Where is the Best Place to Find Tutors Today? Tutoring has been around as long as learning has existed. While many consider this a "remedial" service, tutoring can benefit anyone. Whether you're a PhD candidate looking for an extra pair of eyes on your dissertation or a high school student stressed about AP US History, tutoring is for any level and any grade. You don't need to be struggling in a subject to attend tutoring either. Sometimes, it's just nice to have an extra person there for support. And with expert content tutors, you can prepare for anything: SATs, GREs, AP exams, or just help to survive the Worst Math Teacher Ever.
Best Option
If you're looking for a tutoring site that offers support for pretty much every level, then you'll want to take a look at the Princeton Review. Students from kindergarten through 12th grade can find tutoring and helpful courses. For college and graduate-level students, there are test prep options for major exams like the MCAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, DAT, NCLEX-RN, and TOEFL. The Princeton Review has been around since 1998, and whether you want help with essay writing, mathematics, or getting into your grad school of choice, there are tutors available for you.
Fully online tutoring
Princeton Review has tutoring for everything. From GRE prep to K-12 subject-matter tutoring, there's a specialized tutor available. The sessions are fully online, allowing you to access tutoring 24/7 and within your schedule. Princeton Review officially lists over 40 subjects for personal tutoring sessions. At the time of our review, there were hundreds of individual tutors all with 4+ star ratings from students. Princeton Review will also tell you which tutors are currently online, so you can reach out to professionals who will respond right away to your inquiries.
Costs from $39.99 to $339.99 per month or $349.99 to $1,449.99 one-time
First off, you can try out a session with the Princeton Review without paying a dime. The site offers a single free session to get your feet wet with one of their expert tutors. However, there aren't any prices listed on the tutors' profiles. This can be a little confusing because the tutoring prices are listed under the Homework Help pricing heading. The cost is based on pre-paying for hours of time. If you decide you want to subscribe (these will be recurring payments) here's how the cost breaks down:
There are a handful of "pay once" options as well. These allow you to use your hours at any time across a limited number of months. Here's what you can expect:
All tutors are trained and background-checked
All tutors at Princeton Review must authorize a background check before being allowed to start training, to ensure all tutors are safe to hire. Princeton Review tutors also take qualifying exams in each type of test that they're interested in teaching. All tutors receive 2-5 weeks of training for each subject they plan to tutor, so that tutors are up to date on the best practices for everything they're signed up to teach.
Better Grades Guarantee
Princeton Review offers a Better Grades Guarantee with its tutoring sessions. You will need to work with tutors a minimum of two hours per month for three consecutive months to qualify for the guarantee. The guarantee states that your grade will go up at least a half-step letter grade (a "B+" to an "A-") or three points higher if your school uses numbers instead of letter grades. As long as you complete all major assignments in your course, you'll get a refund of up to $239.97 (equal to the three months of required consecutive tutoring).
Tutoring resulted in higher scores
Princeton Review currently holds an "A-" rating from the Better Business Bureau. On top of that, it has a competitive 4.2 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot. Customers said that there was a visible improvement in test scores and grades after using tutoring services at Princeton Review. Many customers used the ACT services and frequent reviews mentioned high-quality courses that included test prep. In general, those who used tutoring praised the quality of the instruction and left positive reviews for individual tutors. Many of the reviews that were lower than 5 stars were related to specific courses, and not the tutoring services themselves.
Best one-stop shop for tutoring
If you're looking for a one-stop tutoring shop where you can target everything from K-12 to college prep to graduate school test tutoring, Princeton Review has it all. The costs are fairly reasonable, though there are some limitations on how often you can get tutoring. However, it does have one of the most robust subject lists in our review. For this reason, and the highly positive reviews for its tutors in general, Princeton Review earns a full 5 stars in our review.
Great
Varsity Tutors is a fully online tutoring platform that promises day, night, and weekend hours for those who have busy schedules, but still need access to extra assistance. The company was founded in 2007 and is currently headquartered in St. Louis, MO. Whether you're looking for test prep, enrichment courses, or general subject-based tutoring, Varsity Tutors has your back. However, it is a bit time-consuming to get pricing (more on that later).
Tutoring for all ages and course levels
Varsity Tutors offers over 3,000 subjects in levels K-12, languages, test prep, and tutoring for older students. Some of the subjects you can expect to see include AP classes, business (including support for MBAs), college-level and high-school humanities, languages, support for ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, ESL and more, math, science, tech (including coding like C++, HTML), and exams from SATs to graduate school exams. The tutoring is offered 24/7 for online chat, and live lessons are offered every day as well as on nights and weekends. Getting matched with a tutor takes around 48 hours.
