Hiring 110: Should I give my tutors a non-compete contract?

Maintaining a tutoring business invites an avenue of policies and other sensitive information. If you wish to expand your tutoring business and hire other tutors to help you out, it is important to maintain the integrity of this information by implementing protective measures. A non-compete agreement, usually found as part of a contract, is necessary to instill these measures taken for the security of your tutoring business.

Non-compete Contract

A non-compete contract, usually part of the basic contract for employees, is administered to prevent direct competition of employees of the termination from their position in a company. This is a preventive measure that will retain the originality of the business practice.

Client Information Protected

Once termination of the tutor occurs, you may face the issue of direct competition, especially for the top clients you have in your tutoring business. With a non-compete contract, the tutor has no right to use detail that would make him or her a direct competitor of your business for a given amount of time. This will surely protect your client information during that time frame specified.

Tutoring Business Information Protected

Since the tutor would know how your business works, he or she is forbidden from using the same tactic in handling his or her business, because that will violate the contract. This saves you from any plagiarized techniques and marketing tactics, retaining the integrity of your tutoring business.

Fair Treatment

The non-compete contract allows your tutors to engage in proper treatment of business affairs. That is, information of the company remains in the company for as long as the tutor is employed. This fairness in handling the employees allow them to be more secure in that the non-compete contract prevents future lawsuits based on copied ideas and technicalities that will be in direct competition with your tutoring business.

Preserving the company integrity is the key factor in the non-compete contract, especially when it comes to sensitive data in the company. With the proper functionality of the non-compete contract, your tutoring business and your tutors will be able to function smoothly, especially with the amenities present in the non-compete contract.

How to Plan for Summer Tutoring Sessions

Summer is one of the most lucrative moments for tutors because students aren’t going to school, but most of them want to start their next school year right. Parents want to improve their children’s performance, so the possibility of a busy tutoring session is very much possible during the summer. As a result, you should know how to plan for summer tutoring sessions in order to maintain a schedule that you can manage and keep your clients happy at all times.

Step Up on your Marketing

Since summer is going to be a busy season, step up on your marketing tactics by advertising even more rigorously. It is important to put your business out there and explain the benefits of summer tutoring. Make sure to keep marketing throughout the season as it may help you during slow months later on.

Offer Discounts

Summer is also a competitive month, so keep your business at the top of your prospective clients’ lists by offering discounts of the kind. These discounts can help you gain the needed client base you want for summer, especially with an appealing offer to the mix.

Offer Summer Camp Tutoring Sessions

You can also enhance your tutorial services by providing summer camp tutoring sessions. This provides a fun and interactive learning opportunity for your students, especially with the activities that you should prepare for the summer camp.

Expand Your Tutoring Business

If you’ve planning all year round to expand your tutoring business to other venues of service, summer is the perfect time to gauge the potential of that specific area you want to venture in. With a wide client base, you can really check out which services are in demand, helping you optimize your business capacity and management scheme.

Summer is full of business opportunity, especially for tutors. Take the chance and engage your business in full mode, because you will be expecting a busy season ahead! Market, offer discounts, summer camps, and expand your tutoring business as you see fit to truly maximize the potential you can attain the busy summer months for tutors.

Hiring 109: Determining if Tutors will Be Employees or Independent Contractors

In deciding the right tutor for your essential needs, you should understand the legality of the situation. Tutors can come in two types of employment status, as official employees or independent contractors. When hiring tutors, you should determine which form suits your needs, especially in terms of how you will utilize their services. Make sure that you make the right decision as there are liabilities in place that can be quite tedious to deal with if you decide on your tutor’s job status wrongly.

Employees

Employees are more permanent, as employers have more tax dues and other financial dues that pertain to the service and other measures (usually insurance and medical care). Moreover, the employer has control over the work hours the employee can engage in, which makes the tutorial session more frequent when needed. Equipment is usually supplied by the employer, which includes tutorial supplies.

Independent Contractors

Independent contractors on the other hand are more flexible in work hours, and tax liabilities are not necessarily imposed. Furthermore, the tutor provides his or her materials for the tutorial session, and he or she has say on where to handle the tutoring session. The independent contractor can decline work and set his or her own hours because he or she is not liable to the one hiring him or her.

