Frequently Asked Questions

Our service is one-on-one, which means each student gets to work directly with their personal tutor for the booked time. Tutoring is tailored to each individual student’s needs, and the student gets their tutor’s undivided attention. If requested, we can do group lessons, such as for two uni students in the same course or for small groups learning a language together, but it is otherwise not recommended.

We primarily offer in-person tutoring at our centres in Berkeley Vale and Wyong, however we are able provide lessons online via video conferencing platforms like Zoom. We find that in-person lessons provide the best environment for communication between tutor and student, however we are capable of providing an excellent tutoring experience online, as well.

We do not travel to your home to provide our tutoring services. We tutor solely at our locations in Berkeley Vale and Wyong on the Central Coast of New South Wales. This allows us to keep our rates affordable, fit many more students into our schedule each day, and provide an environment conducive to learning which is free from distractions and with access to our large array of learning resources.

We are not an agency who sets up anyone who wants to be a tutor with clients. We are a local, small business who have been providing tutoring services on the Central Coast for over seven years. We work with a small group of tutors who we personally hire and train to ensure that they are well-qualified, are versed in their subject specialities, possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and have a passion for teaching and tutoring.

We provide sessions that are 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or 60 minutes in length. We can also book multiple, shorter sessions weekly if you want to spread tutoring time out over the week. You can also book longer lessons, if desired. The best choice depends on the student, as well as your budget. It’s best to consider the following factors:

• Attention span of the student – Very young students or students with shorter attention spans may do best with 30 to 45 minute sessions. If they need more time weekly to catch up or cover multiple subject areas, consider booking two 30-minute sessions on different days of the week.
• How behind the student is for their age – Students who need a small to moderate amount of assistance to catch up or keep up with class are typically okay with 30- to 45-minute sessions weekly. Students who are far behind their year level may need closer to 60 minutes weekly, which can be on one day or split over multiple days of the week.
• How many subjects with which the student needs assistance – Primary and high school students who need help with multiple subjects, such as English and Mathematics, typically need 45 to 60 minutes weekly in order to have enough time to cover both. HSC students covering multiple subjects may need a 45-minute to 60-minute session per subject in order to properly cover each.
• Your budget – Shorter sessions cost less and may fit into your budget better. Keep in mind that there is a discount for booking more time weekly. See our rates for more information.

Adults of any age can benefit from having a personal tutor. We have assisted many adult students in their goals to reskill, return to university, or prepare for tests related to employment. You don’t even need to be enrolled in a course or have a specific plan in mind beside improving your literacy or numeracy. We have helped many adults who were looking to improve their reading, writing, or maths skills, whether it was to simply enrich their life, improve their job performance. We have many resources to pull from and can create a custom plan to help you achieve your goals.

We do tutor children as young as Kindergarten age. If you are concerned about your young child’s progress in school, consider having them work with one of our specialised primary school tutors. We always aim to place K-2 students with our most experienced tutors who have a degree in primary education or are near completing their degree. Having a skilled tutor to work one-on-one with them can do a lot to help them to get back on track.

We do have experience working with children with ASD. While we don’t provide therapy services for ASD, we find that children with ASD appreciate and can benefit from having a tutor to work one-on-one with them on their school work.

We work with many students with ADHD and various learning disabilities, including dyslexia. While we are not specialists in learning disabilities nor provide therapy services for them, we do find that these students can benefit academically, gain confidence, and have reduced anxiety from having a tutor who works with them one-on-one.

When you request a booking, you will be asked to sign our payment contract and save your card on file (via our secure payment processor Square) in order to confirm and hold your booking. Saving your card on file guarantees your first, ongoing, and/or casual bookings for as long as it they are available (subject to tutor availability). Payments are charged automatically to your card of choice on the morning of the first booking of the week at the agreed upon rate.

If you do not wish to have payments charged automatically or if the automatic payment does not process, you can pay by direct deposit, cash, or by tapping your card. A payment processing fee of $2 applies for non-automatic payments.

We do not have any sign-up, enrolment, or term costs. You can see our fee structure on our rates page.

We do not charge in advance. When you book ongoing weekly or fortnightly tutoring, you will be charged on a weekly basis on the first day of the regularly scheduled session(s). We have a 14-day cancellation policy for ongoing weekly or fortnightly tutoring.

If you wish to cancel an ongoing weekly or fortnightly tutoring session, you just need to give us notice 14 days in advance. If you wish to cancel a casual (one-off) booking, you just need to give us 24-hour notice.

