Two Tutor topics... rate quest.; summer idea

It’s the way they do it at New Community School & it works :-)

Sue, any suggestions as to what I have stated. Where do you advertise?
etc.

I’m going to quote my idea so you have it right here.
>I have thought about doing a summer “session” or program. Maybe one per month, perhaps two different kinds (remedial and a “keep up skills” type). I’d take 3-4 kids (max) and then charge a set fee paid up front. A group would keep rates low. A month by month thing would let families go on trips without too much interruption. And a fee up front would make sure I got paid. A skills keep up session would cover math, reading and writing with quite a few games and fun assignments, where the remedial kind would be a bit more serious…

—des

des,

I am planning something similar. I am thinking that I will choose 2 three week blocks. Parents can choose two or four sessions a week for a block. I only do individual work, though, because my kids all seem to be different.

I’ve been charging the same as you have but would like to go to $40. I am also thinking of making all sessions 50 minutes to allow for change-over time. That way I may keep it at $35 another year.

By the way, I am working on a simple website! I’ll let you know when it is done!

Janis

Des - er - about that arithmetic — 1 hour and 45 minutes is 1 3/4 hour, closer to two hours than to one, so the fee should be closer to 2 x 35 = 70, not closer to 35. I come up to $61.25, so you could round to $60 or $55, at the lowest $50. Certainly not to $40 which would mean you;re doing that whole extra 45 minutes for five bucks.

I’m thinking of advertising myself; I’m wondering if the loal community recreation class lists would include me for summer classes if I offered, or if they would feel this is competing with the school system.

Websites are still bringing in over 90% of my results.

Victoria I think I miswrote, it is an hour and *15* minutes, not an hour and *45* minutes. If it were an hour and forty five minutes I’d just round it to two hours and double my fee. I am doing Great Leaps, so I just needed a few more minutes, both fo these kids are already doing extra stuff and I don’t think I can do reading in less than 45 minutes. I already decided to charge $40, more as a non-turn off.

Janis let me know when you have a website up. Sounds interesting.
I may have enough kids this year to not need to do it. We’ll see.
The family I thought was moving in June isn’t moving til the middle of July and it’s already been pushed later once before. I’m hoping for it to get pushed on a bit more.

—des

Hi, des,

Well, I did my simple site last weekend! I’m sure I’ll be revising as time goes on, but here it is:

www.readingsolutions.org

I really consider it an online brochure. I don’t expect people to find me because of the site. But when someone asks me for info, then I can refer them to the site.

Janis

Very nice Janis!

Beth

wonderful website — I’d like to steal … er … borrow some of your ideas.

Oh really nice Janis, I may also “borrow” some of your ideas. Not related, but funny how you imagine someone to look. :-)

—des

Thanks to all of you! It was really fun to do, but I wouldn’t want to have to do that all the time! What is also funny about the picture, des, is that I have a flat screen at home. And when I looked at the site for the first time from my school computer, I laughed because the rounded traditional TV type screen kind of stretched my picture since it is on the side where the screen curves in! Also, the color on my home computer is so much better. So I am realizing everyone may not be seeing it exactly the same! Lol!

Janis

for what it’s worth-I paid $35-40 per 45 minutes in the summers of 1999 and 2000, about 4 times weekly, in SE Virginia. Great teacher, single mom who taught at summer school in the morning and had tutor students every 45 thereafter (no transition time). I took a deep breath when I signed some of the checks but it was the best money I ever spent. The bargain of a lifetime! Having it daily or near daily was worth it as well. A short bit of homework was sent home, as well. What can I say, it saved our lives.

Oh, and to you girls thinking about “borrowing” ideas ;-), my biggest advice is that the Godaddy site is where I bought my domain name and the Website Tonight site template. It led me through the whole thing. The domain names are not expensive, and my five page site costs me a little under $4 a month for them to host it (about $48 a year). I did not like any of the pre-made templates, so I used a blank one and chose my own colors and inserted the picture. That picture of the rainbow is from my Printmaster CD, so I can use it on my business cards and brochures, too.

Janis

Godaddy is the way to go :-)

I use Crystaltech for my website provider… but mine has grown to a bit more than the “yellow pages ad” model.
A few tips:
— don’t ever put “coming April 1 2005” or any promises with a date (I didn’t see any there… but I’ve done it). It looks incredibly tacky when (not if) you don’t meet that date and leaves me wondering just if or when the IDA *will* actually post the program for their conference.
— and if that’s your “main” email address, change it — the spam should be flowing. Most folks have a separate “website” email address with different filters. (It’s tough; you *want* people you don’t know to contact you.)

You look like a reading teacher :-)

I found that “dysgraphia” and “dyslectic” and “dislexic” and “multisensory” being in my “keywords” meta tags (in the code, not on the page) brought a fair number of people to my site via search engines (though the titles of the books I’ve got comprehension stuff for tops everythign else).

I would go to schools and libraries. See if you can post somehting on the library bulletin board (if they won’t let you blatantly advertise, something informative that includes your website).

I’d visit school websites and see who the teachers are of the grade levle of the kids I wanted to reach; p’raps the sped teachers, too. See if you can contact them individually. They’re *bound* to have parents asking them.

Any upscale apartment complexes around? In their lobbies or exercise rooms or whatever…

I’m afraid I don’t know how to organize such things — that’s exactly why I would not venture to do it without entrapping somebody esle into that part of the task. The O word is my nemesis. (organization :))

church bulletins sometimes take ads… might be worth the investment.

Consider writing an article for a local paper that would have your website at the end… about “reading with your child in the summer” or something like that.

Sue, Lol! I guess I should look like a teacher after doing it this long!

No, that is not my main email address. I dread the spam, but I guess it’s unavoidable.

Funny, but I never even thought about key words with dyslexic misspelled!!! What a great idea!

Janis