Establishing the Employment Status

Fundamentally, it depends on work permanence and necessity. If you need a tutor for a periodic basis and you would like to specify hours of employment, then hiring them as an employee will help you a lot. This, however, calls for more tax liability and you must provide materials for the tutoring service, usually. On the other hand of the spectrum, independent contractors provide their own materials and you can hire them when you specifically need them. Less tax liability make independent contractors an effective choice for clients on a strict budget.

Knowing what employment status your tutor is can help you determine the right functionality he or she has, which takes care of the legal situations and the liabilities he or she has to provide you tutoring services. If you wish for a more permanent availability of your tutor, then treat him or her as an employee, with the necessary benefits due. If you only want a tutor when needed, then treating him or her as an independent contractor will be the right course of action to take.

Disclaimer***Please check with a certified tax professional on your particular tax situation. This blog posting is to help educate you that there is a difference in how tutors can be hired for your private tutoring practice.

5 Benefits of Attending a Professional Tutoring Conference

In order to learn more about your business, a professional tutoring conference gathers tutors from around the country to talk about how to effectively handling their tutorial sessions and other endeavors. With this in mind, it becomes important that you attend the conference, to educate yourself on innovation that will guide your tutoring business in the process.

Updates on Tutoring Trends

Knowing how others tutor can help you shape your business at hand. The tutoring trends can be seen in conferences, where you can analyze how people handle their clients. This will help you enrich your own business in order to give the best service available.

Business Tactics

You can also cultivate your business knowledge in tutoring, especially with how to handle finances appropriately and how to establish your business in the given industry. Furthermore, you can also adjust rates and other details that will improve your business in the long run. Sharing ideas can help cultivate the tutoring community to enhance its business standing in the services market.

Social Integration

Interacting with other tutors can provide you with the opportunity to join a tutoring network. This network can allow you to share ideas and other points of focus that can develop your respective tutoring businesses.

Business Expansion

Conferences can teach you important lessons in business expansion. For example, you can engage in online tutoring by learning the ropes at a conference. The opportunities for your business expansion are limitless with what you can learn at a professional tutoring conference.

Learning about the Tutoring Market

The tutoring market is ever changing. You can learn which population needs tutoring the most and what subjects are in demand. With understanding the tutoring market, you can provide your business the leverage it needs in succeeding.

Keeping yourself updated with the latest trends can nourish your business quite effectively. With this in mind, make sure to contact other tutors for any future development and conferences that will help you in your tutoring endeavor. Tutoring conferences provide you with the expansion means you need in order to cultivate your business. With the tips and ideas you can get from a professional tutoring conference, it becomes imperative that you attend each and every one for the ultimate development of your business.

Message from Alise--Join Us on LinkedIn!

Hey there, Readers, J

Happy Friday! It’s a beautiful day…although it looks like it may rain here in Round Rock, Texas.

I just wanted to drop a few lines to let you all know that we have started a group on LinkedIn that discuss various aspects of tutoring.

If you are interested in joining our group discussions, please join us at the group “Becoming a Better Tutor”.  

We do have members that have already joined and look forward to you joining us as well.

As always, please know that we welcome any guest posts from individuals who have great tutoring strategies to help us grow our tutoring businesses.

If you haven’t already, please sign up to attend one of our free tutoring webinars in June.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Tutoring,

Alise

10 Learning iPad Apps for Your Tutoring Clients

In handling tutoring sessions effectively, your iPad is an important learning tool that you can use with your tutoring clients. These 10 learning iPad applications will surely provide your client with the convenience of supplementing their learning quite effectively. It’s time to get out of the books and engage in interactive learning for your tutoring sessions!

1. Guinness World Records

The popular annual record of human achievements is great in learning about the extraordinary talent of people. With this, you can check out range of facts that pertain to any field of study, such as geography, science, math, and many more.

2. Today in History (iPad Edition)

For history classes, you can supplement the lessons that are learned by sharing a fun fact of the events that transpired during the day of the tutorial session. This allows your tutoring client to learn something new than the book they’ve been focusing on.

3. The Elements

For science classes, this application allows you to view a comprehensive list of the elements. More than that, you can check out the composition of objects in the universe, shown in a very dynamic way for your tutoring clients to be amazed with.

