Navigating the Tutor Me Education Platform: A Comprehensive Guide for Tutors

This article provides a comprehensive guide for tutors working with Tutor Me Education, covering essential aspects from setting up your profile to managing sessions and payments. Whether you're a new tutor or a seasoned professional, this information will help you navigate the platform effectively and maximize your tutoring opportunities.

Setting Up Your Tutor Profile

Your online profile is your introduction to potential clients, so it's crucial to make a strong first impression. Completing your online profile before receiving tutoring opportunities is essential, as it allows clients to find you when they post jobs. Here's how to optimize your profile:

Personal Information and Availability: Ensure all your personal information is accurate and up-to-date. Make sure your availability to tutor clients is correct. This includes subjects you can tutor, your educational background, and any certifications you hold.
Professional Profile Picture: Upload an appropriate and professional profile picture. Profiles with a picture typically get more attention. You can drag and drop an image from your computer or press Select an Image to browse your files on your computer or device.
Compelling Tutor Bio: Your Tutor Bio is incredibly important to marketing yourself to potential clients and will be publicly displayed to clients. This will be through our platform. The more thoughtful and thorough you are in writing your TutorBio, the more likely it is that clients will want to work with you. It is a chance for you to market your tutoring services. Highlight your experience, qualifications, and teaching style. Share your passion for your subjects and how you motivate students.

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- Example: "With nearly 1,000 hours of formal teaching experience, my tutoring guarantees positive results! Every student whom I’ve tutored has significantly increased in their grades and even motivation in school! My style is unique, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and extremely patient! They come from all walks of life. In addition to this, I have spent the last year private tutoring high school students in Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics and SAT materials. I have also successfully tutored 3 college graduates, preparing for the MCAT and higher level post-bac. programs. varying in subjects. I believe that my experiences have equipped me to be a versatile and competitive candidate as a tutor. Furthermore, I have a passion for the arts and sciences which is reflected in my degrees and success from Johns Hopkins. As a student, I discovered the value of learning and grew an enthusiasm for whatever subject I was studying. As a result, my passion for science and learning aids my teaching in the classroom as I can excite my students for the material. Finally, my SAT scores were Math: 680, Verbal: 610, and writing: 680. My MCAT score was a 34: 10 verbal, 12 Physical Sciences, and 12 Biological Sciences. I believe that I have definitely refined and improved these skills since high school due to my fruitful experiences at Hopkins. My students have started in the mid 20s and have eventually scored 30-33 with my help! I have many hobbies and interests, but some of them include playing the drums, cycling the beautiful bay area, playing the piano, going to the movies, and playing badminton!! I even love to rock climb and go hiking too! I’m very laid back but I make sure to get work done! My personality is one of my greatest strengths and my students agree that my persona allows them to feel comfortable and not intimidated. I make sure to help my students feel confident."
Keep Your Profile Current: It is important that you keep your profile current so that you continue to receive information about students that you are eligible to tutor, although it is not required.

Setting Your Availability on TutorPlace

To ensure you receive tutoring requests that align with your schedule, it's essential to set your availability on the TutorPlace platform.

Accessing Availability Settings: Once logged into TutorPlace, go to the top right corner > Click Your name > My account > Click Availability > Click and drag to create one block of availability.
Time Zone: Please ensure the timezone matches your location. On TutorPlace, this can be done by clicking your name in the top right corner and selecting your time zone (under your picture).
Best Times to Be Available: The best times to have open on your availability calendar are any times you are available to tutor! You may decline any tutor requests that conflict with your schedule.

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Setting Specific Unavailable Times: Reach out to the Tutor Relations Director or any staff member who can provide you access to do this. There is a setting we can enable internally. Then you will be able to set specific times you will be unavailable. Please note this generally applies to tutors who were onboarded before 11/01/2021. Some time in 2022, all tutors will only be able to use the “TutorPlace interface”.

