If you aren’t walking out of class today, the clock is ticking on your forgetting what it was like to be a student. Running StudyGate, I constantly see the things that annoy students. And I wanted to share them with you here.
By the end of this article, you’ll understand the things students hate most when working with tutors. Let’s dive in.
Mistake #1: Disrespect their time by ignoring them
I was getting my car’s brake and transmission fluid changed the other day when I found this sign:
This works for auto mechanics, and in tutoring it makes some sense too. From your student’s perspective, they can already get tutoring on campus. It’s good and it’s free there.
If they can already get good and free with their homework help, there’s only 1 thing left to cover: Fast.
Students choose StudyGate for the speed and the convenience of working online.
So with this in mind, I can confirm that students hate:
- Slow responses to messages
- Late deliveries
- Lack of communication
How to avoid disrespecting? Here are some steps:
- Message students before bidding
- Message students after the bid is confirmed
- Use the question detail window to:
- Give updates
- Respond to student messages
The ideal response time for a student is now, but you can generally assume that the more urgent the question is, the more students will expect a quick response.
Mistake #2: Complicate the question by getting picky
The beauty of being an expert is that you can see the problem from many different angles. The problem with being an expert is that the students who ask you for help can oversimplify the tasks they want your help with.
Check out these two scenarios:
Lack of information (can really slow things down)
- Student asks question.
- Tutor asks for more information.
- Student gets annoyed.
- Time gets wasted.
There’s also the classic deadline problem
- Student sets too short deadline.
- Tutor explains why it’s too low.
- Student ignores it and adds pressure.
- Student disputes the question.
What can be done about this?
The solutions are easier than you think
If a student doesn’t give you enough information:
- Point out the issue when you bid.
- Share how you’ll work around the problem.
- If you must, ask for more info before you bid. Be specific.
- Otherwise, remind them you’re ready to help as is.
If the student set the deadline too short:
- Make a bid you can feel good about.
- Share that you only deliver quality work.
- This is the best rate you can offer.
Or you can use the “Inner Shark” method to offer them an upgraded deal.
Here’s the bottom line:
Your job is to remove the friction of the student choosing you as much as possible. This starts with accommodating their need and simplifying the process for them.
Mistake #3: Complain about money and reviews
Unless they borrowed their parent’s credit card for the semester, students aren’t the richest demographic in the world. So it’s no surprise that complaining about prices is a HUGE turnoff.
I’m not going to lie to you… students hate:
- Blaming the platform for a high bid price
- Repeated requests to approve your answer to their question
- Saying payment doesn’t come fast enough
In fact, all of these variables show impatience. Don’t take my word for it.. education nonprofit executive director Tracy Dell’Angela shares “no patience with questions” as a huge deterrent for students trusting their teachers. So it’s no surprise that students avoid tutors who would rather make money off them ASAP than help them with their homework.
StudyGate’s #1 priority is to protect users on its platform. This includes chargeback protection for tutors and dispute protection for students. While these protections may come at the expense of speed, the result is that tutors get paid for good work no matter what.
In the long run, it pays to focus on the student’s experience above all else.
Conclusion
You’ve made it to the end! We’ve covered the importance of quick responses to student messages, keeping the bid process as simple as possible, and focusing on a great experience with your student.
Now I want to turn it over to you. Is there something else I missed that students hate? Let me know right now by leaving a comment below.