4. ABC Animals

For kids, this application teaches the alphabets and phonics using illustrations that will make the learning process really fun.

5. Dictionary.com

A popular reference for your students, this dictionary (packaged with a thesaurus) allows you to search up any word for extra knowledge. Also, a neat feature is the word of the day that allows your student to learn something new every time.

6. The Math Master

For math subjects, there are plenty drills, facts, and other features that will enhance the learning process of this challenging field of study.

7. Free Books

Very useful for literature sessions, this application is useful for having access to over 23,000 classical books. You can check out Shakespeare or Tom Sawyer which are popular references in tutoring sessions.

8. Star Walk

You can view the night sky from a new perspective with this application, especially with constellations, planets, and stars to learn about in a fun way.

9. Grammar Up

Teach your students correct grammar by allowing them to learn nouns, verbs, adverbs, infinitives, adjectives, gerunds, conjunctions, and other grammar basics.

10. Mathematical Formulas

As a great reference for math subjects ranging from Algebra all the way to Differential Equations, you can use this tool in teaching your students the fundamentals of solving equations and other math problems.

With these applications in mind, your tutoring clients can enjoy interactive learning right from the convenience of your iPad, especially when you utilize these to their highest potential. With the iPad being an effective learning tool, you can engage in effective learning strategies with your tutoring clients.

Should I hire a CPA? How will I know?

In your tutoring business, having a certified public accountant, or CPA, will help you get started and even maintain your business, legally. It is the duty of the CPA to make sure that you, as a founder or CEO of your company, are up to date on financial dues and other obligations. Here is what you need to know in order to hire a CPA.

Tax Laws Knowledge

A CPA knows tax laws like the back of his or her hand, so you can trust him or her to inform you of the needed tax liabilities your company needs to pay. It is in this that a CPA can guide you to make sure your company is legal. Also, with a CPA’s guidance, you pay your taxes right on time.

Record Keeping

Sometimes, keeping your financial documents in order can be quite tedious. It may be a burden to your business if you focus on that instead of more lucrative prospects such as marketing or actual transaction. A CPA can keep your records in tact by filing statements of each transaction and other financial dues at hand.

Sales Advice

A CPA knows the market trend, especially when he or she can interpret financial data quite effectively. He or she can recommend business options that will enhance your company’s standing. Furthermore, a CPA can tell you when you have the financial capacity to expand your business, and find the ways to fund the expansion.

Deal Negotiation

A CPA is great with negotiation, so if you may have issues with payroll rates, your CPA can determine if you are paying too much or too little. With this, your CPA can also help in the transaction model of your company, especially in keeping the business function at hand.

With a CPA for your tutoring business, you need not worry about the finances and the legality involved as he or she will do the job just right for you. With this in mind, you should hire a CPA because he or she not only provides you due service for your financial department, but he or she also allows you to expand your business properly.

3 Benefits of Mobile Banking For Your Tutoring Business

Since you will be traveling around a lot while you’re tutoring, you may need an effective way to handle your finances. With mobile banking, you can access your accounts wherever you are, in order to secure your financial data and maintain transactions. These conveniences make mobile banking a crucial need for your tutoring business. Here are three important highlights you should consider when engaging mobile banking.

Less Physical Presence

This means more digital convenience. You can check your balance, track debit and credit transactions, know when funds have been transferred, and maintain a level of security right from the convenience of your phone! This allows you to keep handling your tutoring duties while on the go, especially if you don’t have the time to go to the bank. Less physical presence, indeed becomes a focal point in utilizing mobile banking for your long term convenience in your tutoring business.

Instant Banking Activities

Since the convenience of mobile banking allows you to handle payments right on the spot, you can pay utility bills, taxes, transfer funds, and other duties that might involve your tutoring business financial obligations. The transaction can happen over a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, and the security of your transaction is upheld with measures taken by the bank for your safety. With one click, you can easily handle banking activities when they are needed.

User Friendliness

Statistics show that 99 out of 100 carry phones and this is due to the user friendly interface present. You can easily open your bank’s online service and access your account with an easily navigable interface. This will provide you with the immediate access to your funds when necessary, because all of the information is available just for you.