Costs from $349 to $1,099 per month
Varsity Tutors offers its 24/7 tutoring free of cost for those in K-12 school districts if you go through your local school (and your school currently pays for the program). Regrettably, there are no costs available on the website since all tutoring at Varsity Tutors is dependent on the individual student. We called in to try and get some details on prices and immediately started receiving spam calls from Varsity Tutors (3 calls within 5 minutes). The company says the call will be 10-15 minutes long in their initial message; however, we were on the phone for close to 45 minutes without getting a price range of any kind. There was a lot of sales-pitchy discussion, and while the reps were particularly polite and kind, it took ages to get what we needed. To (finally) get priced out, we had to create test students: one 11th-grade high school student studying English and a college senior prepping for the GRE. Costs are on a monthly payment plan and follow this general structure:
Background checks and secure recordings
The interview and vetting process is in-depth and includes a full background check. All tutors on the platform have a 97% satisfaction rating and receive a 4.5-star average from most students. The sessions will all be recorded for both security and review purposes. These recordings will be saved for up to a year, and help protect your student while on private calls with tutors.
Refund for Pass Guarantee
According to our sales rep, if you don't click with your tutor, Varsity Tutors will immediately replace the tutor and the next session will be free of charge. There is also a separate Personal Satisfaction Guarantee that states if you don't get the score you want on tests or exams, you will get a live online course for the same exam to help you prepare for the next one. However, there is only one guarantee that comes with a possible refund: the Pass Guarantee. This requires that you use a minimum of 12 live tutoring hours, submit proof of your exam within 14 days of taking it, and complete all homework or assignments provided by your tutor. If you complete all the criteria above, you will have 6 months to request either a free credit equal to the number of tutoring hours you used to prepare for the exam or a full refund on your original purchase.
Top marks across the board
Despite the difficulty in getting prices at Varsity Tutors, the company has a top-notch reputation. It currently holds an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau as well as accreditation. On third-party review sites like Trustpilot, Varsity Tutors held a competitive 4.3-star average out of 5. There are plenty of positive reviews for how professional the tutors are and across different subjects there was high praise for test-taking tutoring as well as subjects like math. Most of the customers were not concerned about the difficulty in securing pricing or the overall cost of Varsity Tutors, and many found the programs 100% worth it.
Top pick if you're not worried about budget
If you want online tutoring that shows results, Varsity Tutors is going to be worth a look. With tutoring that serves every grade level from K through graduate school, you can get detailed tutoring tailored to your (or your student's) needs. However, getting the pricing is a bit of a hassle, so you might want to be prepared for a lengthy chat on the phone when you first sign up. The high hourly rates may also be a barrier for some who are looking to stay in-budget. On the other hand, students who worked with Varsity Tutors had tons of positive things to say, earning it a very high score in our review.
Very Good
eTutorWorld is a site designed for tutoring kids. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Glen Arbor, Michigan. Specializing in online K-12 tutoring sessions, you can expect to find detail-oriented tutors who are well-versed in grade-school programs and lessons. Plus, if you're not sure if the teachers here will be the right fit, eTutorWorld offers a free class to test out the platform before you decide. Whether you need to work on your SAT, ACT, or AP exams or just want subject-matter tutoring, eTutorWorld does it all.
Online tutoring for all grade-school subjects
All of the tutoring at eTutorWorld is done completely online to allow for maximum flexibility with your (or your child's) schedule. You can expect three main types of help at eTutorWorld: 1-on-1 live tutoring, instant help (best for homework questions through live chat, email, and phone), and 1,000+ free worksheets to help your student complete practice tests and questions for exams. You'll find subjects like physics, chemistry, pre-algebra, calculus, geometry, writing, grammar, AP exams, and college entrance exams.
Costs start at $24 to $27 per hour
There are three cost tiers at eTutorWorld. The first is general K-12 tutoring which is a one-on-one tutoring appointment that starts at $24 per hour. The second tier is Test Preparation which is the same style of learning but focuses more on specific exams and has a starting cost of $27 per hour. Finally, there's a Family Tutoring Pack for families with multiple children who need tutoring at the same time. This also starts at $24 per hour. You can choose one free class before joining and you don't need to enter any payment details to get the free trial session.
