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Who is A+ Tutors?
Please see About A+ Tutors.
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Why do you charge so much less than your competitors?
Simply because, as a work in progress, A+ Tutors is not run for profit. What does this mean? It means that every penny earned by the website is put back into the website and the webmaster works for free. The site started off being a hobby and run for free. As the site has grown the charges have had to increase to meet costs but the site still holds true to its original ethos - that tutors should keep the money that they earn.
A+ Tutors' goal is to become the best web site for tutors in all respects.
Currently, the main expenditure is on the development of an improved user interface for both tutors and other users. This is an expensive process and, due to the low turn over of the site, is taking a long time. It is a catch 22. The site would develop faster if it charged more but then it would not suit all tutors, in all subjects, in every part of the UK.
Due to the large number of tutors on this site our turn over is about the same as our main competitor despite our low charges. Also, due to a high renewal rate, A+ Tutors is growing faster than any other tutor directory. Simply put, our business model works and we are here to stay.
If you would like to know more then please see About A+ Tutors.
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Can you guarantee me students?
Sorry no. Tutoring agencies, newspapers and shop windows don't guarantee students either. However, this is a very successful site and one of the largest of it's type on the internet (and probably the oldest too). Between Jan 2000 and July 2004 only 5 tutors have got back to me and said that they didn't get work through the site (out of 178 replies). Reasons tend to be due to location and unusual subjects.
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I am an experienced tutor. Do you have opportunities for tutors in my area?
There are opportunities for tutors all over the country. As the popularity of the internet increases so does the site. This is because more and more people try to find things with Google first (and the site ranks well with Google). If you have found this site then the odds are someone looking for you will also find this site. However, it is difficult to tell which areas, and which subjects, will have the best results. Some tutors have had great success in one area of the country and then none at all when they have moved to another area (e.g. countryside to city). If people in your area are looking for tutors in your subject and use the internet then you should get students through the site. Of course, it also helps to write a good advert... (please see rest of this FAQ for more relevant information)
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What do you mean when you say this site only advertises individual tutors?
This site is designed to give every tutor an equal opportunity to catch the attention of a potential client. To prevent bias against individual tutors this site does not accept applications from schools, agencies, or groups of tutors.
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Do you give refunds?
No. As explained in the terms and conditions, the payment is for processing your application or renewal. Your advert is then entitled to be on the site for one year. Your advert may be suspended at any time and returned to the site at any time before your renewal date.
Payments from joint applications from two or more tutors and applications from schools or agencies will not be refunded. Even though these applications are not entitled to advertise on the site, submitted applications must be processed and this is what the charge covers.
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I do not want my advert to be listed under where I live.
This site is designed to give every tutor an equal opportunity to catch the attention of a potential client. This is why all tutors are listed under specific locations by where they live (or where they work), irrespective of whether or not they travel to their students or tutor from a fixed location. Listing all tutors in this way prevents bias against individual tutors and encourages potential clients to seek tutors as close to them as possible (which saves travel time!).
There are disadvantages to this system. For example, tutors in central London may be able to travel to North London. In these cases tutors can have an extra advert (which costs more) on another page. The advert can be listed under a general heading of "Travelling Tutors" or under a specific location.
Another example of a disadvantage to the current site design is when a tutor lives in one county and works in another county which is listed on the same page. This is because a minority of users only look under the area they live in and not under neighbouring areas which may contain an appropriate tutor. To catch the eye of this minority, tutors can have their adverts listed under two locations, even on the same page, but there is always an extra charge for additional adverts.
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I would like my advert to appear under more than one location/heading.
Due to the design limitations of the site (see answer to question above) some tutors like to have their advert appear more than once on the site. As long as additional adverts are identical they cost only £10 per advert. If a tutor requires different adverts under different locations then each advert is charged at the full rate - £20 per year.
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How much does it cost for my advert to appear in the online section?
Currently the online section is treated as one additional advert. No matter how many subjects you tutor (there is one advert per subject) the charge is only £10 per year. If you only tutor online then there is no extra charge.
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Can you give me advice on how to complete the application form?
Yes. There is a guide
to advertising for tutors which should appear in a second window when you go to the application form.
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How do I pay for my advert?
Please see the guide to advertising.
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How do I use my A+ Tutors email address?
Please see the A+ Services for an introduction. E-mail sent to your aplustutors address will be forwarded automatically to your normal email address. If you would like to send email from your A+ Tutors email address then this can be easily done if you use an email client such as Outlook. However, please remember that the normal reason for having an A+ Tutors email address is to use it in your advert as a "disposable" address which protects your primary email address from SPAM. If you start to reply to people using your A+ Tutors email address then, if it starts to receive SPAM, it will become more difficult to change.
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Should I use my email address in my advert? - Scams & SPAM.
Having your email address and phone number in your advert will make it easier to contact you. However this needs to be weighed against potential abuse. As a business it is always best to give your customer ways of contacting you. BUT you are also an individual in a potentially vulnerable situation. You need to weigh up to pros and cons for yourself.
Email addresses on webpages are vulnerable to spam (please see the A+ Services for more) and, increasingly, to internet scams. Please be very aware of emails you receive about your tuition services (and any to do with money in general). It is not unusual to receive strange emails. Many people frequently have no idea how to approach a tutor because it is quite an alien experience for them. However you always need to trust your instincts.
Please see Scams Targeted at Tutors
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Responding to emails
Following on from above, in general my advice is, if you are interested in an enquiry then follow it up. If you aren't then just send a polite reply that you will not be able to help.
If you follow up an enquiry, then I suggest you answer what you can and give your telephone number - encouraging them to talk to you about what they are looking for. If, at anytime, you get a bad feeling then just tell them that you will not be able to help and walk away from the situation. This holds true whether you are communicating face to face, by phone or by email.
It is important you know that this isn't much of a problem but it is one that you need to be aware of. Unfortunately, as scams are so common on the internet, I am sure it will continue to happen.
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