Online Test Preparation, Online Test Prep, SAT tutor :EduWizardS

It is our experience that students, both young and older, love learning online! At EduwizardS all online tutoring is one-to-one. Though the tutor and student are not physically sitting face to face, the whiteboard, text chat, and voice communication creates a real time one-to-one environment. At EduwizardS you are able to search for tutors for your subject, read their profiles and other information as well as their feedback from students, and choose the tutor you want. You choose from the world's best tutors, openly ranked and reviewed by students.

How is EduwizardS able to provide students with far better tutors than other sites?

EduwizardS features the world's best online tutors, ranked and reviewed by students. Most other online tutoring websites continue with mediocre tutors for years, and which students get the good tutors is generally a matter of luck. At EduwizardS the best tutors are clearly identified by the students themselves. We believe the most effective way of identifying top tutors is by actual review of tutors by students. All reviews are openly posted. Using these reviews and other information, a student can choose which tutor he/she wants.

What are the hourly charges for tutoring?

Different tutors charge different prices so there is no fixed hourly price. By doing Tutor Search you view hourly charges and other information for individual tutors and choose the tutor you want.

What are the types of tutoring sessions available? New!

All tutoring sessions are live and one-to-one. There are two types of tutoring sessions:
1. Booking (Scheduling) a session for a future time.
2. Taking an Instant (On Demand) tutoring session with a tutor who is currently online. New!

How do I get started with the site?

To get a feel for our site do a Tutor Search by selecting your Grade Level, then the general Subject Area, and finally the Specific Subject. You will see tutors with profile and other information, and as time goes on (our website started in late April 2007, with official launch in late August 2007) you will be able to see more and more tutors, with individual feedback by students. As a student the first step is to create your free Student Account. Then you can take live, one-to-one tutoring sessions with a tutor personally selected by you. (There is also a "Find Me a Tutor" button which you can use to have our staff select a tutor for you).

How do I Book (Schedule) a session with a tutor?

Login to your student account. (If you do not have a student account Sign Up to create one). Once logged in, on the menu at the left choose and click "Request New Session." Follow the steps to see a list of available tutors for your subject. From these you can choose a tutor, click on a tutor's name to view his/her details including available times, and make an appointment for a Free or Paid Session. Three half-hour free trials are allowed per month. There is also a “Find Me a Tutor” button which you can use to have our staff select a tutor for you.
If you are under 18 years of age you must obtain parent/legal guardian's permission before performing any transactions (including taking free trials).

How many Free Trials can I Book (Schedule)?

Three half-hour free trials are allowed per month. There is no limit to the total number of free trials a student can take, the limit is only that within a certain period only a fixed maximum number of half hour free trials can be taken. A student can take free trials with many different tutors. (Tutors set how many free trials they are willing to give a month and it could happen that the free trials for a particular tutor have all been used).

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How do I take an Instant (On Demand) session with a tutor? New!

Login to your student account (If you do not have a student account Sign Up to create one). Once logged in, on the menu at the left choose and click "Request New Session." Follow the steps to see a list of available tutors for your subject. You will also see which tutors are currently online and ready to take Instant Tutoring sessions. From these you can choose a tutor, click on a tutor's name to view his/her details and then click the "Contact Live" button. You have a free pre-session chat with tutor(s), and then (if you choose) instantly start a paid session with the tutor. Charges are by the minute once you click "Hire."
If you are under 18 years of age you must obtain parent/legal guardian's permission before performing any transactions (including contacting tutors).

Can I take Free Trials for Instant (On Demand) tutoring?

No. You have a free pre-session chat with a tutor before you hire him/her for a paid by-the-minute Instant Tutoring session, but the three half-hour free trials per month feature is only for Booking (Scheduling) a session for a future time.

Should parents be concerned about online tutoring?

Online tutoring happens in the comfort of your home without any need to travel to a tutor or have a tutor physically come into your home. Thus online tutoring is a safe and convenient alternative.
Since the tutoring takes place in the comfort of their home parents are free to interact with the tutor if they feel the need. Parents can also be present with their child during the tutoring session to assure themselves of the quality of the tutoring sessions.
Parents and students can provide reviews after each session to identify the best tutors (and the not-so-good ones), and thus guide other parents and students regarding a particular tutor.

Do I have a choice of tutors?