When the student is unable to attend their regularly scheduled session, the session must still be paid for. However, if you sign the payment contract, you may be eligible to reschedule a missed session. The terms in most of our payment contracts are outlined below:

• If you give at least four hours’ notice, you may reschedule the session to another day or time within seven days of the originally scheduled session, subject to availability.
• If you give at least 24 hours’ notice, you may reschedule the session, as above, or receive a make-up session which can be scheduled within 12 weeks of the originally scheduled session, subject to availability and the make-up session limit.
• There is a limit to the number of make-up sessions you may have credited to your account at any time. The limit is equivalent to two make-up sessions per individual ongoing booking you have. If you reach the limit the following options apply:
  • You must schedule and use one of the make-up sessions before another can be credited to your account.
  • Otherwise, if you have given at least 24 hours’ notice, you may reschedule the session to another day or time within seven days of the originally scheduled session, subject to availability.

Note that if you have not signed a payment contract, you may still be required to pay for missed appointments and may not be eligible to reschedule your appointment. See our terms of service for more information.

It is a requirement for all of our clients to sign a payment contract. This contract formalises your payment obligations to us, as well as our service obligations to you. Note that our contracts have a cooling off period which lasts 7 days after your first tutoring session. If you decide tutoring with us is not the right fit for you, you can cancel with no further obligations besides paying for the lesson(s) you have attended.

Our contract options are as follows:

Card on File Weekly/Fortnightly Contract
This is our primary contract which most families are on. With this contract, you enter and securely save your card details via Square (your details are encrypted and we cannot see your full card details), reserving your weekly or fortnightly tutoring time(s). You card is automatically charged weekly or fortnightly. If you give 24-hour prior notice of an absence, you can receive a make-up lesson, and you can bank up to two-weeks’ worth of make-up lessons. (Make-up credits expire 12 weeks after they are issued.) Casual booking fees are waived. You can place your booking on hold by pre-paying for the lesson of your return and only pay the weekly (or fortnightly) admin fee while you are away. This contract requires two weeks prior notice to cancel ongoing tutoring.

Pros:
Your tutoring time(s) are reserved for you each week.*
Charges are automatic, so you don’t have to think about sending payment every week.
All payment processing fees are waived**
Casual booking fees are waived if you want to book an extra one-off lesson.
Priority bookings for siblings and day/time change requests (get placed at the top of our waiting list if not immediately available).

Cons:
Students or families who have highly variable schedules may not be able to make it to their reserved time every week (although you can have up to two weeks’ worth of make-up lessons banked at any time).
Some families may not wish to store their card details on file.

* While your reservation cannot be fully guaranteed as tutors may be sick or otherwise unable to work, we will not book another student in your spot unless you cancel or reschedule.
** If your automatic charge does not process, you may incur late fees or payment processing fees if then paying by other means.

Pre-paid Weekly/Fortnightly Contract
This contract is for families who do not wish to store their card details on file. The requires paying for the current term up front, and paying each subsequent term at the end of the previous term. Card payments for the term can be made by you via your Square invoice, or by cash, tapping your card, or direct deposit. If you pay by cash, tapping your card, or direct deposit, a $2 payment processing fee will be charged per transaction. If you are absent to a reserved tutoring time, and you gave 24-hour prior notice of the absence, you can receive credit for a make-up lesson, and you can bank up to two-weeks’ worth of make-up lessons. (Make-up lessons expire 12 weeks after they are issued.) If your initial payment is not received within 7 days of your first lesson or at the end of each subsequent term, you may lose your reserved tutoring time(s). Casual booking fees are waived. You can place your booking on hold if you will be away 3 or more weeks of the term, and only the weekly resources and services fee will be deducted from your deposit during this time. This contract requires two weeks prior notice to cancel ongoing tutoring. Your deposit will be refunded upon cancellation of the contract (after the two-week notice) as long as you have no outstanding payments or fees.

Pros:
Your tutoring time(s) are reserved for you each week.*
Payment processing fees can be avoided if paying by card via the Square invoice.
Casual booking fees are waived if you want to book an extra one-off lesson.
Priority bookings for siblings and day/time change requests (get placed at the top of our waiting list).

Cons:
Students or families who have highly variable schedules may not be able to make it to their reserved time every week (although you can have up to two weeks’ worth of make-up lessons banked at any time).
$2 payment processing fee per transaction for payments made by cash, tapping your card, or direct deposit.
If you forget to make your term payment, late fees will be charged.
The full term must be paid in advance.
* While your reservation cannot be fully guaranteed as tutors may be sick or otherwise unable to work, we will not book another student in your spot unless you cancel or reschedule.

Casual Contract
This contract is for families who would like to book in on an as-needed basis or to different days and times most weeks. It offers the most flexibility but may be more expensive.

Pros:
Flexible bookings for students or families with highly variable schedules.
No requirement to attend weekly or fortnightly.
Book as needed.
48-hour cancellation policy, 24-hour reschedule policy.

Cons:
No guarantee that a specific tutor or a suitable day or time will be available, especially during busy periods.
$16 casual booking fee applies for each week booked.

