As a tutor, I have long worked with consultants, referring students back and forth. Recently, I had the opportunity to work more closely with a practice, however, and have found that student outcomes improved.

I am working within the consultant’s office, a space that the students know and are already comfortable with. It also makes it easier for the consultant and tutor to share notes and observations so that we can stay on top of emerging situations. Working within the consultants office also makes it easier to pull together small groups so that I can work with families who maybe couldn’t afford one-on-one tutoring but know that their child wouldn’t succeed with a large group class.

The consultant is able to offer a one-stop service for families. It integrates the admissions process into one locale and any time you can make the logistics easier, student outcome improves. It also creates revenue for the consultants in that I use the office in the afternoons/evenings/weekends so additional space is not needed.

If you are contemplating a tutor-consultant partnership, there are several issues that you need to think about:

Are you going to be going steady?
The practice that I work with is relatively small, so we are not mutually exclusive.

Whose brand will be maintained?
Generally, I think the group that brings in the most business should maintain their brand. You can use customized materials from Test Prep Works as well as customized session reports to keep marketing efforts consistent.

How will communication be maintained?
If you want completely open doors, make sure that the parents sign off that the tutor can have access to client files and consultants can be added to the distribution list for session reports.

Keep in mind that if a consultant is a flex test site for the SSAT, partnering with a tutor who preps students for that test may jeopardize your eligibility. If you are the only consultant in an area providing flex testing, this is a very important service so I would advise thinking carefully about what it would mean to students if you could not give the flex test.

If you questions about partnering with a tutor or how Test Prep Works can ease the process, please contact me at christa@testprepworks.com. I also recommend subscribing to our newsletter.