Absolutely! The choice of tutor is always entirely yours. You can choose any tutor you want based on his/her price, reviews, experience, qualifications and other factors. When Booking (Scheduling) a session, you can also try out tutors for free since almost all tutors offer half-hour trial sessions. These sessions are absolutely free with no strings attached.

Can EduwizardS staff find a tutor for me? New!

Yes. When you do a Tutor Search, you will see "Find Me a Tutor" button which you can use to have our staff select a tutor for you for your half hour Free Trials. You can also state the time you want to Book (Schedule) a session and our staff will choose a tutor and make an appointment for you for that time.

What happens after a student Books (Schedules) a session with a tutor?

When students Books (Schedules) a session they state the grade, subject and exact topic within the subject that they would like help with, select whether the request is for a paid session or for a free half hour trial, and select the length of the requested session. An email is sent to the tutor stating that a request for a session has been made. The tutor must then login to his/her account and choose "My Requests" from the menu to accept the request. The tutor decides which tutoring requests to accept. A tutor can review a request for a tutoring session and can accept or decline the request for an appointment (in case tutor declines the session the student is not entitled to give a review since no appointment was made). Once a session is accepted by a tutor a confirmation email is sent to the student. The tutor must login no later than the session start time to take the session.

What is needed for online tutoring?

For online tutoring all you need is an internet connection, a computer microphone, and computer speakers. We recommend computer headset with microphone (costs about USD 10-15).

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What currency are transactions conducted in?

At our website all transactions are in USD (United States Dollars).

How safe is my credit card info?

Funds can be added to your student account Credit Balance by using either a credit card or a PayPal account. Both kinds of transactions are handled via PayPal.com, which is owned by Ebay. We have set up with Paypal so that they alone (and not our company) deal with your credit card and other info. The entire transaction takes place at their website, and after the transaction you are returned to our website.

How many free trial sessions are allowed?

Currently, three half-hour free trials are allowed per month (30 days). There is no limit to the total number of free trials a student can take, the limit is only that within a certain period only a fixed maximum number of half hour free trials can be taken. A student can take free trials with many different tutors. (Tutors set how many free trials they are willing to give a month and it could happen that the free trials for a particular tutor have all been used).

What are the requirements for taking free trial sessions?

All we ask is that you verify your identity with a credit card or PayPal account so as to strictly limit to 3 free half-hour trial sessions per student per month (30 days). To verify identity you have to transfer at least USD 1 to your student Credit Balance by logging in and going to "My Account" and then clicking the "Add Funds" button at the bottom. Free trial sessions are of course, absolutely free, and no deductions will ever be made from your credit balance. You may withdraw the amount anytime after you have taken the free trials. (If you withdraw the amount within 60 days of your date of transfer of funds to your student Credit Balance, the amount will be refunded back to the credit card or PayPal account. After 60 days, PayPal refunds will still work but for credit cards we will have to refund by other means, such as a check to your mailing address). If you are under 18 years of age you must obtain parent/legal guardian's permission before performing any transactions (including taking free trials).

What are the requirements for taking paid sessions?

You must have enough balance in your student Credit Balance to cover any paid sessions. Instant (On Demand) Tutoring is by the minute, whereas when you Book (Schedule) a session you choose the length of the session.
You can add or withdraw funds from student Credit Balance by logging in and going to "My Accounts." Any unused amounts in your student Credit Balance can be withdrawn whenever you wish.
(If you withdraw the amount within 60 days of your date of transfer of funds to your student Credit Balance, the amount will be refunded back to the credit card or PayPal account. After 60 days, PayPal refunds will still work but for credit cards we will have to send by other means, such as a check to your mailing address).
If you are under 18 years of age you must obtain parent/legal guardian's permission before performing any transactions (including taking paid sessions).

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How long are paid tutoring sessions?

Instant (On Demand) Tutoring is by the minute, whereas when you Book (Schedule) a session you choose the length of the session. For these sessions we strongly recommend you Book (Schedule) 1 hour paid sessions because our experience shows that the traditional one hour time works best. However, you can sign up any multiple of half hour when making the appointment: ½ hour, 1 hour, 1 ½ hour etc.

Once I Book (Schedule) a session with a tutor, is the appointment confirmed?

No, the tutor will get an email regarding your request for a session. The tutor will have to login and accept the session. Once tutor accepts you will get an email confirming the session and you will also see the confirmation in "My Schedules" in your student account. A tutor may occasionally, for whatever reason, decline a session, in which case you will get an email informing you of that.