Technically, you don’t need to bring anything to the first session, as we have all the supplies and resources needed. However, we do recommend bringing the following to your first session, if you have them:

• Most recent school report, latest NAPLAN results, or latest PAT assessment results. (Feel free to email these to us ahead of time.)
• Recent tests, exams, or assignments which show the student’s level or understanding.
• Relevant class textbook and/or class notes.
• Current assignments or homework that show us what the student is currently working on or with which the student would like assistance.
• Laptop, if it contains class resources or classwork.

We recommend bringing the following to every session, if possible:

• Relevant class textbook and/or class notes.
• A pencil or pen and notebook.
• Current assignments or homework.
• Maths students in high school or university: The calculator the student is accustomed to using. (We do have calculators for students to borrow if they forget theirs.)

Most parents want to know how our tutors will assess the student and if there is any relevant information that needs to be provided prior to the first tutoring session. As experienced tutors, we don’t technically require much information prior to the first session besides the student’s year in school and what subject(s) they need tutoring in. However, as our tutoring is one-on-one and tailored to each individual student, the more information we have by the start of the first session, the more quickly we are able to start working with the student in the areas they need help.

Informal Assessment

At Apex Tutoring, our first session or two serves as both an informal assessment and first tutoring sessions. As we work one-on-one with our students, we can relatively quickly gauge where a student is at and where we can start working with them.

We get this information from a mix of the following:

• Any information provided by the parent on the enrolment form, as well as when we meet you at the start of the first session.
• School reports, NAPLAN results, and PAT assessment results, if you are able to provide them.
• Conversing with the student to find out how they feel about various subjects and asking them what they need help with.
• Watching closely to the first exercises or tasks the student attempts to see how they approach them.

Formal Assessment

We also have more formal assessments available. Most of the assessments can be done online, which means the student can complete them at home, before or after their first session, or in their tutoring sessions along with their tutor. Some components may only be done with the tutor, such as an assessment of reading fluency.

We can gain the most information by having the student work through the assessment alongside their tutor. This is because we can see how the student is approaching questions, where mistakes may be coming from, and how the student is feeling as they progress through the task. However, if the student completes the assessment outside of tutoring time, we are able to use the results, as well as feedback from the student, to jump right into areas the student needs the most help with.

Just be aware that we recommend against administering a formal assessment in the following cases:

• The student is anxious about their school performance or experiences test anxiety.
• The student has low self-esteem in regards to their academic ability.
• The student is resistant to the idea of tutoring.

If any of the above may be true, do not have the student do a formal assessment. Our informal assessment process will provide the best start to tutoring for the student. If you are confident that the above points do not apply, then you can obtain a formal assessment for the student by requesting one via administration or the tutor.

We promise to do our best to fit our one-on-one tutoring sessions to your needs and keep it at a comfortable pace for you. If you ever feel like your tutor is going too fast or too slow with a concept, or if you would like your tutor to re-explain something, just let them know! We do not mind repeating something, trying to explain it in a different way, or changing the pace, as our goal is to meet your needs and help you achieve your academic goals.

In general, we find students start to see improvements within a few months of beginning tutoring. This can vary depending on a few factors, such as the degree to which the student is behind, whether the student has anxiety, and their individual learning style. The student’s motivation and dedication outside of tutoring can also play a big part. We will often recommend getting further practice at home on the concepts we cover and provide worksheets or online practice. Students who follow through during the week, even if it’s just doing a few minutes of study a few times a week, typically see much faster results in their level of understanding and their marks.

As there are so many factors that contribute to a student’s marks and results can take many weeks of consistent tutoring, we cannot guarantee results in the form of school marks. However, as it is our mission to assist and support our students academically, we do aim to do our best to help our students improve their school marks.

First of all, good communication is important to get the best results from tutoring. That’s why you will get a summary of every tutoring session each week. We also value your feedback, so don’t hesitate to keep in touch with your tutor, keep them up to date with the student’s progress in school, and bring up any concerns. If you feel that the focus of the tutoring sessions are not quite what you would like, let us know!

We also know that every student is different and may not get on as easily with every tutor. If you think the student’s tutor isn’t quite the right fit, let administration know and we’d be happy to try the student with a new tutor. We also find for some students changing the time or day of the tutoring can sometimes help some students who may experience trouble concentrating depending on the time or day of the week.

If you still feel tutoring is not for you, we have a cooling off period on our contract which allows you to cancel ongoing tutoring within one week of the first session, and after this our cancellation policy is just two weeks. Just let us know you’d like to stop, and you can cancel hassle-free.

Prior to your first online session, admin will send you a sign-up link for our online tutoring platform. Make sure you sign up within 24 hours, as well as confirm your email address.

Just prior to your online session, make sure you have your computer on and ready to go before the lesson starts. Your tutor will send you an invite via phone and/or email prior to the session. This will include a clickable link to join the meeting directly in your browser. If you have any questions or technical issues, please let us know right away!