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It's not for nothing that Superprof ranks among the top 10 tutoring platforms in the UK and around the world. In the few years since our debut, we've established a presence in 28 countries and have helped millions of tutors launch themselves into business.
How did we do it? Why did we do it?
The answer to both of those questions is the same: there was a gap in the market that we were able to fill, thanks to technological advances that made online lesson delivery more effective.
When we got started, in 2013, tutoring (and Superprof) was mainly an academic pursuit. School students were struggling under their heavy academic load and tutors were available to help them. Since then, Superprof has embraced all manner of subjects and disciplines and welcomes tutors of all types to teach them.
So, how does Superprof work? What accounts for its massive success and how is it different from other tutoring platforms?
That's what we talk about today.
The Subjects Available on Superprof
Private tutoring is by no means a novel concept; indeed, for millennia, that's how people were educated. Aside from schools catering to specific groups - the religious and the wealthy, anyone else seeking to know how to read, write and do arithmetic either learned from their parents or masters they were apprenticed to or they hired a private tutor.
Education as we know it today, with schools, teachers loyal to the facility they work in and a set curriculum, is less than 200 years old - and the concept hasn't changed much. Tutoring, on the other hand, has evolved dramatically.
Today's tutors, including Superprof tutors, still work with students to master academic subjects, from the common core ones like maths and science to elective subjects such as languages and art. But then, Superprof tutors take things a couple of notches further.
With a Superprof tutor, you can learn:
- cookery, including specific aspects such as baking/cake decorating, stewing and preserving, and gourmet cooking
- athletics: your Superprof personal trainer can lead yoga sessions, Pilates routines and teach you all about nutrition and fitness
- ecology, water conservation and soil rehabilitation Superprofs can teach you all about organic gardening, composting and even recycling
- sewing and patternmaking, as well as other needle arts
- music: learn how to play a musical instrument or train your voice
- professional development: Superprofs specialise in mindfulness, time management and other skills that bring about professional advancement
From this abbreviated list, you can guess that, if a skill can be taught, there's a good bet you'll find a Superprof to teach it.
Why not discover all the subjects available on Superprof? Who knows; maybe you'll find a subject that piques your interest that you had no firm idea you wanted to learn about...
Superprof for Tutors
Unlike most tutoring outlets, Superprof tutors are not employed by Superprof. Any tutor who builds a profile on our platform is in business for themself; all we provide is a way for tutors to advertise their services.
Our business model allows tutors maximum flexibility; they can set their rates and determine for themselves how many hours they are comfortable working. They may also select their students; the Superprof platform does not meddle in how any Superprof tutor conducts their business.
You might wonder what, exactly, the Superprof company does for their tutors?
Besides providing a space for them to advertise their tutoring business, Superprof provides a safe space for you to arrange lessons with qualified students. By qualified students, we mean those who are pre-screened and intent on learning - not those who would just take advantage of your 'first lesson free' offer to ask a bunch of questions and then, never contact you again.
Furthermore, Superprof has a member support team ready to help you with anything from setting up your profile to giving advice on how to set up your business and teaching schedule.
Besides that, Superprof publishes a blog that includes topics relevant to current educational trends, as well as current interest topics that may tie in with tutors' area of speciality.
Some web-based tutoring companies treat their tutors like any other bricks-and-mortar company: directing their every effort, instructing them on what to do, how many hours to work and even collecting a portion of their tutors' pay as a commission fee for referring students to them.
With Superprof, your money is your own, as is your time. And you get to pick the students you feel you could best serve, and all of this while providing needed support.
In short, what Superprof does for tutors is vastly different from the standard tutoring outfit.
Superprof for Students
It's difficult for any business to offer equal benefits to all parties they serve but Superprof has managed to strike that balance. Besides all that we offer to Superprof tutors, students enjoy substantial advantages, too.
Historically speaking, tutoring was a home-grown affair. Tutors would wander across the land, offering their services - often for room and board and maybe a few coins, to any homestead they came across. As civilizations coalesced into population centres, tutors had a slightly easier time of things; they could set up shop in their rooms and let students come to them.
Eventually, that concept morphed into the commercial tutoring centres we're all familiar with today. Still, regardless of which tutoring concept, for the student, it was all the same: their choice of tutors was limited to what was available in their immediate area.
But then, technological advancements brought about an expansion of tutor availability.
As webcams delivered sharper images, microphones and headphones transmitted/received crisper, clearer messages and video chat platforms became ubiquitous - and, most importantly, free of charge, learning with a tutor from another part of the world was not only possible, it became mainstream.
That's one of the main benefits Superprof offers students. They can learn Japanese from a Superprof living in Japan, study ancient Egyptian history with a history Superprof in Egypt and take haute cuisine lessons from a Superprof chef in France... all without leaving their home study area.
Superprof provides students with access to millions of Superprof tutors from around the world. And these aren't just random people who say they can teach you something, either. Superprof tutors must upload verifiable credentials before the platform lets their profile go live, so you can rest assured that the tutor you choose is qualified to teach their subject matter.
Perhaps one of the greatest aspects is that you choose your tutor; Superprof does not assign you the tutor they think is best for you.
You may choose a local Superprof who can deliver in-person lessons or opt for online lessons. You can select a Superprof with high-level credentials and years of experience in their field or someone who's just a year or two ahead of you - a great option for students preparing to sit exams.
It's difficult for a business to distribute equal benefits to every facet of their business but, by providing tutors and students with maximum flexibility in their choices, Superprof manages to strike that balance.
But don't draw any conclusions from just this snippet, find out all that Superprof has to offer students.
Payments and Charges
As passionate as we are about the service we provide and the level of commitment we bring to serving both tutors and students, it's rather dismaying for us to read the few negative reviews on sites such as Glassdoor and Trustpilot.
Thankfully enough, they have nothing to do with what we do; that shows that Superprof indeed renders a valuable service. Those dislikes all revolve around students not understanding the nature of Superprof's business model.
We are a subscription service that charges students a monthly fee for as long as they keep their accounts open.
While it costs nothing for tutors to publish their profiles and students to review them, should a student wish to connect with a Superprof, they have to set up an account. When they set up their account, they are notified of Superprof's terms and services as a subscription platform that gives them access to millions of tutors around the world.
The most effective way to use your Superprof subscription is to take your time, carefully combing through Superprof tutor profiles until you have three to five whose profiles come the closest to what you're looking for.
As Superprof gives you your first month free - and if your study schedule allows it, there's no need to feel any pressure at quickly snagging the first tutor that floats across your screen. Once you initiate contact, your subscription goes live; Superprof will withdraw your monthly fee from the payment source you provided when you started your subscription.
Once you connect with the right Superprof tutor for your needs, you may agree to take your partnership off the Superprof platform by cancelling your subscription. You will still have access to your Superprof tutor - and still be responsible for paying their fee, but you won't be charged for your subscription anymore.
To learn exactly how all of that works and what the subscription rates are for your area, check out our full description of payments and charges on Superprof.
The platform that connects tutors and students
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