What do I have to do at the time of a Booked (Scheduled) tutoring appointment?

You must log in to your student account and go to "My Schedules." The tutor will initiate the session through the software, which you then join. (If tutor has emailed any instructions or guidance please follow them). We do not have an automatic software cut-off once time is up. The tutor and you keep the time and end the session.

Can I cancel an appointment I Booked (Scheduled) with a tutor?

Yes, you can cancel at any time before start time of the session by logging in to your student account and going to "My Schedules." You can also cancel a session which has been accepted by a tutor as well as cancel a request for a session to which tutor has not yet responded to. However, we recommend that you only request appointments that you are sure you can keep and avoid cancellations as much as possible, out of consideration for the tutor.

Can a tutor cancel an appointment I Booked (Scheduled)?

No, only a student can login and cancel an appointment. A tutor is not allowed to cancel an appointment that has been made.

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What if the subject I want is not listed or it does not have enough choice of tutors?

We can add any new subject there is demand for. Please write to care@eduwizards.com. As time goes on (our website started in late April 2007, with official launch in late August 2007) you will be able to see more and more tutors. However, you are free to write to us if you feel your subject does not offer you a sufficient choice of tutors and we will do our best to rectify the situation. We are always signing up new tutors and can find specific tutors for any subject(s) you want.

Do you offer institutional accounts? New!

Based on interest shown by institutions in buying block hours for their members, we are implementing an institutional accounts feature.

If I have further questions who do I ask?

Please send email to care@eduwizards.com.

If I have suggestions who do I write to?

We appreciate any suggestions. Please send email to suggestions@eduwizards.com.

FAQ for Tutors

Tutors should also carefully read the regular FAQ (for students) to understand how the site works.

How do I become a tutor?

How will I know I have been approved to join EduWizardS?

How does tutoring work and how does a student find me among all the tutors who have signed up with EduWizardS?

What happens after a student Books (Schedules) a tutoring appointment a session with a tutor?

What training do I need before I can take a session?

What do I need to succeed as a tutor at EduWizardS?

As a new tutor how do I distinguish myself and make a start?

What are the charges to sign up and earn money as a tutor with EduWizardS?

How much is the transaction fee?

What do I get for this fee?

Which countries can tutors sign up from?

How many students can I expect to tutor each week?

What times should I make myself available for tutoring?

What prices should I charge?

If I am an approved tutor but will be away for sometime how do I set my account so that students do not see me in this time and try to make appointments?

If I have further questions who do I ask?

If I have suggestions who do I write to?

How do I become a tutor?

To tutor at EduwizardS you need a Bachelor's degree or higher. You must have a reliable broadband connection and a headset with microphone.Your knowledge of the subject must be thorough and you should plan to teach only the subject(s) you know best.Anyone with these basic qualifications is welcome to open an account as a tutor, browse and understand how our website works, and submit their Resume and fill in and submit their Profile for approval. Tutors whose profiles are approved are ready to tutor on our website. Only selected tutors will be approved. We reserve the right to verify any information in your Resume or Profile from third parties and to administer to you any Subject(s) or other test/interview at any time (before or after profile approval). At any time we can remove a tutor, at our sole discretion, for any reason or for no reason at all.

How will I know I have been approved to join EduWizardS?

After you login and submit your Profile, your Profile page will also show you the status of your submitted Profile. We will review your information and you will receive an email once your profile is approved or disapproved. If your profile is approved you will also receive an EduwizardS email ID along with other information.

How does tutoring work and how does a student find me among all the tutors who have signed up with EduWizardS?

At EduwizardS tutors independently manage their own tutoring. They decide what hours to tutor, which subjects to tutor, and what price to charge for each subject. Students search for tutors by selecting their Grade Level, then the general Subject Area, and finally the Specific Subject. Approved tutors who have signed up for that Specific Subject will appear in the search along with information about them including student reviews and tutor's hourly charges. The tutors with the best reviews will appear first. A student can select a tutor and Book (Schedule) a session for a future time or take an Instant (On Demand) tutoring session with a tutor who is currently online. After each session the student has the option of reviewing a tutor by giving a review score of 1 to 5 stars as well as text comments.

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What happens after a student Books (Schedules) a tutoring appointment a session with a tutor?

