Parents want the best for their kids, especially when it comes to education. In the DC metro area, academic competition starts early and strong. Not only do parents want to make sure that they are providing the best resources to help their kids keep up but also to help them excel. To accomplish this, turning to private tutors is becoming commonplace. The tutoring industry now generates upwards of $5 billion each year – 10 times what it was in 2001!
Cost is certainly a factor that plays heavily in many parents’ decisions about which tutor they hire for their children. As with most products, prices that seem too good to be true often are. Parents will frequently 
take it upon themselves to find the right tutor for their child. Hiring an independent tutor on your own can involve a lot of work: posting and responding to ads, conducting interviews, checking references, etc. Going this rout can have a fantastic outcome; however, it can also lead to a great deal of headaches. We recently set up tutoring for a Great Falls mom who had a private tutor seemingly fall off the face of the earth three weeks before the student’s final exam.
The cost of tutoring varies primarily due to three factors: location, subject matter, and the tutor’s level of experience. Independent tutors’ fees vary widely; however, in the Washington DC area, you should be able to find a qualified tutor for $30-$90/hour depending on subject and level of experience. You will also find that many independent tutors with proven track records charge much higher rates.
How Much Does Educational Connections Cost?
At Educational Connections, we aim to keep our prices as affordable as possible while still allowing for improvement, growth, and the implementation of new ideas. Our standard elementary tutoring rate is $80 per hour. High school tutoring and Wilson Reading tutoring is $90 per hour. Test prep for the SAT, ACT, and SSAT varies depending on your package.
Our rates are competitive given that we offer a superior service due to our strong dedication to quality. First, one of our ongoing priorities is to make sure that our tutors are the cream of the crop. We pay our tutors significantly more than most other tutoring companies as we want to secure the best available. Seventy-five percent of our tutors have Master’s degrees, most of which are in the field of education, and eighty percent are current or former teachers. As testament to our selectivity, a mere five percent of all applicants are actually offered tutoring positions after going through our screening process.
Second, we are always looking for ways to innovate and improve our services to cater to the needs of our clients. We created the Educational Coaching Process™ as a response to the great number of students who need more than traditional subject based tutoring. This proprietary method aims to effectively improve students’ organization, time management, study skills, and motivation. Despite Educational Coaching’s marked success, we continue to explore new teaching methods, educational products, and research to ensure that our students have access to the best tutoring available.
Third, we offer our tutors regular training opportunities throughout the year as well as access to a wealth of online resources. Our own Educational Coaching Process™ workshop and SSAT prep training are just two examples of the many opportunities for professional development that we offer our tutors. With these developmental trainings, our tutors are able to expertly personalize tutoring sessions to each individual student.
What Makes Educational Connections Different?
Perhaps most important, the EC staff is fully dedicated to ensuring that your experience with us is personalized from start to finish. Our Program Managers carefully listen to each client’s expectations and hand-select a tutor who will cater to the needs of each student. We do all we can to make sure that placements are great the first time. Once tutoring sessions begin, we monitor each student’s progress through the tutor’s online session notes and check in with each family to ensure that their expectations are being surpassed. Further, the staff is always available to assist parents, students, and tutors with any questions they may have.
We are confident that Educational Connections’ commitment to quality is unparalleled and that by choosing us to set up and oversee your child’s tutoring, you are making a valuable investment. Should you have any questions or concerns, we would be more than happy to address them.