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School

HSC Tutoring – Tips for Success in Your HSC Trial Exams

At the time of writing this article, we’re in the middle of term 2. Most year 12 students have their HSC trial exams in early term 3, which means while there’s still (almost) an entire term left, it’s about time students begin to prepare specifically for their trial exams.
Learn to use the HSC Standards Packages
For almost all HSC subjects, the Board of Studies has standards packages publicly available for students to read We recommend students look at the standards packages for their subjects – they will give you an idea of the quality required for a band 6 response. Standards packages are particularly useful for humanities subjects like HSC English where your expression and writing style also come into play. Get a feeling of what’s acceptable expression, and details like general paragraph length, the way literary techniques are referenced, how often a text is quoted and the length of quotes etc. Even if technically your knowledge is as good as anyone’s, a poorly structured essay (where you use poor expression, or reference the text in superficial ways or spend too much time on insignificant points etc) will mean the difference between a band 4/5 and a band 6.
Familiarity with the standards packages will also help with subjects like HSC Chemistry, Physics, Biology and the social sciences (Economics, Business Studies etc). In the case of the HSC Sciences, they give you fresh ideas of novel, acceptable ways of structuring your answer. Some questions can be fully answered in terms of a table or as a dot-point list (e.g. identify / outline questions). Also note the details featured in diagrams / graphs – full marks are given to students that remember details such as labelling the axes, or drawing a line / curve of best fit properly (ignoring outliers in appropriate situations) and being able to justify the choices made.
HSC sciences – always refer to the syllabus
HSC sciences like Chemistry, Physics and Biology, are prescriptive by nature. This means the syllabus tells you exactly what you need to know, content wise, and does a great job at that. While studying for these subjects, it’s always a good idea to have the syllabus in front of you, printed or on your computer screen. The dot-points give you a clear picture of what you need to know, and the scope to which you need to know each aspect of the course. For example, if a dot-point requires you to merely identify the qualitative aspects, this means you only need to be able to name the aspects it’s referring to, and qualitative means you won’t be required to do calculations on them.
Another reason is some syllabus dot-points are worded as if they are paraphrased exam questions. This is particularly true for dot-points requiring you to ‘Discuss the impacts on society of…” or “Assess the environmental impact of…”. You very well might get an exam question, worth around 7 marks, that basically asks you to demonstrate your entire understanding of one of those dot-points if they ask you in a general way.
Be careful for internal assessments however, as school teachers are known to set exam questions that are dubious in terms of whether they fit within the scope of the syllabus, so you must also cross reference your own materials with the notes given by your school teacher to make sure all gaps are covered.
HSC Maths – only do exam questions
When it comes to maths, exam questions and textbook questions aren’t the same. The former type are often are structured as a compound question with several subparts. Exam question are often designed with deeper consideration, and incorporates more unique aspects of mathematics (e.g. in Maths Extension 2 question 7 and 8). In contrast, textbook questions can get repetitive and give you a false sense of security. Because textbook questions lack variation in style, once you master the several types of questions it contains and are able to do its exercises, this does not mean you’ve experienced all types of questions an exam can throw at you, particularly if you go to a school that has a talented maths department.
There’s a limitation on the types of questions for each topic an exam can throw at you. If you do Maths Extension 1 and 2, it also takes great effort and skill to design a truly novel and unique maths question at that level. As an industry insider (yes I’m a teacher) I can tell you that many schools simply take exam questions from past papers of other schools. When I did my HSC Maths Extension 2, I actively sought out past trial papers from top private and selective schools for practice before my HSC trials. What I noticed was in one year, say 2002, there would be …

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General Article

Insurance Continuing Education – Why You Need It

Insurance Continuing Education – Why You Need It

Insurance is a wholly unique field – one that is tremendously challenging, and enormously rewarding. The reasons the rewards are so huge in the field is because it is not just a policy that is being sold by the insurance professional. It is a whole set of knowledge that helps the customer make a proper plan for his future, and hedge his investments accordingly. In fact, that is the reason a lot of insurance companies call their agents as financial advisors! That is exactly what they are.

But to be capable of that title, there needs to be constant and high quality knowledge upgrading, and there are very few sources which are capable of doing that. For insurance continuing education, the internet is the premium source of information, primarily because it is a dynamic medium which can be updated in real time. As soon as there is a new announcement about some new change in the way insurance is perceived, the internet is where it’ll come up first, and like they say – knowledge is power.