COPPA-compliant and secure recordings
All of the tutors on eTutorWorld are experts and full-time teaching professionals. Every eTutorWorld tutor has to hold a college degree to work on this platform and over 60% of them hold graduate degrees. As an extra layer of security, all sessions are recorded and available for up to 30 days of the session to review anything that happens between the student and the tutor. Plus, eTutorWorld complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to ensure student safety and security. eTutorWorld also puts its tutors through screening and training before they are allowed to work with students.
Refunds minus fees
eTutorWorld offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for online tutoring services. The policy states that if you are dissatisfied with your tutoring lesson for any reason, eTutorWorld will provide a credit for a single lesson. If you wish to completely cancel your online service, you'll be refunded for any unused lessons (in the case that you prepaid for multiple lessons). However, there will be a 10% administration fee for a full program cancellation. For example, if you paid $278 for a 10-hour pack, you'll have to pay $27.80 in administration fees. Further, if you used any lessons from the package, those will also be deducted from your refund. The standard lesson fee is $29 per K-12 tutoring session and $33 for test prep. This means you'll want to be careful how much of the service you use before you request a refund (or pay per session instead).
Impressive reviews from happy parents
eTutorWorld holds an impressive "A+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau. However, on third-party review sites, it's hard to find anything about eTutorWorld. The only review site we could find feedback for eTutorWorld on was Yelp (with just 3 reviews). The feedback was solid, though. Customers loved the individualized approach and the care that tutors took with their children. While eTutorWorld also provides testimonials, it isn't clear if these are curated, so we focused our research on third-party review sites instead. In general, we'd like to see more buzz, but what's out there is highly positive.
Competitive K-12 tutoring
eTutorWorld is a great choice for anyone looking for flexible online tutoring for their K-12 students. With everything from test prep to subject-matter tutoring, you can expect personalized assistance with your student's learning. While we're not as impressed with the refund policy, reviews and the BBB score for eTutorWorld suggest you may not need to worry about it. For these reasons, eTutorWorld earns a recommendation as a competitive pick for K-12 tutoring.
Very Good
Sylvan is one of the few tutoring platforms in our review that is known for its in-person locations. Basing the tutor's instruction on Sylvan's Insight Assessment, you'll know where your child starts, and the tutor will use this tool to help your child move forward. All of the tutoring at Sylvan is for children, though, so if you're a college student (or adult learner) looking for additional support, Sylvan may not be your best bet.
Focus on K-12
While Sylvan is primarily known for its in-person tutoring at its brick-and-mortar locations, you can also do online live tutoring. While you still need to call or fill out a form to get the details for tutors and timelines, you'll have some options for flexibility if driving into a local Sylvan location isn't your ideal setup. There are about 17 different subjects covered by Sylvan's tutors including different kinds of math, reading comprehension, phonics, writing, SAT prep, ACT prep, AP classes, homeschool support, and more. You can find tutors that work with students from grades K-12.
Costs between $50 and $55 per hour
In general, pricing at Sylvan is the same whether you choose online or in-person tutors. Sylvan states that their prices average between $50 and $55 per hour, but if you pay for a class or camp, you may see higher costs. Local Sylvan branches will have different prices. In general, SAT or ACT classes cost $900+ per class, and STEM camps are generally $200+. You can either pay over time, prepay for a discount (determined by your local Sylvan location), or pay as you go on a month-to-month basis. At our local Sylvan, we were quoted $55 an hour for high school algebra tutoring.
Repeat background checks for safety
For those who work as a tutor at Sylvan, they're required to pass a social security number search, criminal database search, sex offender registry search, and identity verification (with education verification). Sylvan completes yearly background checks on active tutors to ensure everything is always safe and above board. The tutors are all certified K-12 educators.
Localized refund policies
Sylvan's locations are franchised, so they are locally owned and operated. This means all Sylvan locations handle their own billing, so the refund policies will be specific to individual locations. Sylvan doesn't offer any kind of refund policy at the corporate level. So, before you jump in with your local Sylvan, you may want to call and check on your location's return/refund policies for tutoring. (And we're not entirely sure what this means if you choose online-only tutoring; it's worth asking before you sign up).
