Tutor Hail – A New Personalized Learning Marketplace

In today’s fast-paced world, personalized education plays a pivotal role in shaping a student’s academic success and future career opportunities. Tutoring has proven to bridge the gap between standardized education and individual learning needs, offering tailored guidance to help students thrive. Online education takes this a step further by making quality learning accessible to anyone, anywhere. It empowers students to overcome challenges, build confidence, and excel in their studies, ultimately unlocking a world of opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Recognizing the transformative power of tutoring, TutorHail has emerged as a trusted platform that connects parents, guardians, and learners with experienced tutors for personalized in-person and online sessions. By empowering tutors to set their own rates, TutorHail ensures education is both accessible and affordable. The platform prioritizes trust with a rigorous verification process and uses a powerful search algorithm to simplify finding the right match for each learner.

TutorHail’s mission is to decentralize education, making it flexible, inclusive, and readily available in comfortable environments. Their vision focuses on fostering growth, confidence, and lifelong learning for students of all ages, offering a pathway to a brighter future through personalized support and guidance.

We sat down with the Founder & CEO – Alvin Buye, for an one on one interview, in helping us understand their startup better, and learn about their goals and vision. Do go through their interview conducted by Desi Founder Team.

Check out our other founder interviews here.

What inspired you to start Tutor Hail? Was there a personal experience or challenge that led you to create this platform?

The inspiration for TutorHail arose from a recurring challenge I observed in the education sector, both personally and from the perspective of countless parents. My journey began in 2014 as a volunteer teaching kids programming, which eventually led me to become a certified teacher. Over the next decade, I built a fulfilling career in education while maintaining my passion for software development on the side.

Throughout my teaching career across different countries, I was often approached by parents seeking recommendations for the right tutor or a reliable platform where they could find one for their child. This growing demand, coupled with my own experiences attending online video classes and wishing for direct, one-on-one interactions with course instructors, sparked the idea for TutorHail.

TutorHail is designed as an open marketplace platform that bridges these gaps, offering personalized and quality learning experiences tailored to each learner’s needs.

How did you come up with the name “Tutor Hail,” and what does it mean to you and your brand?

Trust me, this was one of the hardest part of the startup, i.e, finding a befitting name for the Platform. The very first name we chose was Educate As You Go or as I used to call it EducateAYG, but I thought that name wasn’t appealing enough. So, to make it easy I wanted to have the word “tutor” in the name to make it easy for the public to understand what the app is all about.

The “hail” part came from the bit of the term ride-hailing i.e ride-hailing apps so I said this will be a tutor-hailing app thus the name TutorHail.

Also the ability to have the name easily become a verb that people can use in everyday life. By the way I also had an idea of calling it TutorOrder, which name have I secured too. Finally I put it to vote in one of the WhatsApp group I am part of, which is having people from different walks, and they chose TutorHail as the name of preference.

Tutor Hail offers flexibility for tutors to set their own prices. How does this feature benefit both tutors and learners?

Tutors: We are empowering tutors to set their own value for their time and expertise, allowing them to earn what they truly deserve. For far too long, educators have been underpaid despite their vital role in shaping the futures of learners, both young and old. At TutorHail, we are driving a change in the remuneration we want to see in the education sector by giving tutors the opportunity to be fairly compensated for the tremendous work they do in shaping lives and nurturing potential.

For far too long, educators have been underpaid despite their vital role in shaping the futures of learners, both young and old.

Leaners/ Guardians: At TutorHail, we believe a great marketplace empowers learners to choose the right tutor at a price that fits their budget, and in a learning environment that suits their needs. By allowing tutors to set their own prices, we create a system that benefits learners and guardians, providing them with greater flexibility and choice, and ultimately making education more accessible and affordable.

Finding the “perfect tutor” is challenging—how does Tutor Hail help ensure quality and the right match for each student’s needs?

At TutorHail, finding the perfect tutor is our priority, and we take a proactive approach to ensure quality and the right match for each student’s needs. From the moment a tutor signs up, we conduct rigorous checks to verify their qualifications and experience. Tutors must provide educational documents to prove their expertise and submit experience letters to validate their professional background. Only after these credentials are thoroughly reviewed and confirmed is a tutor approved on our platform.

In addition, we continuously monitor tutor performance through curated and solicited reviews from parents. This feedback loop helps us maintain high standards and swiftly address any discrepancies. If we receive any information that contradicts a tutor’s credentials, their profile is immediately disabled to protect the integrity of our platform. This multi-layered vetting process ensures that every learner can find a qualified, reliable tutor who meets their specific needs.

How do you balance offering in-person and online options for tutoring? Do you see one option as more popular than the other?

A little bit of our background is that when we started developing TutorHail, we worked on it to only offer in-person learning. Of course this could be considered counter intuitive, but our deliberate action was to solve a problem that parents were facing on a daily of just needing to find a tutor to help their learner and work it with them in person.