There are some wonderful insurance continuing education online programs in the country (and around the world), and most of the best insurance professionals are all part of these programs. The ones who regularly hit Million Dollar Round Tables and Top of the Tops are all from these clubs. Not only does insurance CE provide the professional with information he can use to increase business, but also helps in various other things which will come in handy as business scales up.

Insurance continuing education is also very important to your clients. They need the knowledge to make informed decisions as well. If you, the agent, isn’t equipped, then who will help them? I know the answer to that, another agent who is up to date on his/her insurance CE and new product offerings. Yes, that is correct, you can actually lose business because you are not up to date on your knowledge and services your state is offering your clients. Remember how important your license is to you and make sure to do what it takes to keep it current and keep your current and future clients happy and informed.

The markets are changing very rapidly, and to be in tune with the requirements of the markets today, it is mandatory that anyone wanting to do well in the field should be a part of an insurance continuing education program. If the program is online, there are no challenges like not being able to make it to the classes due to a packed schedule, or that the distance is too great from the nearest learning center. At our convenience, we can log onto a secure server, update our knowledge, and can take a test that is valid in our state of operation! Since the rules of each state are different from the next, having a provider that takes care of every regulation is a boon truly! If you’ve not tried insurance CE, it is time to do so now!…

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Higher Education

Anyone Can Navigate Student Loans Easily With This Advice

 

In order to get a good education today most people will need to apply for student loans. Many schools are so expensive, and without a loan, it becomes almost impossible to pay for the school you would like to attend. This is where good article such as the one below come into play, as it will show you how to apply for student loans, so keep on reading!

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about federal loans. Not many people understand what these types of loans can offer or what their regulations and rules are. If you have any questions about these loans, contact your student loan adviser. Funds are limited, so talk to them before the application deadline.

Never ignore your student loans because that will not make them go away. If you are having a hard time paying the money back, call and speak to your lender about it. If your loan becomes past due for too long, the lender can have your wages garnished and/or have your tax refunds seized.

Be careful when consolidating loans together. The total interest rate might not warrant the simplicity of one payment. Also, never consolidate public student loans into a private loan. You will lose very generous repayment and emergency options afforded to you by law and be at the mercy of the private contract.

If you want to apply for a student loan and your credit is not very good, you should seek out a federal loan. This is because these loans are not based on your credit score. These loans are also good because they offer more protection for you in the event that you become unable to pay it back right away.

Before applying for student loans, it is a good idea to see what other types of financial aid you are qualified for. There are many scholarships available out there and they can reduce the amount of money you have to pay for school. Once you have the amount you owe reduced, you can work on getting a student loan.

If you have more than one student loan, pay each off according to interest rates. The loan with the largest interest rate should be your first priority. Then utilize the extra cash to pay off the other loans. Student loans are not penalized for early payoff.

To keep the principal on your student loans as low as possible, get your books as cheaply as possible. This means buying them used or looking for online versions. In situations where professors make you buy course reading books or their own texts, look on campus message boards for available books.

As stated in the above article, most people need to some sort of student loans to help pay for their schooling. Without good advice on what student loans are available to you, it can become a complicated process. Don’t think you can’t attend the school of your dreams, because you now have solid tips that will help you get the student loans you need.…

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General Article

The Need for Life Insurance Continuing Education

The Need for Life Insurance Continuing Education

The insurance sector is a very profitable business area. This is one of the main reasons why may multi-national companies and other powerful businesses opt to conduct insurance business. And due to its inherently good prospects many people are also interested to work in this sector. But along with all these positive features the main drawback with insurance as a business is that there are greater chances to exploit your clients in this business than in any other sector. Hence, the government of the various states of America has proper rules and regulation in connection with insurance and as a part of these rules every employee working in the life insurance sector need to complete some predetermined number of insurance continuing education courses to keep his insurance license intact.

The main reason why you need these continuing education courses is because, selling life insurance is a bit complex than most other types of insurance. The main reason is that for most people this doesn’t seem a profitable venture as they can’t expect any returns during their life time. Moreover, the premiums are to be paid for a very long term and the cost of the insurance is also slightly higher as compared to the other types of insurance. But this means that there are better commissions and hence better income for the insurance agents who deal with life insurance as well as the firm which provides the insurance.