Top-rated by the BBB
Sylvan has several Better Business Bureau pages, and some of them are for local branches. The Sylvan page for the entire company holds an "A+" rating on the BBB. Notably, our local branch also has an "A+" rating. However, on third-party review sites, Sylvan's reputation is a little more balanced. Currently, it holds a 3.2-star average rating out of 5. Recent 5-star reviews rave about the tutors at Sylvan. One customer said that she saw a full grade level of improvement for her son in just 2 months. The best part of the feedback is that the kids who take tutoring at Sylvan want to go back. The instruction is fun for them. On the other hand, some lower-rated reviews noted that some Sylvan locations are not able to keep up with the needs of students with disabilities like dyslexia, though this could be a problem at specific branches rather than with Sylvan as a whole.
Great in-person option for kids
If you're looking for a traditional tutoring experience for your child or high schooler, Sylvan may be a great option to check out. It's competitive overall and has received high praise for being an enjoyable tutoring experience. Make sure you check on your local Sylvan's policies before you sign up to make sure you have the full picture (since different Sylvan locations can have different policies for pricing and refunds). Overall, this is a competitive traditional tutoring option with a full range of help for K-12 material, earning Sylvan a strong rating in our review.
Good
Skooli is a site that promises better grades through its online tutoring program. With support for students from elementary to college level, Skooli integrates live tutoring sessions with a digital classroom where you can speak, chat, write, draw, and review tutoring sessions after the fact. With a free demo of the online classroom features, you can jump in at zero cost and see how the platform works for you. Skooli comes highly recommended by news outlets, and it's been featured in Forbes, Financial Post, and TechVibes.
Tutoring for kids, teens, and adults
Skooli offers tutoring for three grade groups. Elementary school, Middle & High School, and College. Depending on what you need, you can begin browsing tutors directly. At the time of our review, there were over 1,000 individual tutors listed on Skooli. Each tutor will list what grade level he or she has achieved, preferred subjects of teaching, and individual feedback from previous students. You can find tutoring for subjects like math, English, science, business, and more.
Costs between $49.20 and $1,248 per package
The pricing at Skooli is based on a per-minute rate (which we think is a little odd, honestly), and you can either buy one hour at a time or you can buy multiple hours and use them as a "prepay." There is no subscription involved. The per-minute fee starts at $0.82 and goes down the more hours you commit to. Here is how the packages shake out:
See who has completed their criminal checks
All tutors who have received a criminal background check will have that listed on their profile, alongside whether or not they have verified their identities with their legal IDs. All properly verified tutors will have a purple shield icon on their profile photo. Further, all tutors on Skooli have a college degree and many have Master's degrees or other advanced degrees.
7-day refund policy
The tutoring packages are all valid for 1 year after you purchase them. An unused tutoring plan can be canceled within 7 days if you send a refund request to the Skooli customer service email. If your tutor misses an appointment, you will not be held responsible, and your number of hours will remain the same. Beyond that, you will be able to use your hours for a year, but they will be permanently on your account after 7 days.
Solid BBB score, but not much buzz
Skooli holds a top-notch "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, on third-party review sites, its score is a little more balanced. Currently, Skooli holds a 3.1-star average on Trustpilot. It's worth noting, though, that most of the reviews were from the tutor's side. A few of the complaints concerned the 7-day refund policy where customers were frustrated that they couldn't get their money back after the listed timeline. On the other hand, finding reviews for the actual tutoring on third-party sites is difficult. Most of the tutors on the platform have 4.5+ star ratings, but we'd like to see more off-site feedback for this tutoring platform.
Good all-around tutoring choice
Skooli is a solid choice across the board. It offers tutoring for multiple levels of schooling and provides a refund within 7 days without fees or deductions. However, the lack of feedback for this platform raises some questions about how popular it is, and packages can get a bit costly to pay upfront. On the other hand, if you're looking for a site with plenty of tutors and support for kindergarten through college tutoring, it might be worth a look. For these reasons, it earns a slightly above-average rating in our review.
Average
24HourAnswers is a site that's been open since 2008. Based in Tennessee, it focuses on tutoring for college students in the US and around the world. The best part? 24HourAnswers's tutors try to answer you ASAP. Some respond in just minutes, but you should never need to wait more than 24 hours for most services. This service is fully online and offers live or recordable sessions. You can preview specific tutors and see everything a tutor offers upfront (and with mostly upfront costs too).
Focuses on college and graduate school
24HourAnswers offers two kinds of tutoring services for undergraduate and graduate-level work: homework help and live online tutoring. The first is where you submit homework problems and tutors will complete the homework with detailed solutions to help you understand them step-by-step. Live online tutoring includes professional tutoring sessions through 24HourAnswers' whiteboard platform. There were 646 tutors on 24HourAnswers across all subjects at the time of our review.
