Scheduling and Payment

How do I pay for lessons?

My preferred method is using credit cards (MasterCard or Visa). Prior to the first paid session, you will get an email from "Bothell STEM Coach" via Stripe to pay an invoice. Click on the link and fill in your credit card information to make the payment. For subsequent sessions, I will invoice at the end of each week, which will charge the credit card on file and send you an itemized invoice for all of the previous sessions. If you prefer not to use credit cards or prefer a different method of payment, please let me know and we can work out an arrangement.



How do I schedule or reschedule lessons?

You can view my availability by going to the Schedule Lesson page. On there, you can pick 1, 1.5, or 2 hour lessons and see what I have available. You can then either schedule it directly through the website, or you can email/text me if you see a time slot you would like to reserve. For rescheduling or canceling lessons, please let me know 24 hours in advance.



How often do you meet with students?

It varies by student and on how much help they need. For each subject, I find most students need about 1 hour per week to understand new material. In the beginning, there may be a few extra sessions if the student is behind. Some students also ask for extra sessions before a big test, too.



When are payments due?

No payment information is needed for the first free 15 minute consultation. The first payment will need to be paid prior to the first paid session. Subsequent sessions are billed at the end of each week, which automatically charges the credit card on file.



How much does tutoring cost?

My current rates: $120 per hour for one-on-one lessons (weekdays before 5pm) $160 per hour for one-on-one lessons (weeknights after 5pm or weekends) Rates are generally locked in for students for the entire school year, even if the website rate increases in the middle of the school year.



What happens if the session runs longer or shorter than the scheduled time?

I generally bill based on the actual length of the lesson, but it's rounded up to the next 15 minutes. So if a lesson goes for 1 hour 10 minutes, then I round up to 1 hour 15 minutes and bill accordingly. I'm happy to accomodate lessons that run late, as long as I am available.



Can lessons be odd lengths such as 30 minutes or 45 minutes?

Yes. When scheduling a lesson, just let me know if you'd like to have a shorter or longer lesson. The cost of the lesson will be pro-rated based on the length, so a 30 minute lesson will be half of the hourly rate, and a 45 minute lesson will be 75% of the hourly rate.



What happens if I miss a lesson?

Sometimes life happens, and I do my best to accomodate. But some students are waiting for open spots each week, and skipping a lesson without notice is unfair to them. For any missed lessons or cancellations within 24 hours of the scheduled time, the lesson will be billed in full, except in extenuating circumstances.



How it Works

How does Online Tutoring work?

I use Zoom for audio and video chat. It is a completely free and available on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices. I recommend using a laptop or desktop computer with a larger screen, but I've had students use their iPads and tablets.

I either share my screen or I use a website called bitpaper if I need to see the student's work. But most students just find it helpful for me to explain how to break down specific problems.



Isn't it better to tutor in-person?

Online lessons are actually even better than in-person lessons. 1. Saves time: It's way more convenient to schedule online lessons as we don't have to worry about traffic or the logistics of picking up/dropping off kids. 2. More convenient: Sometimes a student has only a quick question. We can hop on for 15 minutes and address the problem right away rather than waiting for our next scheduled lesson. It would be a burden to find a time and place to meet up in-person for only one quick question. 3. Notes are automatically saved: All lesson notes are automatically saved on bitpaper, so you can review them at your convenience. They can be stored electronically instead of carrying around scraps of papers from all our previous lessons. 4. Recorded lessons (Optional): I can record our lessons for later review, if requested. This way, a student can view the lesson again if the notes aren't enough to remember the topic. I put the videos up on Vimeo, with a protected password so only you can access it. Students these days are quite engaged with a screen and find it more interactive than being in a busy location. I had one student who absolutely does not use technology regularly and we met in-person for 2 years. After one lesson online (due to a lot of snow), he now only wants to meet online. Every student of mine who was skeptical of online tutoring preferred online tutoring afterwards.



How do you see the student's work or problems they need to go over?

If I need to see specific problems, you can take a picture and send it to me before or during the lesson. But it's actually not that big of an issue. Most math problems are pretty standard, so I don't need to see a specific problem to be able to teach on that topic. And I have several similar problems that I can pull up if we need more examples to go over.



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