Hence, there is a requirement for skilled and certified professionals in the insurance sector. Hence, opting for the continuing education courses can be advantageous. In addition to this you there are also other benefits with these courses. Since, selling life insurance is a bit complicated you need to have information that is required to persuade your prospective customer to make the purchase. This means that you need to have the most recent information at your finger tips if you are hoping to convince them to purchase your product. Hence these insurance classes will also help you professionally as well as help you to keep your insurance license active. There is so much stress on the insurance license of a person for the reason that it is illegal to be employed in the insurance sector without the proper license. Hence, life insurance continuing education courses are an essential requirement.

The insurance sector is an ever changing field as the customer requirements, related to life insurance are changing constantly. To make sure these needs are met the government rules and regulations in relation to life insurance also keep changing as amendments and clauses are added to the already existing laws. Hence you need to keep yourself abreast of the developments in the insurance sector if you want to provide the best possible information to your clients. This is the main reason why it is mandatory for all such employees like insurance agents, brokers and underwriters to attend continuing education courses.…

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Importance Of Education

Ways of Fighting the Plagiarism in the Urdu Literature

The Urdu language started from poetry. In the beginning there were no novels in the Urdu language however soon the trend of novels and short story writing picked up in Urdu language. So in fact, the Urdu literature started off at a very good base. Both the poetry and the prose were well received by the masses as it used to stimulate the minds intellectually.
As with any other literature the Urdu literature too continued to evolve. The evolution is a test of the health of any literature and the Urdu literature successfully passed this test. The Urdu language has always been fortunate enough to have extremely good writers and poets on board.
However there is one acute problem which can sap the vitality of the Urdu literature. This problem is the plagiarism in the Urdu literature. Unfortunately the plagiarism in the Urdu literature is much more than the literature of other languages. There are several reasons for this trend. The main reason is the lack of ethical awareness among the masses and publishers desire to make money through the wrong means.
The following are the some ways through which the plagiarism in the Urdu literature can be fought and be eventually eradicated.
Passing and implementing strict copyright laws and punishments
If we see the developed nations in this regard, we would immediately notice about their strict copyright laws and policies. It is because the governments of these nations deeply respect their artists, poets and the authors.
Introducing strict punishments for people who plagiarize stuff is the right way to deal with this problem.
Cooperation of different countries, especially India and Pakistan
The Urdu speaking communities are all over the world. Most of the literature activities are going on I India, Pakistan, U.K and the Middle East. Sometimes the publishers lift the intellectual property of a person residing in a different country and publish it with a different name. The original author does not know what to do about it. This practice is very common between the people of India and Pakistan. Both countries do not respect each other right in this regard. The need of the time is that these countries should cooperate with each other to fight the plagiarism.
Creating awareness among the masses
The people of the subcontinent too are not much aware of the terms, “artists’ rights” or the ‘intellectual property’. So they do not know how to respect it. Public awareness must be created in the subcontinent, so that people stop buying plagiarized Urdu books. This trend would discourage the publishers who publish plagiarized books.
Controlling the price of the original books
Sometimes the extremely high prices of the books by the original authors push people to look for the copied versions. Many people are aware that it is plagiarism and it is wrong but they say that they cannot afford buying original Urdu books. There must be a price control authority for the books of Urdu literature to keep the prices in check.…