Costs between $15 and $60 per hour
24HourAnswers' hourly rates cost between $15 and $60 per hour, depending on which tutor you choose and what subject you want assistance with. If you want homework help services, you can choose from four different price ranges: $15 to $25 per hour, $25 to $45 per hour, $45 to $60 per hour, and $60+ per hour. Notably, on the "Tutors" page, not all tutors have their prices listed. But, you can't secure a tutor from the "Tutors" page anyway. You need to submit a ticket to 24HourAnswers, who will email you with matches (and the pricing) before you need to select a tutor for your specific area of study.
All tutors are vetted with background checks
24HourAnswers requires a complete background check and college transcripts from potential tutors for them to join the site. So, you can be sure that every tutor on the platform has been vetted and has a strong GPA and/or success in his or her field. For example, many of the tutors we saw during our research held PhDs in their related fields of study, and they're prepared to offer tutoring or homework help with that background knowledge.
Lackluster refund policy
Unfortunately, 24HourAnswers does not have a guarantee for revisions or assistance. When we reached out to a company rep, he informed us that you will only get a refund for homework help or tutoring if you and the tutor agree one is warranted. You'll have to negotiate with the tutor to get a refund, so if you're not happy with the tutor, specifically, you might be out of luck. 24HourAnswers rarely steps in to force a refund.
Highly positive feedback overall
24HourAnswers does not have its own page on the Better Business Bureau. Instead, we had to find its parent company: Parker Paradigms, Inc., and this company has a full "A+" rating from the BBB. On top of that, 24HourAnswers holds a 4.3-star average rating out of 5 on Trustpilot. Many of the reviews focus on particular tutors, praising the timely responses and patience with difficult material. Almost all of the most recent reviews are a full 5 stars, showing you may not need to worry much about that disappointing refund policy. However, there are complaints about customer service not offering a response when things go wrong with both homework help and tutoring. Some of these also note that the costs are quite high for the amount of work you get completed by the tutors.
Most useful for college students
While this might be a solid choice if you want quick help with your homework, there aren't as many tutors at 24HourAnswers as you might find at other sites. Plus, this tutoring platform focuses entirely on college or graduate-level work. If you want help with your math homework in high school or SAT prep, you'll be out of luck here. For these reasons, and the lack of a helpful refund policy, 24HourAnswers earns a more balanced rating in our review. It's best if you're a college or graduate-level student who needs some extra help.
Fair
Wyzant is an online tutoring platform that is built on collaborative technology. With features built specifically to help you work while you talk to your tutor (just like doing it on paper in person), Wyzant promises expert help from anywhere in the country. This tutoring program stands out for offering a pay-as-you-go approach. There are no subscriptions or upfront payments, you just pay for the sessions you want when you want them. And, the tools are in your hands to compare different tutors. Rather than some programs that "match" you without letting you see the options, you can pick from Wyzant's roster of tutors and find the best fit for your needs.
Online and in-person tutoring
There are thousands of tutors available on Wyzant and they cover subjects from algebra, calculus, chemistry, and tech-com to language, music, physics, and test prep. Whether you're looking for college-level test prep or elementary school assistance, there are tutors available to browse. You can pick from instant book options (who will get you on the schedule ASAP) or even some that offer in-person availability. So, if you want flexibility between online and in-person tutoring, there's plenty of wiggle room on Wyzant.
Costs from $10 to $1,000 per hour
According to Wyzant's main page, the average price for tutoring on its platform is $35 to $60 an hour, which is pretty reasonable. During our research for writing tutors that specialize in any level, we found costs from $10 per hour for a professional proofreader to look over your paper up to $1,000 per hour for a Harvard Journalism MLA program graduate to look over your writing (best for those looking to create print deliverables). So, you can find literally any kind of tutor from middle school to professional writers. Similarly for general "math" tutors, you can find costs from $10 per hour up to $1,000 per hour for help from a Yale grad with perfect SAT and ACT scores. At the end of the day, you have the flexibility to decide how much you want to spend.
Filter by those who have completed background checks
Wyzant offers filters to find only listed tutors who have an on-file background check, IXL-certified tutors, and licensed educators. Not all tutors on the platform have these certifications, so you'll want to make sure that you select these filters to ensure the safest tutors for you or your student. You can also find bilingual tutors on this platform.
