FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I charge by the hour. If a student wants to meet outside say a 10-mile radius of my home in midtown Raleigh (North Hills, zip 27612), I add a $5 travel premium to cover my gas and other commuting-related costs.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have been certified by a local tutoring agency, Raleigh Tutoring, to tutor the reading/writing/English sections of the SAT and ACT. This means I scored in the 90th percentile or above in these sections compared with the national average of college-bound students taking the test. Actually, my scores on both tests were in the 99th percentile. Additionally, I have a Master's of English (summa cum laude) from Western Carolina University, and scored in the 99th percentile in the Communications Praxis test (national qualification test for secondary teachers). I also have a Bachelor's in journalism and psychology (double major) from Syracuse University, and have worked for a Pulitzer-Prize winning weekly newspaper in New York.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
Although I began my career as a journalist, I'd always wanted to teach--I come from a family of teachers. After earning my Master's in English, I taught some while still working in writing and editing. In 2009, I decided that tutoring would be a perfect way for me to share my love for English with adolescents and young adults without having to be in a classroom. About three years ago, I was offered an opportunity to tutor for the SAT and then ACT, and I found I really enjoyed the challenges of helping nervous students position themselves to be excellent candidates for the colleges of their choice. Today, about 3/4 of my time is spent tutoring/teaching, in both academic English and test prep, while 1/4 is devoted to writing.