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Education Current Events

Pricing Strategies for Private Tutors

Pricing plays an important role in the success of any tutoring business. However, there is a lot of confusion about the best way to price your tutoring services and how to go about finding the right price. This article looks at pricing strategies for independent tutors and tutoring companies and how to research prices in your market.
Setting your Pricing Level
The first step in determining how much you should charge for your tutoring services is to determine what other tutoring services in your area are charging. You’ll want to focus on tutoring companies that offer similar services to your own tutoring business since there can be a large variation in tutoring prices for different types of tutoring.
The next step is to do some research just like someone searching for tutoring would. Search for tutoring services in your area online, check the phone book, ask guidance counselors about other tutoring companies. When you have a list of similar tutoring companies in your area you can find out about prices by calling them up and asking or checking their website for prices. You can also check online tutoring directories to find out what independent tutors are charging for the subjects your company offers.
If your company is new and you or your tutors have average experience and credentials then you should try to price your services a bit above the average price.
If your company has been operating for a while, you have satisfied customers, and you or your tutors have teaching experience and credentials then you should price closer to the upper range of comparable tutoring services.
Many new tutoring companies think they need to start with low prices in order to attract clients, but this is a risky strategy and can actually hurt your business more than help it. The reason for this is that if your prices are very low, you will be generating very little profit to reinvest into promoting your business. If you are paying tutors to work for you, you will also have a difficult time attracting and keeping high quality tutors which are extremely important for building your reputation and creating satisfied customers who will refer you to other clients.
Early on it might make sense to focus on an under-served segment of the tutoring market in your area. This will allow you to charge higher rates, and generate higher profits which will help you afford more marketing and better tutors. These in turn will help you establish a base from which to expand into more competitive segments of the tutoring market.
Tutoring Price List
Providing different pricing options can also help your business meet the needs of more clients. There are several pricing or billing methods you can use.
Pay per Session
This pricing option has clients pay before or after each tutoring session. This is a good method if your business does not have much of an operating history. It also puts new clients at ease if they are new to your business and are wary of paying for a longer period of time in advance.
Pay per period
Paying per period may have clients pay for a week or month in advance based on the number of sessions they will have during that period. This method is good for tutoring businesses because you receive the money up front and don’t have to worry about students forgetting to pay for each session. It’s more convenient for clients because they can pay for a week or month and don’t have to worry about writing a check for every single session. Some tutoring companies may bill at the end of each week or month, but for new companies it’s best to require payment in advance since this will allow you to receive payment for tutoring sessions before you need to pay your tutors.
Prepaid Packages
Some tutoring companies sell prepaid bundles of tutoring services. Such as 10 hours of math tutoring or 12 hours of English tutoring. These hours can then be scheduled over the following months as the student schedules them. This method allows you to offer volume pricing which can encourage potential clients to commit to more tutoring sessions.
Adapting your Prices
The tutoring market is constantly changing so it’s important that you’re flexible with your tutoring company’s pricing. If your pricing structure is not helping you meet your business goals you simply need to try tweaking your prices or possibly your services. People are concerned with value so if you offer more value in your tutoring services you may not need to lower your prices or if you offer more value than you did a year ago then it might be a good idea to raise your prices.…

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General Article

Why Not Consider Continuing Education To Add to Your Expertise

Why Not Consider Continuing Education To Add to Your Expertise

In today’s uncertain economic times it is vital we all stay up to date with a chosen profession or working knowledge of expertise in the industry we work within. With the rise in unemployment in all age groups and a significant rise of unemployment in under 25’s, it is now a serious cause for concern and important to identify and decide on a sustainable education and employment route.

The “Department for Education and Skills” (by the UK’s Government) has confirmed plans to raise the school leaving age in England by 2013, thus young people will be required to stay in either; full-time education or training, including school, college and home education, or work-based learning, such as an Apprenticeships, part-time education, training or volunteering more than 20 hours a week.

The new law is called the “Education and Skills Act 2008”. Essentially this may not necessarily mean that pupils have to stay in the classroom or continue with academic lessons however students will have to continue to receive training at a certain level until they reach the age of 18.

This might mean a student is encouraged to stay at school and do (or complete) their GSCEs and A levels, if they have not already done so. Students could improve their skills through taking a course in “Foundation Learning” which will benefit them if they decide to go in to further education eventually. Another option for a student is to gain some practical experience in a subject that interests them by doing a “14 to 19 Diploma.” All of these options will be beneficial for future development, educational progression and future employment, as it shows commitment to future employers.

Students can start an apprenticeship and get some on-the-job experience of work and training, whilst some carrying on with part-time study. Many companies are offering the new style “modern apprenticeship” which means a student has a way of earning an income, whilst gaining a valued vocational education. Thus lessening the financial burden for the student, but adding a valuable hands-on experience whilst continuing their studies and educational progression.

Another option is to study at school until the age of 18, then go college part-time whilst having part-time employment. This could possibly make the study process longer by possibly one or two years (depending on the course or area of study), but it could be very beneficial in reducing the overall cost and educational burden to the student.

Although at the same time this could be to the students’ advantage as within 2 to 5 years the employment landscape should have started to recover and the opportunities available should be significantly increased for graduates. Because the chosen path for education was a “Continued Education” this will have added to the student’s expertise and working maturity, whilst showing commitment and having valuable work experience over their non part-time counterparts. The same can also apply to mature students or people wanting to update their qualifications to better their chance in future employment progression.…