When students request a session they state the grade, subject and exact topic within the subject that they would like help with, select whether the request is for a paid session for a free half hour trial, and select the length of the requested session. An email is sent to the tutor stating that a request for a session has been made. The tutor must then login to his/her account and choose "My Requests" from the menu to accept the request. The tutor decides which tutoring requests to accept. A tutor can review a request for a tutoring session and can accept or decline the request for an appointment (in case tutor declines the session the student is not entitled to give a review since no appointment was made). A tutor is always expected to accept unless there are exceptional circumstances. Once a session is accepted by a tutor a confirmation email is sent to the student. The tutor must login no later than the session start time to take the session.

What training do I need before I can take a session?

Prior to first session the tutor must be familiar with the whiteboard/voice software. Individual tutors, once their profiles are approved, will receive information regarding training to use the whiteboard/voice software. They must contact tutor@eduwizards.com for any questions regarding such training. The software is user-friendly and easy to learn, and it requires no tech knowledge.

What do I need to succeed as a tutor at EduWizardS?

To begin with you must have a thorough knowledge of your subject. That alone is not enough. You must be able to generate great reviews from students and for this you must have the qualities of a good teacher. You must have a fast and reliable internet connection and must have thoroughly practiced with and understood the tutoring software. You must never be late or miss a session. Students can cancel sessions, but tutors cannot. If for any reason a session does not go well you can inform the student that you will not charge for the session and use "Dismiss Charge" in "My billings" in your tutor account. Students review a tutor after each session and a bad review score or negative comments will be permanently archived in your tutoring record. A mediocre tutor will not prosper at EduWizardS, since the system is set up to pick out and reward the best.

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As a new tutor how do I distinguish myself and make a start?

Being available live for Instant (On Demand) tutoring, and allowing half hour free trials is a good way to begin getting reviews and making a good record.

What are the charges to sign up and earn money as a tutor with EduWizardS?

There are no charges to sign up and to have your submitted profile approved. We do not charge tutors until they get paid by students for tutoring sessions. Our basic model is to keep a percentage of the tutor's earnings as a "transaction fee."

How much is the transaction fee?

The transaction fee the company keeps is mainly a fraction of the fees you earn from students. For active tutors the fee is less. Once you sign up and your profile is approved we will send you the exact fee details.

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What do I get for this fee?

Our biggest cost is advertising (search engines, advertisements in individual schools/colleges, and in various web, print and other media). We want to continue to spend heavily on advertising to bring students to our site and grow as a business. Other costs are website related costs, bandwidth, software, payments processing administrative/personnel costs and miscellaneous other costs which keep popping up. Most importantly, for your fee we bring you paying students to tutor right from the comfort of your home.

Which countries can tutors sign up from?

We are starting with tutors from USA and India but hope to add more countries sometime in 2008, as we expand services.

How many students can I expect to tutor each week?

Our website started in late April 2007, with official launch in late August 2007. Online tutoring is relatively new and there are various predictions of huge surge in online tutoring as the concept catches on. Our site is built for high volume and we will continue to spend a lot on all sorts of advertising with the aim of becoming the world's online tutoring volume leader. As an individual tutor, what part you get of the volume will depend on your ratings, your available hours and on the demand for the subjects you tutor. In early February 2008, we started Instant On-Demand Tutoring, where students can see which tutors are currently online and then instantly start a session with one of them. So staying logged in and making yourself available for Instant On-Demand Tutoring may be a way to get increased tutoring volume. New!

What times should I make myself available for tutoring?

We expect that a large number of our students will be from the USA. So you should definitely include times at which USA students would take tutoring. When school is on, students take tutoring during the evenings and on weekends.

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What prices should I charge?

See what other tutors are charging for a particular subject. You can charge any price, with a minimum of USD 4 per hour. Certain subjects such as Test-prep (SAT, GMAT etc), certain tech fields such as Java, OOP and various niche subjects generally commands a higher hourly price. Your ratings by students may be more important than the price.

If I am an approved tutor but will be away for sometime how do I set my account so that students do not see me in this time and try to make appointments?

If you make your availability zero (have no times checked in "Availability" in "My Information" menu) you will not appear in search even though you have signed up for the subject the student is searching for. When you want to tutor again, you can enter available times. However, if you wish to permanently delete your account please email tutor@eduwizards.com.

If I have further questions who do I ask?

If you are already approved as a tutor please email tutor@eduwizards.com, otherwise email apply@eduwizards.com.

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If I have suggestions who do I write to?

We appreciate any suggestions. Please send email to suggestions@eduwizards.com.