Refunds are processed through the tutor
Wyzant is just a database platform, so there isn't a refund policy. Instead, you have to reach out to the tutor, specifically, which can cause some problems if the tutor doesn't want to give you a refund. The only protection you get from Wyzant directly is a Good Fit Guarantee, which promises that your first hour with a new tutor will be a good fit or Wyzant will set you up with a new tutor for a free hour. However, this isn't a refund, and you won't get your money back from the original tutor unless you go to the individual directly.
Concerns about tutor quality and payment scams
Wyzant holds an "A-" rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, on other third-party review sites, the feedback is pretty bad. Currently, Wyzant has a 1.5-star average rating out of 5 on Trustpilot. Most of the recent reviews are just 1 or 2 stars. These were mostly complaints about feeling "scammed" by Wyzant. One customer booked with a tutor and paid for a lesson, but the tutor never arrived. There was no way to get a refund as the tutor didn't respond to messages. Other reviews state that tutors on Wyzant aren't vetted, so there are "unprofessional" and "uneducated" tutors mixed in with the decent ones.
Best if you're willing to do some research
We never like to see the word "scam" when it comes to a platform that's taking your credit card. For this reason, Wyzant earns a lower rating in our review than it could have. While you might be able to find low-cost tutoring here, you have to do more vetting on your own to make sure that the tutors you find are the best fit (and are legit tutors for their fields). Not all tutors on Wyzant are scams, but because of the extra caution you'll need while browsing, this database platform earns a below-average rating. You may prefer a more reliable site over Wyzant when you secure your next tutor.
Subpar
SchoolTutoring Academy is a private tutoring platform that offers assistance across all school subjects. Instead of offering online tutoring, as we've seen at many of SchoolTutoring Academy's competitors, this tutoring platform offers in-home instruction. A standout feature at SchoolTutoring Academy is that the platform offers tutors who are experienced with those who have learning disabilities including ADHD, Dyslexia, and more.
The tutor comes to you on demand
Since the tutoring at SchoolTutoring Academy is in-person, the company promises you won't be giving up on any flexibility when you make appointments. Tutors will travel anywhere that is convenient: to your home, to a local library, to a school, or even your office if necessary. You won't need to worry about any commuting. You can choose from a range of elementary school tutors, high school tutors, and tutors for specialized programs like foreign languages or learning disabilities. There are also tutors for tests like the ACT, PSAT, CTA, and local state tests.
Costs from $35 per hour or $175.99 to $319.99 per month
SchoolTutoring Academy offers two plans for tutoring: Once a Week or Twice a Week. The Once a Week plan includes 4 hours of tutoring and is best for one subject. This costs $175.99 per month (which comes out to $43. 99 per hour for the tutoring). The Twice a Week plan includes 8 hours of tutoring and can be best if you need to work on multiple subjects. This option costs $319.99 per month (which comes out to $39. 99 per hour for tutoring). If neither of those fit, or they feel too rigid, you can use a Custom plan which costs $35 an hour where you can just book a session when you need one.
Full background check included
All tutors at SchoolTutoring Academy hold a Bachelor's degree at a minimum and many have been selected from top graduate school programs or currently hold a Master's degree. On top of that, SchoolTutoring Academy conducts a background check on every tutor and verifies their school credentials before hiring. SchoolTutoring Academy promises complete security for students, especially since tutors will be going to customers' homes.
Old-fashioned cancellation policy
There is a cancellation date (listed on your purchase) for your SchoolTutoring Academy plans. If you don't cancel before the cancellation date, you won't receive any refund for the money you spent. You won't be prorated for any of your tutoring hours if you cancel in the middle of a plan period. Oddly, SchoolTutoring Academy only accepts cancellations via fax. You can't cancel through email or phone. So, if you don't have a fax machine, you'll need to go somewhere to find one. This seems unnecessarily complicated in the modern era.
No buzz for this tutoring site
SchoolTutoring Academy holds a full "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, we couldn't find any third-party reviews for this tutoring service on trusted review sites like Trustpilot and Sitejabber. There were some testimonials on the SchoolTutoring Academy website, but it is unclear if these are curated or verified. Given the almost complete lack of verified feedback (and the concerns we have about the cancellation policy), there are some important red flags to keep an eye on at SchoolTutoring Academy.
Best if you just pay per session
While a lot of the features at SchoolTutoring Academy look promising, the policy that requires customers to fax in their cancellation is absurd. This just makes cancellation unnecessarily complicated. This policy alone makes us question the trustworthiness of the company. Combine that with the total lack of third-party reviews, and SchoolTutoring Academy falls in our rankings pretty quickly. If you want to give it a try, we'd suggest only using the "pay-per-session" option at $35 an hour. This is reasonable, cost-wise, and you won't get sucked into a subscription you can't get out of. However, SchoolTutoring Academy earns a lower rating for being so difficult to cancel.
