Fledgling Tutoring Company Hunts for Student Customers
By Bair, Jessica
LANCASTER COUNTY
Jim Weaver can’t wait for the first report cards of the year to roll out. His Lancaster County-based business depends on them.
Weaver, who used to teach at a private school in Maryland, began building Lancast- er County-based Academic Choice Tutoring in May. He started renting office space in a small business center in Manheim in June.
The company offers one-on-one tutoring in the student’s home. Students can range from prekindergarten age to adult learners, and the service covers all subject arcas.
Personalized programs, more affordable services and the undivided attention of a tutor are the things Weaver said he hopes will set his company apart from national tutoring chains.
Academic Choice Tutoring has a network of 26 freelance tutors. Most of the tutors are certified teachers or degreed professionals, Weaver said. He requires extensive background and child-abuse checks for the tutors.
Weaver began looking for students to tutor near the end of August. So far, he has three lined up.
“No one was looking for tutoring over the summer. They were thinking about vacations,” Weaver said. “When the first progress reports and first report cards come back, (some) parents will get wideeyed.”
Weaver wants those parents to send their students to his company for help. He contacted guidance counselors across Lancaster County and mailed out packets of information to various groups in an effort to create name recognition for his business. He also joined the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry in July.
Lisa Loughry agreed to tutor for Academic Choice Tutoring in August. Loughry is a Lancaster County stay-at-home mom who taught in public school for three years. She is certified in elementary and special education.
“I chose this company specifically because I thought it would be great for students,” Loughry said. “We always meet one on one with students. Since we meet in their home, not only is it convenient for parents, but the child is in a comfortable learning environment.”
Loughry began working with one 6-year-old student near the beginning of September as a part of Academic Choice Tutoring. They meet once a week for an hour. She said she expects the number of students to grow as word gets out about the new company.
Once a student or parent contacts Academic Choice Tutoring, Weaver sets up a free in-home consultation to determine the student’s learning style, personality type and areas of need. Weaver then consults his database of tutors to find the appropriate tutor for the student. The student generally is matched with a tutor within 48 hours.
A one-time registration fee of $35 is required to begin the program, but there is no requirement regulating how long a student uses the services. Sessions last one hour but can happen as many times a week or month as wanted. The rates range from $40 to $49 an hour, depending on grade level. Weaver splits the payment with the tutor.
Carl Huth began EASE Tutorial Service in Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County, about seven years ago. The biggest challenge to his business has been keeping up with all of the curriculum required for students, which varies from school to school.
Huth is the sole employee of his company and does not contract with tutors. Instead, he does the tutoring himself. He is teaching two adult students via the Internet and one eighth-grade student at the student’s home.
“I don’t like to have any more than about five students, and the reason why is because lesson planning and preparation takes an awful lot of time,” Huth said. “Eventually, if it keeps growing like it has been, I’m gonna have to get somebody else on board with me.”
Huth said he will teach anyone any topic. He has been teaching in various capacities since 1977. Fifteen of those years were spent teaching in public schools before he decided to retire. He still occasionally teaches various college-level courses.
“My feeling on tutoring is that it’s one of those businesses that actually really makes a difference, and it’s not something where you’re j ust making money,” Huth said. “It’s something where you’re actually doing something to help improve the world, and that’s why I went into teaching in the first place.”
“My feeling on tutoring is that it’s one of those businesses that actually really makes a difference, and it’s not something where you’re just making money. It’s something where you’re actually doing something to help improve the world, and that’s why I went into teaching in the first place.”
Carl Huth,
EASE Tutorial Service
BY JESSICA BAIR
jessica@journalpub.com
Copyright Journal Publications Inc. Oct 5, 2007
(c) 2007 Central Penn Business Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.