Any question you pose about the tutoring may get posted here.

SUBJECTS

1) Do you tutor in any other subjects?

Yes, I do! I have been tutoring for decades and I have also tutored college and high school subjects such as sociology, accounting,
computer science, biology, astronomy, statistics, history, English, German, economics, and a few other subjects.
The subjects listed on the Main Page are the ones most in demand but if you have a topic of concern, Contact Me and we might be able
to find a way I can help you.

2) I need help in more than one subject, so can I switch subjects during tutoring?

You are buying my time, talents, and abilities - how you choose to use them is up to you. If I can help you in any way, in any class,
I am willing to do so - if I believe that my knowledge base is sufficient to do so. I do have my limits and offer you my best -
if I believe I am unable to be of benefit to you, I will say so.

3) I only want some review help with an upcoming exam, not on-going help. Can you help me?

Sure - I will not lock you into any contract or time expectations. You contact me when you need me.
Unless you tell me otherwise, I block you in for 1.5 hours because, over the years, that is what I've found works best for most students.
If we can't get everything done in that time, we might be able to extend it or reschedule for a later hour or day.
Unfortunately, I can't be all things to all students.
If you have about two weeks time before the exam - choose the type of tutoring you'd like and send a money order or cashier's check
to my mailing address. If we don't use it all, I'll send you a check for the remaining amount.

4) Do you tutor for the SAT?

I do tutor for the SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT, LSAT, Civil Service and State Exit Exams, GED's, and others but it depends heavily on
your ability to be self-motivated and directed. I can give you the guidance and feedback but when people ask, I usually refer them
to more formal "in-house" tutoring centers (which have scheduled days and times). They're much more expensive and require that
you travel to their site but they provide a hard structure that works well for test prep for MOST people. If you don't have such an agency
within a reasonable distance, I would be happy to be your test advisor and tutor.

GROUPS

5) If I have friends over and we contact you as a group, do we all have to all pay you?

You only need to pay me for my time, you are free to have my assistance with a group if you wish.
The one warning though is that groups almost always take much more time because everyone has some kind of input, question,
or difficulty that needs to be addressed. It's usually best to figure on 25% more time for every extra person present.
Thus, a 2 hour appointment with one person is best extended to 3 hours for a group of three. I have tutored as many as six students
at one time (a small class) in a college math topic. It took four hours. Since payment is in advance and deducted from your account,
it is your responsibility to get reimbursed from other members in the group. Try to contact me about a week in advance so I can
reserve the time block for you and keep my total focus on your study group.

FEES

6) If I get a credit for $200 of tutoring, how is it used?

Here are some actual examples from the Sliding Fee Scale:

A) For one student, 48 minutes were used downloading the problems, solving them in advance, and scanning the solutions sheets
and e-mailing them back. The student then sent back their issues of confusion and asked for a short video explanation that they could
then download, which took 18 minutes. 24 more minutes were spent solving the issues off camera, clipping, zipping, and sending
the video back. (72 min x .50 = $36.00 + 18 min x .70 = $12.60; $45.60 deducted from account).

B) With one student, over 1.5 days, four back-and-forth exchanges were made, e-mailing attachments and problem areas
at convenient times. The total time downloading, solving, scanning, sending, correcting, and re-sending took 145 minutes.
(145 min x .40 = $58.00 deducted from account).

C) A student called with a major "last-minute" assignment which they had misplaced and needed for the following morning.
They contacted me in a panic, late in the afternoon, so time was allotted but none was available for video
due to other appointments in the evening.
The total time spent in the exchange of materials, solving and correcting problems, and following up on the corrections was 144 minutes.
(144 min x .95 = $136.80 deducted from account).
As you can see compared to example (B), it saves you to plan ahead and stay current with assignments.

7) If I drop the class or the term ends and I don't need any more help and I have money still credited will I get it back?

I will be happy to give you a refund by check that will go directly to the person who paid on your account.
Most students choose to have me hold the credit on their account so that they have instant assistance when the next term begins or
when another problem develops in a different class. Some students have used my tutoring services for years (one person for 5 years!).

8) I've checked around and tutoring seems kind of spendy and I'm not sure I can afford it.
Is there something I can do to ease the cost?

There are several factors you need to consider. First is the cost of dropping the class and taking it again -
in some cases, that may have adverse effects on a scholarship, grant or loan, or even the prospect of graduating on time, no less the cost
of having to pay for the class again.

The second is the ease of use with Doctaj's - you pay ONLY for the time you actually use, not for travel, materials,
or a contract that locks you into a prescribed number of hours or days. I used to be a conventional tutor and ran some time studies on
the amount of time just "observing" a student work; overall it was 35% of the allotted time. Added to that was 5 minutes of initial discussion,
5 minutes of chit-chat, 5 minutes of final review and follow-up and it meant that in a 2 hour session (at the THEN going rate of $30 an hour)
the student was getting well under 1.2 hours of interaction for $60. If you compare the fees for (A) and (B) in FAQ #6 (above),
the normal tutoring cost for most agencies would have been 2.5 hours for (A) and 3.5 hours for (B). The interactive method I use
results in a normal student savings of $30 for (A) and $47 for (B) for the same number of problems.

Also, most face-to-face tutors and tutoring agencies (yes, I've worked for several) are available only for limited hour blocks -
frequently evenings to 9 pm and weekends. Most also charge a travel stipend if they have to absorb the cost of transportation,
or start your time when you were "supposed to arrive" and not when you did arrive (regardless of traffic or weather).
Try to get a tutor at 10 or 11 pm or on a Sunday or holiday! Let's talk convenience!!

If you still need help but can't afford it, I suggest you contact some folks in your class and get together as a group.
You can all chip in for a two hour session and may be able to drop the individual price to about $10 per hour per person!

MISCL.

9) I noticed from your bio that you were also a counselor and therapist, can we talk about other stuff.
Some times I can't study well because my mind is confused - can we talk about that?

Though I was a licensed psychological counselor, I no longer practice but I do love teaching the material.
I'd be happy to discuss any issue that keeps you from doing your best and within the context of teaching you how to help yourself.
If there are issues that need special consideration, I'd be happy to give you my phone contact information and we can briefly address them.
I can also give you educational materials on topics such as sleep learning, memorization, mental focus, and other issues of
personal concern that can help. Keep your eyes on the Freebies section - there will often be papers posted that may help.

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