With mobile banking, you can secure that your tutoring business functions effectively. You no longer have to go to the bank every time you need to transfer funds or check your balance. With the convenience of mobile banking, everything is accessible right from your phone. You should start engaging in online banking opportunities to secure effective funds management for your tutoring business.

10 iPad Applications to Use In Your Tutoring Business

In your tutoring business, you will surely need access to the best material that will keep your files managed and your schedule updated. Having an iPad can ease your life as its portability allows you to keep in touch with your clients and your data on the go. Here are 10 iPad applications that can facilitate the success of your tutoring business.

Dropbox

This file management program allows you to access your tutoring files while you’re on the go. You no longer have to carry on heavy laptops if you have access to your Dropbox from the convenience of your iPad.

Desktop Connect

Probably one of the most convenient applications you can find, and with a high price at that, Desktop Connect allows you to remote link to your PC in order to view files, edit them, and do as you please. You can have a mobile office that way so you can meet deadlines and do whatever is necessary to secure your tutoring business.

Dictionary & Thesaurus

For those emergency word lookups, a handy dictionary can save you the time it needs to explain a certain definition. You can also supplement your tutoring session with a word of the day to help enrich your student’s vocabulary.

Pages

Pages is a word processing application that can allow you to type up your lecture notes quite conveniently. Pages is highly recommended if you need a document typed up while you're on the go.

Numbers

For statistical data and other important information that you need for graphs, Numbers is an ideal application that allows you to create vivid graphs for your tutoring business. This is effective if you want to record sales and other important data.

Keynote

For clients and for business meetings alike, having a handy presentation device can really ease the hassle of setting up the right equipment. Keynote effectively allows you to create presentations that you can use in marketing your business to prospective clients as well as for your students while you’re lecturing them.

Things

This to-do manager allows you to keep up to date with all the appointments you have, knowing how busy tutoring can become! With Things, you won’t have to miss a deadline or an important business meeting anymore.

Instapaper Pro

The tutoring business is continually growing, and with this application, you can read web articles on the latest development right from the convenience of your iPad. When it comes to your business, keeping updated with the latest trends should be your top priority.

Time Master

With a projects-based interface, this iPad app allows you to schedule clients and track how much time you spend on providing tutoring services for them. This will help you stay organized while you’re on the go!

PrintCentral

If you need your files printed on the go, with the wireless access to Wi-Fi enabled printers, this application does the job just for you. Also, you can take advantage of file management opportunities present along with your iPad acting as a portable hard drive Wi-Fi mounted.

A tutoring business can be a challenge to maintain, especially if you need to be in places at any given point of time. Don’t sacrifice your file management and get these ten iPad apps to keep you busy while traveling.

5 Ways to Manage your Time for your Tutoring Business

As a tutor, you will surely be pretty busy handling tutoring assignments, scheduling, research, handling transactions, and other affairs. If you lack the right time management process, you will end up more stressed than you’re supposed to be, and this can affect your quality as a tutor. With this in mind, you should engage in proper time management methods that will keep your tutoring business quality high.

Schedule Wisely

Make sure you have a physical or digital calendar to schedule your events in. Do that the moment you confirm the appointment in order to allow you to focus your time on other matters. Effective scheduling is the start for efficient time management, because you will save time because you already know what to do.

Maintain Productivity

Slacking off can lead to so much time wasted. Keep yourself busy by doing something productive. Whether it is arranging your tutor service files around, or handling clients that require your services, whatever you do in your downtime, make sure you spend wisely. Of course, if you need to take rest, just make sure don’t abuse that time off, as it can cost you your productivity.

Organize Your Files

Time is wasted when you spend more time than you’re supposed in checking out which files you need for a certain tutorial session. To remedy this, arrange your files accordingly and stick to that pattern so you don’t end up confusing yourself later on. This is important in time management so that you can surely perform your tasks without any delay.

Be Time Conscious

Fundamentally, if you consider each minute as your day goes on, you will be able to monitor where and how long you spend your time. This can help you plan your day out if you are time conscious. The easiest way to attain this is to wear a watch. By checking the time every now and then, you can surely monitor your pace and effectively save time.