Finding and Accepting Tutoring Opportunities

The Tutor Me Education platform connects you with students seeking tutoring in your areas of expertise. Here's how to find and accept opportunities:

Receiving Job Notifications: Generally speaking, the student/school/parent creates a job outlining what they’re looking for and what their specific needs may be. The job is systematically sent to the best possible tutors whose areas of expertise line up with that specific project’s needs. Sometimes this is sent to multiple tutors at once if the student wants to get started right away. This is when the tutors have a chance to respond and confirm if they are interested/available, why they’d be a great match for the student, and any logistical information the job may be asking for. From here, the student either accepts the tutor right away, or there may be a delay due to a bit of a back-and-forth if the client wants to review multiple profiles from which to choose.
Reviewing Job Details: Each client represents a project opportunity and the system provides the details that you will need about the student and the tutoring job for you to consider before declaring your interest in that job.
Expressing Interest: Please know that if you select this response, you are agreeing to work with this student and should hold a spot for them in your schedule for the next 24-hours while placement is finalized. You are never penalized for declining a potential student.

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Confirming Availability: You will be asked to confirm your availability for an opportunity before being confirmed for a tutoring job. The student may ask additional questions regarding your tutoring experience, long term availability, or comfortability with the material.
Responding Promptly: Students typically offer jobs to several tutors so that the student has choices. Responding quickly will increase your chances of receiving the tutoring project. Make sure that your profile bio and picture are professional, approachable, confident, and friendly. Respond to any tutor requests as promptly and thoroughly as you can; a tutor request is not a confirmation but a query to see who will be the best fit. Any questions you may have about coursework or scheduling can also be addressed in the response.

Communicating with Students

Effective communication is key to building a strong rapport with your students and ensuring successful tutoring sessions.

Reaching Out After Assignment: Once you have been assigned a student, please note that our most successful tutors are those who reach out to the client/student right away and keep an open line of communication, following up regularly. The sooner tutoring services start the more likely you are to receive positive feedback.
Prompt Contact: Most students want to get started quickly and expect to schedule their session with you the same day that you received the contact information. If you do not contact them within 24 hours of accepting the job and receiving their contact information, they may request a more responsive tutor. If you do not hear back from them, we recommend that you continue to call every 24 hours until you reach them.

Expanding Your Tutoring Opportunities

To increase the number of students you can reach, consider these options:

Become Online Certified: Adding online opportunities will dramatically increase the number of students that appear on your list because it does not require that the student be in your geographic area. Click this demo to familiarize yourself with LessonSpace and all of its features.
Increase Travel Distance: Opportunities for in-person tutoring are based on the geographic distance marked in your profile.

Utilizing LessonSpace for Online Tutoring

Tutor Me Education has integrated LessonSpace onto our platform at no cost to you. For online tutoring, we have integrated LessonSpace onto our platform at no cost to you. We strongly recommend watching the tutorials and familiarizing yourself with LessonSpace through the following links. You do not need to create a separate Lesson Space account as it is currently integrated into TutorPlace.

Generating Meeting Links: Once assigned a student, you can generate a meeting link with LessonSpace by clicking the calendar to create a session.
Recommending LessonSpace: We strongly recommend using LessonSpace as it is integrated with our platform. We also recommend using LessonSpace because of its great features like the whiteboard to draw out equations or pictures. You can also generate a meeting invite link in advance of the session.
Confirming Sessions: We suggest confirming the session a day before as well as on the day of the session, 4 hours prior, with the student/family. When confirming sessions we recommend confirming the date, time, and place. If the session is online, assure the student has the link to your online classroom.

Managing Cancellations and No-Shows

It's important to have a clear process for handling cancellations and no-shows.

Logging Cancellations: As a general rule, we suggest logging every cancellation that happens within 24 hours of the session time. Be sure to label it clearly in the notes with details about what happened. The 1st last minute cancellation / no show is generally a courtesy to the student. If it reoccurs, then you may be eligible for last minute cancellations or no shows.
Cancellation Types:
- Not confirmed session: The student/family never stated that they will be at the session.
- Cancelation: The student/family notified that they cannot attend the session without sufficient advance notice. This session should be logged into Oases if the cancelation was within 24 hours of the session time.
- No show: Session was confirmed and the student did not show. Please log the session in Oases. This session should be logged into Oases with notes about what happened. As a general rule, we suggest logging every cancellation that happens within 24 hours of the session time. Be sure to label it clearly in the notes with details about what happened. The 1st last minute cancellation / no show is generally a courtesy to the student. If it reoccurs, then you may be eligible for last minute cancellations or no shows.

