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9May
Private Tutoring – What Should I Charge?

Many different factors govern the going rate for private tutoring. The good news is that if you over-price your services and don’t attract students because you seem too expensive, you can always rethink your fees. Conversely, if you start off underestimating your fee for private tutor you can always increase it. Still, it helps to get it right from the outset and there are various ways to calculate the value of your private tutoring services.
Find out from agencies and tutoring websites what other people with similar qualifications are charging for private tutoring services.
Evaluate what you offer in your private tutoring service. Obvious factors to consider include your qualifications and experience. If you are offering private tutor by means of the internet, include existing expertise in delivering educational help online as an additional skill.
Consider what your subject is worth in the private tutor marketplace. Clearly, homework help will command a lower rate than GRE prep. Similarly, helping school age learners with geography won’t pay as much as economics tutoring for MBA students.
Think of the preparation time involved (including administration). If you’re offering conversation classes in a language you will probably have less to prepare than if your private tutor involves devising and assessing assignments, for example. Some private tutor jobs demand more personalized attention than others, and hence more prep time.
Estimate your overheads, if any. If your private tutoring service is delivered online then your overheads will be lower than if you commute to learners’ homes.
Track time efficiently. When you start out in private tutoring be rigorous about recording how much time you spend on tasks and set your fees accordingly.
Think of the bigger picture. It makes sense to set your fees lower for a learner who is seeking weekly private tutoring sessions for a year than for someone who wants a month’s worth of catch-up tuition.
Things To Bear In Mind
You are entering a marketplace in which rules of supply and demand apply. You may have a doctorate and vast experience in teaching math, but there are lots of other people offering math tutoring. With times especially tough right now, people will make compromises. For the sake of savings, they may well decide that someone with an M.Sc. and less experience will do just as well.
You may be worth it in an ideal world but don’t price yourself out of the market. On the other hand, if you’re ridiculously cheap people may wonder whether you offer a sub-standard private tutoring service.
When building in costs don’t just pass them on to the client. You will need to invest your own money in your private tutoring business. If your private tutoring online includes interactive quizzes and puzzles that have taken you hours to create, that’s part of honing your skills and developing your ‘product’. You can’t expect learners to pick up the tab for it.
Money is important but it isn’t everything. It’s not worth being greedy and in any educational enterprise you should expect to give a bit extra as part of the service. There may well be occasions when students need a bit of additional help and support. Be generous, within reason, and remember that you are dealing in people’s futures, not flogging consumer goods.…
13Mar
Why Professionals Trade Options and Why Retail Investors Should Too

It is time for you to dismiss the “options are too risky” sentiment and truly see why quite a few investors actually trade them. Contrary to everyday opinion, options can be employed in less risky ways when used appropriately. In fact, that’s the reason why they were developed – to help reduce risk in investment portfolios.
Stock options can be adjusted to work in any situation. Options can be used anytime and anywhere. With options, you can invest in the short-term or hold to invest for the long-term. Therefore, it really does not matter if you need the capital for your child’s college tuition or for retirement.
Although, the concept of options are very similar to stocks — in that you can make money when the markets go up and lose money when the markets go down — trading options give you more opportunities to profit. That means you can make money if the stock goes down, up, or absolutely no where. With that said, investors can use the unique abilities of options to be a complimentary portion of their portfolio or the main portfolio appreciation investment vehicle.
The benefits of options:
A. Reduces Risk – By using options, you can effectively reduce your portfolio risk. Using options are one of the only ways that a retail investor can protect themselves from markets that move against them. Strategies like the Broken Wing Butterfly and Unbalanced Condor limit trading risk while giving investors a high probability of profit.
B. Leverage – You can control 100 shares of XYZ company for a minimal amount of capital as opposed to purchasing the shares outright. In the end, you benefit from adjustments in the stock prices without actually purchasing the stock.
C. Cash Flow Generation – You could create a consistent cash flow through existing owned underlying. That means, you can sell covered calls against your portfolio if you feel that the underlying will depreciate or remain stagnant.
D. Insurance – As mentioned previously, options can protect you from markets that move against you. By purchasing a “put option” for every 100 shares of the underlying stock that you own, you can effectively protect your holdings from downward moves.
E. Easy to Get Started – With an internet-enabled computer, anyone can trade options. Commission prices are much cheaper than they were 10 years ago. Most brokers even give you all the tools you need to succeed in options for FREE.
F. No More One Way Trading – That means you can trade anyway that you want. You can play the downside if you choose to. You can also play stagnant markets or place delta-neutral trades.
That is why options are not the risky speculative investments many people perceive them to be. They can be risky if you simply do not have an idea on what you are doing. However, that’s like most things in the world. Once you get past the financial lexicon through education and learning, you can use options in a much safer manner. At that point, you will have the assurance that your portfolio can be safer in any market environment moving forward.…
14Jun
Why As a Tutor You Should Not Take on Every Student