Hire an Assistant

For handling the things that you can’t, an assistant can lift off your burden allowing you to spend time wisely on other endeavors that you prioritize. Your assistant can coordinate with the matters that involve file handling, business transaction, or whatever business related matter you wish for him or her to handle.

Saving time is necessary for any business, especially with the high paced demand of quality service. With these five important ways to manage your time, you can surely drive your business into the success it deserves.

5 Steps to Starting a Private School

A private school is an effective business endeavor because it provides the necessary quality of education that is needed to train competent individuals all the while providing you with that financial backbone for an effective school function. In order to learn how to start your very own private school, you should consider these steps:

1. Specify the Grade-level of Your Private School

Private schools come in varying forms. You can have a basic education curriculum where you offer elementary to high school level education. Furthermore, you can specify grade-level ranges, like having a private high school. Knowing who you will offer education to will help you define the budgetary needs and other materials necessary to create a functional environment.

2. Secure the Necessary Budget

When you have already determined the specific grade-level you’ll be focusing on with your private school, it is important to secure the necessary budget. You should aim for a 3-5 year period of preparation in order to cover for any risks that may occur within that timeframe. Your budget should cover for book materials, building expenses, and other important resources you must have in starting a private school. Make sure that the facilities are all available to provide functionality and convenience.

3. Hire Staff to Help You Manage

Starting up a private school is tough work. Make sure you hire staff to help you manage the whole process. It all depends on your budget and your preference, but the ideal set up is to have a person to take over school functions, budgetary issues, marketing, legal issues, and educational coordination. These people shall take charge of the important aspects of your private school. Once you have hired your staff, your management scheme will be handled more smoothly.

4. Apply for Tax Exemption

In order to effectively run your private school, you should apply for tax exempt status (or the 501(c)(3)) from the IRS. Your lawyer can take charge of this for quick processing. It is important that you do this earlier on in order to secure your tax deductible contributions. As a tax-exempt organization, fund raising opportunities will come your way more frequently, which is great for your private school institution's progress.

5. Apply Marketing Techniques to Advertise

Once you have your private school established, it is time to open it up for your students. Marketing can involve holding a conference announcing the opening of your school. Also, you can put up posters and hand out flyers that will call the attention of people to enroll their children in your school. Furthermore, you can check out online directories and list your school there for ease of access.

Starting a private school is difficult, but with the right measures taken, you can surely open up a lucrative and progressive private school. This will enrich student knowledge as you have complete control over the education matters.

Hiring 107: Why You Should Have Prospective Tutors Do A Sample Tutoring Session and What to Look for in the Sample Tutoring Session

Before hiring a tutor, make sure you know how that tutor performs in his or her teaching methods. This will help you qualify if he or she meets your requirements. In this way, a sample tutoring session is important. Why is this important and what should you look for in that sample tutoring session?

Why You Should Ask for a Sample Tutoring Session

Just because you heard many reviews of a tutor, it doesn’t mean that you may be as satisfied as others are. A sample tutoring session will allow you to evaluate the tutor’s approach to the topic as well as his or her attitude before you completely hire him or her. Knowing who the person you’re hiring and how effective he or she is in his or her job can save you hours and money of bad investments in hiring the wrong tutor. This is an important precautionary measure so you can get to know the tutor better before he or she gets the job.

What to Look for in that Session

When you evaluate a tutor’s performance, always look for how well he or she handles the material and responds to your questions. These two main characteristics define an effective tutor. He or she should know a lot about the topic in question so that the student learns effectively through his or her teaching methods. Moreover, smart response to questions will provide you the leverage of a spontaneous and knowledgeable tutor who knows the material well enough to answer questions regarding it.

When hiring a tutor, always ask for a sample tutoring session. This will help you gauge how effective he or she is in handling tutorial sessions, especially if you’re looking for one that knows the material at hand. This will save you the time and money in handling the tutor if he or she fails to meet your standards. Preventive measures help you out in determining which tutor is effective for the task, so make sure to get the most out of this sample tutorial session.

How to Draft a Letter to Teachers: Seeking Tutor Partnerships

If you’re looking for more students to tutor, you can check your local school, or an online school to advertise your tutoring service. This is especially useful for securing more work over any holidays such as Christmas or summer. Drafting a letter to teachers can help you secure tutor partnerships that will provide you more income and help their students in future classes. Here’s what you need to know when drafting a letter to teachers.