Logging and Submitting Sessions

Accurate and timely session logging is crucial for ensuring you get paid correctly.

Adjusting Session Details: You can adjust the type of tutoring, length of session, and notes before submitting your session. Please note that any changes to sessions may affect the amount paid.
Detailed Session Notes: It is important to write specific notes about what was covered in each session when submitting it. Detailed session notes will keep your clients informed, help you avoid having to verbally relay what was covered, and serve as a record of what was accomplished during the session to prove that the session actually occurred. If you do not enter notes about the session, the client may later suggest the session never occurred and you may not have retained notes on what was covered.
Logging Sessions Promptly: Sessions should be logged within 24 hours. Click anywhere on the main calendar on the main landing page when you log in. Select the student. Select duration, e.g. 1.5 hours. Click the blue icon that looks like two people in the bottom left to send out the LessonSpace link to the student in advance of the session. Please send the link well in advance of the session start time, we recommend at least 24 hours in advance of the session. If you would like to access the LessonSpace platform for the session, please click “launch” on the left hand side under your name. If you need to re-send the meeting information, click “invite others” at the top of the screen within lesson space. The main text area is where you will write the session note describing the student’s progress. The note should be logged within 24 hours of a session occurring. We recommend including a summary of the session, homework, etc. Double check all information is correct. Click ‘close’ to save the information before the session occurs. Feel free to edit any information later on as needed. To delete the …

Payment Information

Understanding the payment process is essential for all tutors.

Payment Schedule: Tutors are paid twice per month via direct deposit, on the 6th and 21st of the month to a US bank account. Unfortunately at this time we cannot make any exceptions, and are unable to pay via any alternate method or payment schedule. If there is a holiday on a pay date or the day before a pay date, your payment will be delayed two business days. Sessions that take place near the end of a pay period may be processed and paid out on the next pay period. There may be additional delays if sessions have not been submitted.
Direct Deposit: Tutors are paid via direct deposit to a US bank account. Please complete the direct deposit form section of the tutor contract as soon as possible so that payments are not delayed.
Accessing Payroll Information: “payroll” tab on the platform.
Taxes: Per IRS statute, Tutor Me LA LLC. does not make tax deductions from your monthly earnings (gross earnings are paid in full). Taxes are not withheld from payments made to independent contractors. You are responsible for paying whatever taxes you owe (i.e., Federal, State, Local) using the federal tax form 1099 issued to you when you file your taxes. If you generate less than $600 in revenue as an individual, a Corporation or Limited Liability Company, no 1099 will be issued. You are welcome to operate as any legal entity type you prefer. Please make sure that the correct information is reflected in your internal profile. Payment is sent out via direct deposit on the 5th of each month for all sessions you have submitted.

Background Checks

Clients may request periodic background checks or LiveScans to continue working with students and Tutor Me Education may also decide to run additional background checks. When a new Background Check is sought, you will receive an electronic authorization form to complete.

In-Person Tutoring Logistics

Clients that you connect with through the Tutor Me Education platform will request to meet in-person, online, or a combination of the two. You should meet with your in-person students at their home or an alternative agreed upon location. You can always work with the student and meet in another mutually agreed upon location if needed.

Utilizing Available Resources

Materials: Most students have certain materials that they prefer to use, but all students appreciate having tutors suggest other materials and resources. with the student. Tutor Me Education does not provide any materials for your sessions, although you or the student are free to use any materials available through the platform. There are many free online resources that tutors can utilize with their students.
- Discovery Education: Students can play interactive games, watch videos, or see math problems solved step-by-step using WebMath.
- GCFLearnFree: This site features self-paced tutorials for Reading, Math, and Technology.
Group Sessions: A group of students may want to arrange to meet in-person or online for group sessions. You will be made aware of a group or class request before you agree to take on such an assignment. You may also be contacted directly via phone, or text, as authorized by your approval of the Consent to Electronic Communications/Electronic Communications Delivery Policy.

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