Weak
Chegg is a subscription-based service known for providing all sorts of scholarly resources. One of the top recommended sites for buying your textbooks (especially when the prices are so high at your school or university's bookstore), Chegg is already popular with students looking to save. As for its tutoring service, it's called Chegg Study and offers homework solutions and Q&A among many other services. However, as we said, this is on a subscription basis, so you'll need to be prepared for monthly fees rather than hourly commitments.
Hands-off tutoring experience
There are two different tiers of Chegg Study. The basic tier, "Chegg Study," just includes homework solutions provided through Chegg. The higher tier, called Chegg Study Pack, includes homework solutions, quiz and exam prep, expert proofreading, plagiarism tracking, and math assistance. However, none of these services are "live." Instead of tutoring the way you're used to, Chegg offers its assistance in a mostly automated format. While humans do double-check work too, most of the work is done by Chegg's AI technology. Some features, like professional proofreading, will be done by a human and provide you with custom feedback within 48 hours. Other features like homework help are mostly done through the answers already uploaded to Chegg's database.
Costs between $15.95 and $19.95 per month
Between the two Chegg Study plans, there isn't a huge difference in cost, but there is a massive difference in the features you'll have access to. Chegg Study (the basic version) costs $15.95 per month. If you want the full suite of features on Chegg Study Pack, the monthly cost is $19.95. This is quite reasonable for a monthly cost (considering that traditional tutoring can be more than that per hour), but if you're looking for regular live sessions with a tutor, this might feel a little too hands-off.
No info on expert background checks
Unlike other tutoring sites in our review, Chegg doesn't explicitly state whether it conducts background checks on its subject-matter experts. But since you're not going to have direct contact with a tutor at Chegg beyond email feedback on your work, safety is less of a concern than if you had a tutor you were meeting every week. However, if you're looking for that extra layer of security, Chegg is a bit mum on the details.
Missing details on refunds
The refund policy for the membership is also a bit difficult to find - so much so that customers have resorted to using the "homework questions" area to ask about how to get a refund or cancel their subscriptions. Frustratingly, without a membership, you can't see the answers to those questions. In general, Chegg has a refund policy of 21 days for things like textbooks, but Chegg Study isn't mentioned on the "General Policies" page.
Issues with cancelling your subscription
Chegg currently holds an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau along with full accreditation. However on third-party review sites like Trustpilot, Chegg's reputation is less than stellar. At the time of our review, Chegg held a 2.2-star average rating out of 5. Some of the main complaints are that customers struggle to cancel their subscriptions after signing up. There are regular reviews highlighting a lack of customer service. Some subscriptions that show they have been canceled are still getting charged to some customers. In general, the consensus is that you can't trust Chegg to fully cancel your subscription when you request it, causing months of continuing charges even when you're not using the service.
Not worth the hassle to join
While low-cost help sounds like a great opportunity to study without breaking the bank, Chegg stands out for the wrong reasons. With tons of reviews complaining about customers' inability to cancel their subscriptions or getting charged even when the subscription shows it isn't active, you might want to be safe and stay away from subscribing to a Chegg Study membership in the first place. If you can't trust a site to let you out of your subscription plan when you're finished, we can't recommend that you join in the first place.
Poor
Pear Deck Tutor (known for its cute little pear-fruit mascot) is an online tutoring feature of Pear Deck Learning that offers 24/7 "office hours." However, accessing a tutoring session can be a chore. Currently, Pear Deck Tutor is partnered with GoGuardian, and while Pear Deck Tutor and GoGuardian promise a 100% customer-first experience, they're talking to teachers and school districts rather than parents and students. The help you'll get from Pear Deck Tutor isn't traditional tutoring as you might expect. So, if you're expecting regular interaction with a private tutor, you might be confused by the way Pear Deck Tutor is set up.
Tutoring is rolled into a membership plan
This site specializes in app-style learning with integrations with your favorite work tools (like Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Canvas, Schoology, and Teams). There's only one way to access the Pear Deck Tutor feature, and that's through the Pear Deck subscription which is a full suite of instructional tools to help create interactive lessons. Again, this is designed for teachers. There are other products offered by Pear Deck Learning, but most of these are designed for the teacher or tutor's side of things. As a parent, getting a Pear Deck subscription to arrange for tutoring may not be the most intuitive solution compared to other options out there.
