The Minimum Wage Tutor is an online tutoring service that provides quality tutoring for just $11 per hour. At first glance, many professional tutors would scoff at the idea. I know because when I tried to hire them for less than $10 per hour, nobody with significant experience came running. The people that did come were mostly high school and community college students looking for a convenient part-time job while they studied. Having been a peer tutor working for minimum wage while completing my college degree, this was not a surprise to me. In fact, it became the source of my inspiration.
Let's analyze the relationship between a peer tutor and their college. The one and only requirement which qualifies a peer tutor in the eyes of the college is the fact that the student has passed the course in which they plan to tutor with an "A". This is the only difference between themselves and the students they tutor. For this, they receive minimum wage and the money usually comes out of the financial aid program or student tuition. Essentially, the students are just paying themselves back for a job well done. So if colleges across the country have set the minimum standard, minimum wage and a kind of earn back program for their students, why can't a business use these same elements to provide the most affordable, quality tutoring, while also furthering the education of its paid employees?
I suppose the argument would go something like, "Colleges provide highly educated instructors and access to high tech laboratories, so you would have to hire these same people and buy expensive lab equipment to give your tutors an equivalent quality of preparation; therefore, your overhead would require raising rates." But anyone who's been to college knows it's not quite that simple. First of all, the highest paid college employees are in the administration and researchers with PhD's. These people benefit the college more than they benefit the student. Admin people typically treat students like used car salesmen treat their customers. A person with a PhD may or may not make the college money, but the college still pays them to hang around for the sake of maintaining program accreditations; and having a PhD doesn't necessarily make a person an effective educator. Second of all, most classes are taught by graduate students, or part-time PhD's with less time for students between two jobs. Community colleges only ask for a Master's degree or some number of graduate level courses. Again, colleges have set the minimum standard for what qualifies a college educator. So we have a person with at least a Bachelor's degree, teaching experience and some relevant graduate level coursework.
What about the expensive laboratories? I have earned over 180 semester hours, at least half of which was in Science and Math, yet the top of the line laboratories were only available to graduate students. This means that undergraduates should be alright conducting experiments with standard kitchen and toolbox supplies. In our high tech world, almost any variation of chemical, tissue sample, or electronics can be found at the local grocery store, pharmacy or appliance center. And who needs to spend the money on the latest edition of a textbook for an introductory course that doesn't change that much in one decade? But let's not forget that we are talking about students who already have an employer that doesn't just want them to be smart for their own good, but for the good of doing business.
Almost no company in the global environment today keeps its sights on only one prize. Business success depends on adaptability. Corporations are constantly adding new products and services, while dropping old ones. As the tutors at The Minimum Wage Tutor gain knowledge and skills, they become innovators to expand the business. As they move into higher paid positions, because of the extra money they bring in, new tutors are brought in at the bottom to take their place and keep tutoring rates low. Where will new employees come from? Everywhere, but many will be former customers who have experienced our business culture first hand.
Are you interested in becoming a tutor? Check out the website or email The Minimum Wage Tutor.