As a tutor, you will regard your professional career as your biggest asset. With it comes your reputation both with students and your academic peers. This reputation is the most important thing you have. While qualifications can be earned relatively quickly to improve your skills, your reputation is much tougher to change if you have encountered professional problems which affect it.
One way to protect your reputation is to be proactive in choosing which prospective students to accept. A potential student is likely to consider which tutor they want very carefully, and you should do the same with them. A student who doesn’t fit well with you can not only be a burden on your teaching job, but it can also harm their chances of getting the most out of their education.
It is part of your duty as a tutor to look out for the best interests of your students, and so if you feel that the personalities of you both do not fit well together then you must take the step of refusing that particular piece of work. This can be better in the long run for both you and the student. There are lots of tutors available in today’s marketplace so the student will be able to find a different and more suitable teacher for their educational needs.
It is certain that over your teaching career you will encounter people who have personalities which clash with yours. It is very difficult to reconcile such problems, and may be best for you to decline to teach that individual. Your long-term career prospects are more important than your short term jobs.
If your students don’t trust your teaching ability they are unlikely to pay full attention to what you try to teach them. This lack of listening will lead to a very poor learning experience. If you are teaching in a multi-student environment, a small segment of students who have this kind of problem will negatively affect the rest of the class. It is your duty as a teacher to make sure that all your students receive the best educational experience possible from your classes, even if this means that some of them are better suited to being in other classes with other tutors.
It can be difficult to know how to tutor some students – and these problems can grow over time. If you spot a problem student early on then it is much easier for everyone to rectify the issue at that stage rather than let it develop and grow into a bigger hassle later on. Experienced tutors will tell you that problem students can lead to you spending 90% of your time with 10% of the people you teach, and this leads to worse academic performance for your entire class.
As a premium tutor you must be willing to decline to teach students who are unsuited to your teaching style, personality or the level of teaching you provide in your subject. As your teaching career progresses, you will become better at seeing problems early on and taking proactive steps at that stage. If you’re just starting out as a tutor then do not hesitate to speak to colleagues about any issues you are concerned about.…
5Jun
Top Tips You Should Know At College

Regardless of where you live while you attend college, you are sure to have a wonderful time while you are enrolled. You will learn many new things, meet many new people and prepare for your future. Get the most out of your college life with the help of these tips.

Bring a water bottle to school with you. You have to remain hydrated to ensure your brain and body are functioning properly. This is very important if you’re going to a lot of classes in a row and aren’t able to get a meal in. When you are properly hydrated, it is easier to focus more clearly on your work and remain productive. You can refill water bottles at many different water fountains.

Be realistic when you set your college class schedule, especially if you are working while attending. If you struggle with mornings, scheduling hard classes as the first class during the day can mean trouble. Take your body’s sleep needs into consideration as you schedule classes and plan for activities.

You should find out what grants and scholarships you can get. A lot of people do not think about the extra help they can get! The government provides a variety of grants which they don’t expect you to repay.

Have your testing materials handy when it is time to test. Forgetting items like a calculator or some important notes can make you feel nervous or even put you at a disadvantage during the test. It is uncommon for instructors to have spare items for student use, so it is essential to bring your own.

Pick at least a single general education requirement class to knock out your very first semester. If there is a class that you are not looking forward to that is required for your degree, take it early. That way, you won’t have to deal with it later when you are taking more enjoyable classes. This will help you to avoid scrambling to get your core classes finished right before graduation.

You are no longer at home with someone to cook and clean for you. You must keep your environment clean and monitor your own sleeping and eating habits. Try to have a schedule that revolves around studying, going to class and taking care of yourself. Unhealthy food and stress can make you ill.

Purchase used books. You can spend a lot on books for college. College classes and textbooks can cost a large amount of money; therefore, try to save money by purchasing used books. There are a number of different places you can find used textbooks. You can even find deals online. If you buy used books, you will save a ton of cash.

When it comes to college, it makes no difference as to your current location or the age that you decide to attend. College is an unrivaled experience. Regardless of whether your major is pre-med or political science, you will do well to benefit from these insights. Try these suggestions to get closer to having a happy and healthy student life.…
1Oct
Some Ideas About College You Should Know

College is not easy and can leave you feeling stressed out. Studying all the time for tests, struggling financially and thinking of what kind of career you want can be very hard. If you are having a hard time with it, this article may have advice that can give you some help.

Apply to scholarships and other grants early. Securing money in advance is the safest way to approach things. You should always fill out your paperwork and get it in on time.

Bring all of the materials that you need to the test site before the exam. Even a simple thing, like forgetting your calculator, can ruin your score. There are various times when the instructor will not have extra writing utensils, so remember to pack what you need beforehand.

Get plenty of rest. Many college students enjoy the freedom of going to bed whenever they want; therefore, they choose to stay up all night long and party, causing them to not get enough sleep. However, sleep is vital. All-nighters will eventually catch up to you and affect your ability to concentrate.

Look for second-hand textbook deals. The cost of new books is high. Buying used books can help you keep a little money in your pocket. Shop your university’s bookstore or online bookstores to look for previously used books. Purchasing used textbooks can save you a bundle of cash.

Make sure you are aware of the campus security number. You need an easy way to contact them and campus police. With any luck, you won’t need to use this number, but you should have it just in case.

Take quality notes while you are in college for studying purposes. When you write items down, you both see them and recite them in your head, embedding them in your brain. This also makes it easier to go over the information before a test. Take notes even when you think you are familiar with the topic.

Spend lots of time in the college library. Libraries contain all the needed resources for perfecting the education process and improving your chances for succeeding. Meet the librarian and be sure to ask her to show you where you can find materials necessary for successful completion of your coursework. Sometimes, libraries provide a bulletin board for students to post textbooks for sale.

Make sure you take breaks. Breaks are important during study sessions. Every hour you study should include at least ten minutes of break time. You should always stay with a schedule if you are in school.

Avoid relying on electives as the way to determine your major. Become involved on campus. To help you decide on your major, join a variety of clubs. There are numerous activities every week on the average college campus. To encourage this form of experimentation, set a goal of trying at least one new activity every week.

It’s not easy living as a college student. While many think that young people in college are living a great life, there is a lot beneath the surface that others don’t see. Use the tips above to make things easier, and remember to persevere.…