Business Model Showcase: TutorUniverse
Everyone's a tutor
As a seven-trillion dollar industry, it is surprising that the Internet has not yet managed to disrupt the field of education. But the digital education landscape is changing fast - from a one-size-fits-all model to more technology-enabled solutions, such as TutorUniverse.
TutorUniverse offers a free service that allows students to ask study-related questions from qualified tutors and get them answered almost immediately. They can also use this service to find skilled tutors who are available to assist students with a specific hourly rate for study sessions conducted through the website interface.
To turn this into a financial transaction, tutors must decide how much they would like to charge their students and mention it on their profiles. In turn, students must set their budget and then load 'TutorBucks' in their account to hire the tutor they need (1 TutorBuck = 1 USD).
Students are given a 100% satisfaction guarantee by TutorUniverse for their first study session, so the pressure is on the tutors to deliver what they promise their prospective students in the Virtual Study Room.
GotIt! is a free app by TutorUniverse that has been launched on both iOS and Android platforms to provide the same free service that TutorUniverse offers on its website, only on mobile; allowing students to get help with their studies instantly. Just as on the website, this app also allows tutors the opportunity to impress prospective students by answering questions and getting noticed.
Tutors must pay 15% to 25% commission to TutorUniverse as service charges, depending on how often they use the platform to teach. As they tutor more, the service charge gets smaller and the tutors save more money.