Introduce Yourself

Make sure you indicate who you are and if possible, the name of your company. This will give you the credibility once you send in the letter to the teachers. As a tutor, it is helpful to attach some information regarding your education and your capability to teach the subject you proper the partnership for.

Specify Your Content

Get to your point as soon as possible and keep the main focus on establishing tutor partnerships with the teacher. Explain how you can help the students in maintaining their grades and prepare them for the next semester’s classes. Make sure to mention the specific student needs that you will cover. Mention a specific subject you want to help out in so that teachers will be able to recommend students to you. This will help you narrow down students that need the tutoring most.

Open for Further Communication

Close your letter by stating how you can communicate with the teacher for further information regarding the tutorial partnership. State that, although the teacher may not consider your offer this semester, you are open to future opportunities. With this in mind, you can ensure the longevity of your letter.

When drafting a letter to teachers, you can provide aid to students through the teachers of the school. With tutor partnerships, students can come to you for service during summer of Christmas, which means great business for you and effective development for them. Make sure that you introduce yourself and show credentials, focus your content, and make yourself available for further communication should you wish to develop your business further in the local market, which can help you expand your business.

10 Ways An iPad Can Help My Tutoring Business

Being one of the highly advanced tablets in the market today, Apple’s iPad is very convenient in accessing data and is an effective tool for tutoring that any tutor can use to supplement both the tutorial session and the management scheme. Here are 10 ways your iPad can help you in your tutoring business.

Tutoring Sessions

1. Resource Hub – The iPad has access to the internet, where you can use to search up information or relay teaching material to your students. The convenience of such makes iPad an effective resource hub for your tutorial sessions.

2. Video Presentation – You can use your iPad to show videos, especially for science related subjects that require a visual representation when engaging in the topic material.

3. Lecture Presentation – You can conveniently store your lecture notes in your iPad for easy access while you’re giving the instruction. This will save you a lot of money on physical books and other amenities that you may bring around. It will also increase your mobility, especially if you have to move from one place to another during the day.

4. Evaluation Modules – Since your iPad can store files, you can have your student evaluated by letting him or her answer a few questions you have, which helps you understand the flow of the lecture better.

5. Interactive Learning – Your iPad can download many applications that supplement your teaching. From many fields like science or math, apps are available for your student to enjoy while learning at the same time.

Tutor Business Management

6. Accounting Applications – Search around and you can check out accounting applications that can help you manage your business finances, such as Roambi and WebEx.

7. Connectivity – With connectivity options available for your iPad, you can communicate effectively with your clients while you’re on the go (3G connection will help you out in non-WiFi areas)

8. Syncing of Files – iPad has many applications that deal with file synchronization such as DropBox, that can help you manage your files while on the go.

9. Calendar Applications – With the user friendly interface, you can input tutorial appointments conveniently on your iPad. There is a default calendar application available, but you can also download other apps as well.

10. Contacts Information – Your iPad can store contact information that you can take advantage of while on the go. As your very own personal digital notebook, you can secure business meetings and other data.

The many advantages of your iPad can really help you out in your business, all the way from tutorial sessions to managing your business. With this in mind, you can always ensure productivity and effective progress for your business with your very own iPad.

Message from Alise--Free Tutor Webinars! Sign-Up Right Here on The Blog!

Happy Monday!

It's a fresh week and the beginning of a very important month. I just wanted to take the time out to let you all know about our upcoming free tutoring webinars. The first webinar is posted on the blog and an upcoming schedule of events will be posted later this month.

I strongly encourage you to attend these free tutoring webinars to learn valuable information to help you start or grow your tutoring business.

Here's a little information about the free webinar:

June 14, 2011 Webinar (Finding Opportunities to Supplement Your Tutoring Income)

Are you looking for ways to earn extra cash? Will your clientele decrease this summer? If you are answered yes, then you need to attend this webinar. Learn how to seek extra opportunities to supplement your income and websites to help you find your next project.

Thanks for reading our blog and have a blessed week.

Happy Tutoring!

Alise