Philosophy is interesting and fun to learn. Develop your mind with me in a relaxed, conversational space. I cater to undergrads, postgrads, and lifelong adult learners. 35 years + teaching and academi

Details

Rate Scale

$40-90: Depending on the level of complexity, volume, customization to a particular syllabus and time constraints to prepare and deliver the material. This will be negotiated up front once I have made an assessment.

1. Travel to destination:
There is no charge up to 5km; beyond this distance, I charge 60 cents/km, plus half my hourly rate ($50 ÷ 2 = $25) based on the average time taken for a return trip. Time and distance are calculated using Google Maps.

(If students require tuition necessitating me travelling during rush hour, it might be more, as the journey takes longer.)

Example of travel time and vehicle usage calculation

Distance to student's house and return home 20km: 20 × 60 cents = $12
Average time taken for round trip (to student's house and back to mine) 1 hour: 1 hr × 25 (half my teaching rate) = $25
Total travel costs per lesson (1-4 hrs): $12 + $25= $32

2. Printing course notes:
Priced to order, single-sided, bound, etc, use UPS prices as a guideline.

3. Lesson Time and Fees:

The minimum lesson time is 1 hour, the maximum is usually 4. If you need more than 4 hours per session, this is possible and can be negotiated with me at the same rate or part thereof. Nothing extra will be charged for study breaks within reason during this time.

An example of how my fees are calculated

For 1 hour of tuition at the student's home, 10 km from mine.

total travel time to students home and back 60 minutes @ $25/hour + distance @ 60 cents/km + tuition @$50/hour:

$20+ $12 + $40 =$72 total cost for one hour of tuition

Requests to teach a student or groups far from my home on-site 100km +

Occasionally, I get requests to teach students in locations far from where I live, and I am required to be on-site. In these instances, I will negotiate individual rates for travel, tuition, and accommodation.


4. Payment arrangements

Payments by EFT are preferable. Email address: (concealed information)

Payments can also be made by cheque or cash. Please let me know which you would prefer.

Unless another arrangement is made, I will issue an invoice to students at the end of the month. The invoice will detail all expenses (e.g. travel, tuition, grading that have been agreed upon in advance according to the signed teaching contract. Payment must be made within 1 week. When I receive the payment, I will issue the student a receipt.

5. The first lesson, lasting one hour, is free

We must establish a solid foundation right from the start so that we are crystal clear about our mutual expectations and deliverables. If we take the time to begin this way, we will both feel more secure and enjoy our time together.

Purpose: to get to know each other, to establish the student's needs, and to negotiate a teaching schedule, style and fee payment schedule that works for both of us, to explore your prior knowledge of the subject and if possible, provide a basic introduction.

6. Grading:

If you'd like, I can grade larger pieces of your writing and provide feedback. I will review each piece before grading, and the additional cost will be given to you upfront. The grading is on a Word document you submit. It will include extensive written feedback and a video recording that summarizes the key strengths of your writing and areas for improvement.

If a student requires me to grade a piece of work exceeding one page outside of tuition time, my standard tuition fees apply, and I will let the student know in advance what the charge will be. A rough estimate is $15 per page.

7. University and College Assignments and Papers

Under no circumstances will I write an assignmnet or term papaer for a student. However, if the university a student is studying at permits the use of academic coaches, I can grade a paper before it is submitted and suggest edits.

Should a student request this, I will need to review the institution's academic policies and the course briefing provided by the student's teacher.

However, I will not do any substantial grading reviews until we have had at least two lessons together and better understand each other.

8. Cancellations and rescheduling

Just so you know, 24 hours' notice is required, and I will do the same. If there is an emergency, lessons cancelled or rescheduled by the student within 24 hours will be charged for. I would also be able to provide those lessons at no charge if I did not do the same, should I not be able to make it, and do not let the student know within the 24-hour time frame.

9. Supplementary resources and written work

There is no extra charge for these services, including grading any written work that I set for the student.

Whilst working with students, I utilize a wide variety of resources to help them improve their academic performance. These include, but are not limited to:

learning assessments and profiles, video clips, academic papers, PPTs, class notes, etc.

I may require students to complete short assessments or written assignments. To gain the maximum benefit from the tuition, I strongly advise students to complete all assigned tasks.

10. Refunds are issued under two conditions

(a) No measurable academic improvement

If a student can clearly demonstrate that they have conscientiously completed all the tasks assigned during the tuition period and have provided me with a realistic benchmark of their academic performance before engaging me as a tutor, then I will consider them. We both agree on this benchmark (e.g., the student was obtaining an Average of 30% on their written assignments) that their academic performance has not improved during the tutoring. I will issue the student a full refund.

(b) Urgent life circumstances and a withdrawal from the tutoring

If a student has paid in advance for a series of lessons to take advantage of a discount, I will refund 70% of the tuition fees paid in advance for tuition sessions that the student has not yet taken. This refund will be processed within a month of cancellation.

11) Our "classroom," and costs

a) The student's venue

I charge for travel; please see section 1 for the rates.

If a student asks me to travel to teach them at a venue of their choosing, it should ideally be: quiet, confidential (the student and I are the only ones in the room), well-lit, with a table for us to sit at and a place to plug in my laptop.

b) My Venue

I do not tutor from my home because I have a very busy family and not enough space for a student's privacy.

However, if a student has an urgent need to meet face-to-face and would prefer it at my venue, I can check availability and sometimes hire a venue close to where I live. If there are venue-hire costs, I will discuss them with the student, depending on what is available.

c) Online

There is no extra charge for online teaching unless a student specifically requests a non-standard platform that I have to purchase a subscription for, in which case an admin fee of $50 + the subscription fee applies. The admin fee compensates for the time I spend learning a new platform.

I am experienced in online teaching and can easily provide students with an interesting and stimulating online tutoring experience. At the end of the day, this option is most cost-effective for students. Online classes can be held on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or any other platform that offers similar features.

If students choose to be tutored online, they need to be in a private, distraction-free environment, seated at a desk. I will not normally tutor stduents working from cafes or public places.

d) Blended Learning

Students can choose to have some classes with me online and some face-to-face. Let's alternate between each lesson. Travel expenses will be charged for face-to-face time if applicable.

Alternatively, if a student has to travel but wants to continue their tuition while travelling, I can make these arrangements with them, provided the time zone provides reasonable contact hours. If there are exceptional circumstances, a student can request abnormal time-zone contact hours (e.g., 2 a.m. Vancouver). In such instances, I charge double to triple my standard tuition fee of $40 per hour.

e) Group Learning and my rates

Sometimes students request to learn with a group of friends, usually 5-10 students. I am happy to discuss this, but I need to point out the following:

Group learning progresses more slowly than individual tutoring; therefore, to achieve the same results as individual tutoring, more tutoring hours will be needed. If this extra time is found, I will consider offering this service.

I do not offer any discount for group learning because it is actually far more work for me. Here are the rates for group learning.

1-5 students $40-$60/ hour

5-10 students $70-$90/hour

10+ students arrangements to be made with me.

If the group learning sessions are held at a venue, travel expenses will also be charged.

Lastly, each group must have one student who agrees to serve as the group leader, in case I need to communicate with them for logistical arrangements and support.