Truth about outsourcing of e-tutoring

Online tutoring is a phenomenon that some people hail as a triumph of technology, a boon for science-starved American students and the latest demonstration that globalization is fast catching up and thinning the difference in the knowledge industry, the effect is more prominent in the case of intellectual capital. But critics worry about a lack of tutoring standards and question how well anyone can teach over a physical and cultural gulf. The fact that some of the outsourced tutors as stop gap for the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) supplemental education requirements - and get federal funds to do so - has been even more controversial.
While the online tutoring industry is still relatively tiny, India's abundance of math and engineering graduates - willing to teach from a distance for far less money than their American counterparts - has made the country an attractive resource for some US and Indian tutoring firms such as 24hourstutor.com.
Tutors are getting huge benefit with the commencement of online tutoring, people are increasingly taking up the job as an online tutor with a view to earn more and that too without leaving their regular jobs. So, in this case online tutoring is proving to be a good source of income for those who want to do it as a part time job that 2 hours in a day or on weekends. But if we look to the real scenario it is not only the tutors who are reaping the benefit of online tutoring, in my opinion the real beneficiaries are students who are getting the tutoring.
A large part of total online tutoring business is with US online tutoring firms. However the US tutoring companies are outsourcing the tutor jobs to India, which has the sea of qualified tutors. On average around 7% of the tutoring jobs have been outsourced to India by each US online tutoring company. Sighting these facts Indian companies like 24hourstutor.com are looking to cash in the opportunities and have established themselves in tutoring business.
There are some challenges that have to be faced by Indian tutors and one of them is the huge cultural difference between India and US, tutors have difficulty in understanding the accent and slang used by US students. To overcome this companies like 24hourstutor.com provide complete Voice and Accent training clubbed with the knowledge of slang, so that neither the student nor the tutor have any difficulty while interacting and delivering the lecture online.
Another major question that might arise is that how secure is online environment for the kids? This in fact can prove to be a hindrance in the success of online tutoring industry, especially firms that are operating from outside US. Though tutoring companies make a conscious effort provide highly secure online environment for children by legally verifying every teacher’s background so as to eliminate any type of security hazard that may occur. Some companies like 24hourstutor.com put the complete credentials and profiles of their tutors, so as to provide the secure and safe environment, they also record each and every tutoring session to further eliminate any type of safety violations.
Most of the e-tutoring companies work with in a close relationship with families, also some tutoring companies provide most of their services to children at failing schools.

Cost of online tutoring

Today in tutoring business much depends on the cost involved in it. For employers it is the cost involved in hiring tutors and for parents it is the cost involved in availing the services.

“In India, in the tutoring biz, you get the better quality of skill for less than half-price thanks to its huge population”, says Mr. Rahul Agarwal CEO 24hourstutor.com
Kaplan, one of the best-known tutoring companies in the United States, charges $1,999 for 20 hours of one-on-one academic instruction in the student's home i.e. about $100 per hour. Kaplan does not have online tutoring. It does have an online, self-guided SAT prep program for $399.Where as companies like 24hourstutor.com charges $75 per month for one-on-one tutoring lessons and students can plan their session anytime they want & as many they want.