huge problem), you are still paid in full. Simply put, we are a small, personal company with big company perks.
Applications should be in email form only. Please include a cover letter in the *body of your email*, along with an attached resume. We would also prefer that you include a *comprehensive list* of all the subjects you feel qualified to teach today, along with another *list of subjects* that you are willing to teach but need some brush-up before you would feel fully prepared to tutor. The more specific you can be (AP Environmental Science, honors physics, IB English), the better. Also, please include your full name in the file name of your resume (i.e, Jane_Doe_resume.doc), which makes organization much easier on our end. Remember that you do *not* have to be a certified teacher to become a tutor (although it certainly doesn't hurt).
Photo attachments (headshots only please, .png preferred but .jpg and other attachment formats accepted) are encouraged but not required. If you are chosen to become part of our tutoring team, these photos will eventually be used in your online tutor profiles, at your request. Applications should be sent to me directly via email at mcelroy@post.harvard.edu AND mcelroytutoring1@gmail.com. Please do not forget to attach a resume. You may also call our main office in San Diego during business hours for more information (we are open from 12 noon - 8 pm EST).
Regards,
Brian McElroy
President, McElroy Tutoring Inc.
mcelroy@post.harvard.edu
866-584-TUTOR (8886)
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