Stay Ahead of the Curve – Stick to Online Tutoring!

South Africa is slowly opening up to in-person contact again – things are beginning to normalize (as much as they can) and most of us are returning (somewhat) to our pre-pandemic daily lives. Schools have opened up again, and despite the numerous changes in the school calendar, students are getting back into a normal academic routine – what a relief, right? As parents, you may feel pressured to send your kids back to in-person tutoring or learning support – but what’s the rush?

It’s true that students have missed out on vital parts of their academic career over the last 12 months, and yes, conventional tutoring as we know it is usually done in person. But, what’s to say that ALL of your child’s learning support need to go back to being in person? What is a ‘normal’ school routine anyway?

While online education has been on the rise for a while, 2020 saw a surge in online tutoring and education platforms – BrightSparkz Tutors was an early adopter of online learning support in South Africa, quickly adapting to the rising need for online tutoring and upskilling tutors to deliver lessons that are as effective as those conducted in person. We have successfully helped many learners forge forward in their academics through online tutoring. We believe that now is not the time to stop.

In one of our previous blogs, Online Tutoring Benefits, we highlight a few of the reasons why online tutoring is an AWESOME choice for your child – and so cost effective, too!

In case you missed our previous blog, here are some of the reasons to opt for online tutoring instead of in-person tutoring:

• The learner and tutor can be based anywhere in any time zone
• You do not have to accommodate the tutor in your home
• Lessons can begin and end promptly, making them more efficient
• Online tutoring may be well suited to you if your child has a tight extra curricular schedules or who is in boarding school
• Online tutoring is a great alternative if you’re an adult learner, who wants to fit tutoring in after work or who travels a lot
• Lessons can be structured around web-based examples, so you don’t need to have as many resources available, and don’t need to print anything (textbooks can be in PDF form, videos can be used as a teaching aid)
• Health concerns are negated by online tutoring
• Any safety concerns you may have are negated
• There is no travel cost (additional travel rates don’t apply)

So, now that we have established why you should CHOOSE online tutoring, let’s have a look at why you should STICK with it…

If you chose to sign your child up for online lessons during 2020, or pre-COVID, you may be feeling conflicted with schools having opened up. It’s no secret that 2020 brought significant changes to the way we operate on a daily basis. One of the toughest challenges was the constant changes in the school calendar – so if your child is currently doing online lessons, why add yet another change to their academic routines?

Online lessons add an element of convenience and flexibility to your already chaotic schedule. Your child will have more options of available tutors, not limiting them to tutors with a specific skill set who may have to adapt to your child’s curriculum or subjects – because they’re one of the only tutors in the area. Your child will have access to tutors all over the country and therefore the availability of subject specialist tutors widens dramatically! 

Although most companies have gone back to working from the office, many have decided to stick with the home-based office structure. This gives parents greater opportunities to travel and vacation more frequently. The BEST part about online tutoring is that you can arrange a lesson anywhere, anytime. On vacation? Away at varsity? No problem! Your online tutor is flexible and adaptable!

The benefits of online tutoring are endless, and while online tutoring may not be suitable for all learners, it is the perfect solution for others. Chat to us about getting an online tutor, or if you already have one, get in touch about making your child’s online lessons a permanent solution.

Still not sure if online tutoring is for you? Check out our demo online Maths and Afrikaans lessons to see what you’re in for, or find out more about our online tutoring here.

Written by Sula Cooper, BrightSparkz Staff & Blog Contributor