How do short-term students affect a tutor?
I received a request for a tutor from one of the new companies that I work for. The student made it clear that I will only be needed for the next couple of weeks to help them cram for an exam. After that, there will be no potential for long term tutoring. In many ways, this reminds me of the adage, "It's a marathon, not a sprint." This is the type of "sprint" student who requires a short-term, maximized amount of tutoring, as opposed to a "marathon" student who looks for regular, long-term tutoring set at a reasonable pace.
This is the stuff of nightmares for my private practice. First, it would be an exhausting couple of weeks as I try to prepare materials for them at an alarming speed, since I am likely seeing them at least 3-4 times each week. Second, while taking on this high volume of classes, I would have to turn away new students, some of whom could potentially be long-term students. Third, once the exam period is over, the student would leave many gaps to fill in the schedule that, with a private practice, could potentially take a long time to fill once again.
Short-term Students and the Gig Economy
I had mentioned in a previous blog about the psychological effects of the gig economy. A suddenly empty schedule, without knowing when the gaps could be filled again, could be nerve-racking. The uncertainty of when, or even if, I would be able to pick up a new student, or even several new students, to fill those gaps would likely send me into another near panic-driven search for work. However, because this request came from a company, I did not feel the same level of anxiety. Somehow, I believe that the company would be able to fill that gap again within a reasonable time frame.
It should be noted that no tutoring company ever guarantees a minimum number of hours to their tutors. I am currently technically contracted with some companies that have never provided me with a student. One company has only ever called me twice in the span of three months, each time to ask me to fill in at the last minute for a regular tutor who suddenly had to cancel. It is entirely possible that not one of the companies I work for will be able to fill the gaps in my schedule, but I somehow believe psychologically that they will. Being a part of a company, even one that does not offer guarantees, provides a sense of employment security. As such, I am much more likely to accept these "sprint" students from companies than I am as private students.
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