Cost is free for teachers or $149 per year
The breakdown of costs is a little complicated. The plans say there is a free version for Pear Deck, Pear Practice, and Pear Assessment (the three paid tools), but this is listed as "for educators." This means you may need to prove that you're a teacher to secure the free version (or use your subscription already paid for by your school district). If you don't qualify for the free version, the Teacher Premium version is $149 per year for the Pear Deck (which is what you need to get the Pear Deck Tutor services). If your school district already offers services through Pear Deck, you may be able to access tutoring for free, but you'll need to find out from your school directly.
All tutors hold college degrees
To work as a tutor for Pear Deck Tutor, teachers need to hold at least a Bachelor's degree to pass the vetting process. Around 47% of tutors on Pear Deck Tutor also hold an advanced or graduate degree. There aren't any details about specific background check policies, however.
No refunds for Pear Deck
At the time of our review, Pear Deck Tutor and Pear Deck in general say that fees for services or subscriptions are non-refundable and non-cancelable. So what you end up paying (if you don't qualify as an educator), you won't be able to get back. On the bright side, there is a demo version of each of the teaching tools, so you can see if it's worth your time.
The only reviews about tutoring were negative
Neither the parent company of Pear Deck Tutor (Pear Deck Learning) nor its partner company GoGuardian has a page with the Better Business Bureau. So, we focused our research on third-party review sites. However, Pear Deck Learning has an average score on Trustpilot with a 3.2-star rating out of 5. The reviews are split 50/50 between 1 and 5 stars. Reviews about the tutoring noted that tutors will be different across multiple sessions and contradict one another, which frustrates students. Others loved the Pear Deck features but didn't mention the tutoring portion specifically.
Too much hassle for general tutoring
Given the difficulty of finding tutoring on Pear Deck Tutor (despite it having a "tutoring" page), it falls to the bottom of our list. The products designed by Pear Deck Learning are mostly for teachers - if you're a parent or a student, this program won't be particularly intuitive, especially if you're just hoping to jump on some regular tutoring. Unless your school district already works with this platform, it won't be the first pick for most. With these concerns in mind and the high cost, Pear Deck Tutor earns one of our lowest ratings.
Continued from above...
Tutoring has been around as long as learning has existed. While many consider this a "remedial" service, tutoring can benefit anyone. Whether you're a PhD candidate looking for an extra pair of eyes on your dissertation or a high school student stressed about AP US History, tutoring is for any level and any grade. You don't need to be struggling in a subject to attend tutoring either. Sometimes, it's just nice to have an extra person there for support. And with expert content tutors, you can prepare for anything: SATs, GREs, AP exams, or just help to survive the Worst Math Teacher Ever.
Whatever your reason for securing a private tutor, you will want to find the best fit for your needs. Online tutoring services offer a convenient way to secure a tutor for any subject or learning style. You can find qualified tutors (most of whom have gone through training and background checks) and use the tutoring platform or database site to narrow the field to tutors who specialize in your area of study. Whether you want in-person meetings for better focus or online appointments to help fit tutoring into your already busy schedule, there's a tutoring site out there that has what you need.
Before online tutoring was popular, you needed to rely either on tutors who were employed by your (or your child's) school or dig through local ads to secure a tutor. However, with tutoring sites that offer professionals from across the county (and even from around the world), you have access to the best of the best right from the comfort of your own home. Plus, the best online tutoring sites allow you to see pricing before you get too far, so you can decide up-front if a tutor is going to be in your budget. The best part? Good tutors provide a learning environment that's 100% personalized to your needs.
If you're still not sure if tutoring is right for you, the statistics speak for themselves. Private tutoring has proven to offer improved academic performance and better confidence in your subject or study of choice, and it helps you pick up new learning skills that you take away from your sessions and can apply across your academic career. In a study by San Bernardino Valley College, it was noted that students who received tutoring had better performance in their course of study than peers who didn't go to any tutoring during the semester.
If you're ready to jump into new learning opportunities but aren't sure which tutor website is going to be the best fit, don't sweat. Consider these factors as you vet possible tutors and platforms:
To help you find the best tutor to boost your learning, Top Consumer Reviews has rated and reviewed the best online tutoring sites available today. This way you can focus on what matters: hitting those learning goals without driving yourself crazy with academic burnout!
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