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I was puzzled when they switched from the marketplace model to an agency model. From the tutors' perspective, it was much better to have direct control over in

I was puzzled when they switched from the marketplace model to an agency model. From the tutors' perspective, it was much better to have direct control over interaction with the students, scheduling, and the ability to adjust and test pricing dynamically. They switched to being an agency, which meant tutors started getting paid significantly less and now had to deal with a middleman to work out scheduling and decide whether it made sense to work with a particular student.

chimeracoder 13y ago
When I was in school, I tutored a significant amount for some pocket money (all freelance). Towards the end, I tried Tutorspree for a bit, just to see what it was like. I was disappointed, because I really wanted them to succeed for so many reasons. But scheduling was a nightmare, because going through a third-party, by definition, will always be less efficient than speaking directly. Also, after a while, this pattern emerged: 1) They call me (or send me an email), asking me if I could take on a student for $SUBJECT (usually Python or Machine Learning). 2) I respond and tell them that I can 3) I never hear back from them I imagine they were calling multiple tutors and trying to find a combination of low price and good reviews, and then recommending that tutor to the student, but this process was incredibly frustrating. I eventually just stopped responding to their emails and phone calls, because they had a lower signal-to-noise ratio than unsolicited recruiter emails sent to group mailing lists! Also, their payment was handled entirely through Paypal, and I would have to send them an email to tell them that I had tutored the student (so they could pay me). I almost never logged into the website. For a tech startup, it was surprisingly reliant on old technologies. Not that this is necessarily bad, but for a market of college students and (primarily) young tutors, this is a poor fit. Finally, they cut they took was HUGE - 40% at one point! That's more than I pay in taxes, and I live in one of the most heavily taxed cities in the country! On the very first day, my first client asked me before leaving if I would be interested in continuing tutoring outside of Tutorspree if we could split the difference. That is a very bad sign for any agency or marketplace: if the fees are so high that they actively drive away repeat business, you're walking up a down escalator.
- YuriNiyazov 13y ago
  This is interesting - that was exactly what was happening to me as well. I got quite a few referrals from them when they were doing the marketplace model. Once they switched to the agency model, my experience was exactly that - they call or email me, I call or email them back, I never hear from them.
- livestyle 13y ago
  Something tells me the clarity.fm model would have been perfect from a flow perspective.
- aheilbut 13y ago
  Exactly. When it started, it was completely online and automated, and the fees they charged were reasonable, considering that the system provided leads, helped with scheduling, and allowed the commercial part of the transaction to be politely abstracted from the educational part, which I liked. I guess the margins with that weren't high enough.
- revelation 13y ago
  Wait, they would ... call you? It's a startup and this is the internet. Whats the point with taking VC money if you want to be another agency.
  - nayefc 13y ago
    Because starting a startup is not about using the "coolest technologies", but running a business. In many ways, a typical old-fashioned business. Startups that revolve around the "coolest technologies" will almost always fail.
  - saraid216 13y ago
    One of Tutorspree's selling points was their human touch.

chimeracoder 13y ago

When I was in school, I tutored a significant amount for some pocket money (all freelance). Towards the end, I tried Tutorspree for a bit, just to see what it was like. I was disappointed, because I really wanted them to succeed for so many reasons. But scheduling was a nightmare, because going through a third-party, by definition, will always be less efficient than speaking directly. Also, after a while, this pattern emerged: 1) They call me (or send me an email), asking me if I could take on a student for $SUBJECT (usually Python or Machine Learning). 2) I respond and tell them that I can 3) I never hear back from them I imagine they were calling multiple tutors and trying to find a combination of low price and good reviews, and then recommending that tutor to the student, but this process was incredibly frustrating. I eventually just stopped responding to their emails and phone calls, because they had a lower signal-to-noise ratio than unsolicited recruiter emails sent to group mailing lists! Also, their payment was handled entirely through Paypal, and I would have to send them an email to tell them that I had tutored the student (so they could pay me). I almost never logged into the website. For a tech startup, it was surprisingly reliant on old technologies. Not that this is necessarily bad, but for a market of college students and (primarily) young tutors, this is a poor fit. Finally, they cut they took was HUGE - 40% at one point! That's more than I pay in taxes, and I live in one of the most heavily taxed cities in the country! On the very first day, my first client asked me before leaving if I would be interested in continuing tutoring outside of Tutorspree if we could split the difference. That is a very bad sign for any agency or marketplace: if the fees are so high that they actively drive away repeat business, you're walking up a down escalator.

YuriNiyazov 13y ago
This is interesting - that was exactly what was happening to me as well. I got quite a few referrals from them when they were doing the marketplace model. Once they switched to the agency model, my experience was exactly that - they call or email me, I call or email them back, I never hear from them.
livestyle 13y ago
Something tells me the clarity.fm model would have been perfect from a flow perspective.
aheilbut 13y ago
Exactly. When it started, it was completely online and automated, and the fees they charged were reasonable, considering that the system provided leads, helped with scheduling, and allowed the commercial part of the transaction to be politely abstracted from the educational part, which I liked. I guess the margins with that weren't high enough.
revelation 13y ago
Wait, they would ... call you? It's a startup and this is the internet. Whats the point with taking VC money if you want to be another agency.
- nayefc 13y ago
  Because starting a startup is not about using the "coolest technologies", but running a business. In many ways, a typical old-fashioned business. Startups that revolve around the "coolest technologies" will almost always fail.
- saraid216 13y ago
  One of Tutorspree's selling points was their human touch.