Considerably the parents we continuously listen to help us with R&D started telling us if they had a possibility of continuing with a particular tutor even when on the move, say during a holiday getaway would be paramount and thus we brought in the online part development. To answer the question the in-person offering is a more popular offering, and is what our users usually prefer.

What kind of feedback have you received from parents and students, and how has that feedback shaped the platform?

We’ve built TutorHail in close collaboration with parents and students, and we’re incredibly grateful that their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. This feedback has been the driving force behind our progress.

From the students, we learned they wanted access to a diverse pool of teachers who are available to them at their convenience. They expressed a desire not only to learn from traditional teachers but also from industry experts. These insights led us to broaden the scope of our curriculum beyond just school subjects to include professionals from various fields.

This is why you may have seen us emphasizing on social media that our tutors aren’t just regular teachers, they’re also experienced industry pros willing to share their knowledge. On the other hand, feedback from parents highlighted the need for flexibility to stay connected with a preferred tutor, regardless of location.

This prompted us to accelerate the introduction of our online capability, which was initially planned for later. The ability to continue learning with the same tutor, even if circumstances change, was a priority for them.

This collaborative feedback loop has been crucial in shaping TutorHail into a more versatile and responsive platform.

Could you share a bit about Tutor Hail’s business model? How do you ensure both accessibility and quality while keeping things affordable?

Our business model is very simple and centers on our being an open marketplace where tutors set their own prices based on their expertise and the subjects or skills they offer. This model specifically empowers learners and parents to choose from a wide range of tutors based on their budget, experience level, and specific learning needs, ensuring accessibility for everyone.

To maintain quality while keeping things affordable, we’ve implemented a robust vetting process for tutors so every professional can sign up but not everyone will pass the vetting and get approved to be legible for hiring. Every tutor on our platform undergoes a thorough background check. This is very important for our users especially in terms of child protection, where we verify their social presence and well being, educational documents and review experience letters to validate their qualifications.

We also rely heavily on curated reviews from parents and students to continuously monitor tutor performance. If a tutor’s credentials or feedback raise any concerns, we act swiftly to address them.

By allowing tutors to determine their rates and focusing on a comprehensive quality check process, we balance affordability with excellence, giving families the flexibility to find the right tutor while ensuring that students receive high-quality instruction.

This approach ultimately promotes greater educational access and creates a sustainable, value-driven marketplace.

How do you recruit, onboard tutors to maintain a high standard across the platform?

Our recruitment process involves multiple steps to validate the expertise, experience, and teaching capabilities of each tutor.

Rigorous Screening: Each tutor begins by submitting their educational credentials and relevant documents, such as degree certificates or teaching certifications. They must also provide experience letters to support their claims, which help us verify their background.

Profile Review and Verification: We conduct a thorough review of the documents submitted, cross-checking the details to confirm the authenticity of their qualifications and experience. This ensures that only qualified professionals are allowed on the platform.

Skill Assessment and Interviews: Depending on the tutor’s chosen subject or area of expertise, we may require additional assessments or a demonstration of their teaching capabilities. This could involve recorded sample lessons or a short interview to evaluate their communication and instructional skills.

Continuous Quality Monitoring: Once tutors are onboard, their profiles are continually monitored based on the reviews and ratings provided by parents and students. Any concerns or inconsistencies are addressed promptly, and in cases of significant issues, a tutor’s profile may be temporarily or permanently disabled.9. Tutor Hail supports a wide range of subjects and skills.

How do you categorize and present these options to make searching for a tutor easy for users?

At TutorHail, our approach isn’t to rigidly categorize tutors but to empower users with a robust search algorithm. This advanced algorithm makes it easy for anyone to find the right tutor based on their preferred subject or skill, ensuring quick and accurate results.

Additionally, we’ve implemented measures to filter out inappropriate or crude words, creating a more user-friendly experience.”

Tutor Hail seems unique in allowing tutors to set their prices. What competitive advantages does this bring, and how does it impact your growth?

Allowing tutors to set their own prices gives TutorHail a unique competitive advantage in several key areas:

• Flexibility and Autonomy for Tutors: By enabling tutors to set their own rates, TutorHail attracts a diverse pool of talented educators who value autonomy and flexibility. This policy empowers tutors to price their services according to their experience, expertise, and market demand. As a result, TutorHail will become a more attractive platform for experienced educators, subject matter experts, and industry professionals, ultimately raising the platform’s quality and reputation.
• Wider Range of Choices for Learners: This pricing flexibility allows for a broader selection of tutors at different price points, catering to various budgets and preferences. This inclusive approach means parents and learners can choose from a range of experienced tutors, balancing cost and quality based on their needs. This creates a more personalized and student-centric learning experience, which enhances TutorHail’s appeal to a larger audience.
• Increased Market Penetration and Retention: Offering pricing autonomy encourages tutors to experiment with different pricing strategies, which can lead to higher overall engagement and tutor retention. As tutors find success in their pricing strategies, they are more likely to remain loyal to the platform. This, in turn, results in increased market penetration as TutorHail attracts a growing base of satisfied tutors and learners.
• Organic Price Optimization: When tutors set their own prices, the market naturally finds a balance based on supply, demand, and quality. This market-driven pricing mechanism allows TutorHail to cater to various segments—from those seeking premium-quality sessions to those looking for affordable tutoring. This dynamic approach helps maintain competitiveness, attracts a wide range of users, and drives overall growth.
• Differentiation from Competitors: While many competing platforms enforce rigid pricing structures, our approach sets us apart by giving both tutors and learners greater flexibility. This not only improves satisfaction among tutors but also empowers learners to select the best tutors without being constrained by a standardized pricing model we can never do one size fits all.
• Impact on Growth: This pricing flexibility is a key driver of TutorHail’ s growth. By attracting a diverse range of qualified tutors and catering to learners with varying budgets, TutorHail can scale quickly, establishing itself as a leading choice for personalized, one-on-one learning. In all, allowing tutors to set their own prices enhances our appeal to both educators and learners, fuels organic growth, and distinguishes the platform in a competitive market.

Are there any particular regions or demographics where Tutor Hail has seen strong growth?

Currently regions are sort of evening out themselves and because we have not yet started riding the inorganic wave of signup by this, I mean the ones got from the advertisements push we have been moving consistently with organic market acquisitions.

What are your goals for Tutor Hail in the coming year? Do you have any plans to expand services or enter new markets?

For the coming year, our goals at TutorHail are focused on three key areas: enhancing our platform’s core features, expanding our service offerings, and exploring new markets. We aim to refine our platform with better functions. Additionally, we plan to introduce new tools for tutors, including progress tracking features, to enrich the tutoring experience and give an offering for the premium subscription.

We plan to incorporate more diverse learning offerings, such as online workshops and courses led by industry experts, covering specialized topics that go beyond traditional tutoring, Online Libraries This aligns with the increasing demand for flexible learning options and industry-relevant skills.

We are also looking to expand our presence into new geographical markets within Africa and potentially beyond. This expansion will be driven by a tailored approach to cater to regional educational needs and leverage our existing network of tutors.Overall, we are focused on positioning TutorHail as a go-to marketplace for quality education, flexibility, and accessibility for both students and tutors.

What challenges have you faced while growing Tutor Hail, especially in building trust within the community?

Growing TutorHail has been a journey with its fair share of challenges, particularly in building trust within the community. Here are some key challenges we have encountered; Building a platform from scratch has meant having to convince both tutors and parents of its legitimacy. Tutors needed to trust that the platform would deliver their payments in a timely manner, and parents needed assurance about the safety and quality of tutors for their children.

Verifying tutors’ qualifications and experience is a significant hurdle. It is essential to create a rigorous verification process that validates documents, and experience claims without being overly cumbersome or discouraging to genuine tutors.

Safety is a top priority for TutorHail, given the in-person nature of the tutoring sessions. This required implementing security checks, including identity verifications, but balancing it with privacy and accessibility.

Allowing tutors to set their own prices is an intentional strategy to empower them, but it leads to a wide range of pricing options. Parents often wonder if the higher-priced tutors were genuinely better or if lower prices implied a lack of quality. Educating both sides about the value proposition and helping parents make informed choices is a continuous key challenge.

These challenges are a continuous learning process for us and continuously keep us awake leading to improvements in the platform

What advice would you offer to parents or students who are new to the concept of online or private tutoring?

First, staying involved in your child’s learning journey is crucial. Regularly check in with your child and the tutor to understand progress, challenges, and any adjustments needed. This helps maintain alignment between your child’s needs and the tutor’s approach.

Secondly, if possible, book an initial trial session with the tutor to gauge their teaching style and see if it aligns with your expectations and is best for your child. It’s a good way to assess whether the tutor student connection feels right and determine if the tutor’s teaching methods are effective. This is particularly important, before scheduling many classes in one go with the tutor.

Online and private tutoring offer flexibility in scheduling, which is a great advantage. However, try to establish a consistent routine to build momentum and foster better learning habits. This is very important, especially for younger children.

Lastly much as It’s tempting to choose the cheapest option, focus on finding a tutor who matches your learning style and requirements. A good tutor is an investment in long-term learning and development, so consider the value beyond just the price.

Lastly, for aspiring entrepreneurs who want to build a marketplace, what would you say are the most important factors to consider?

• Prioritize the User Experience Design and Simplicity (Rule of three steps to Checkout)
• Let your marketplace solve a real problem for real People and try to have experienced this firsthand.
• Focus on staying adaptable and innovative- Listen to the market.
• Every customer/client counts both the sellers, and the buyers. Prioritize both of them.

Running a startup can be demanding. How do you manage work-life balance while meeting the needs of your team and users?

In all honesty there is sort of no work life balance for a Startup founder. Simply because you run almost all the arms of the company. You are sometimes a dev, the marketer, the HR, the content creator, etc. It takes some time to lose the Octopus arm. As a founder you have got to be working harder than your team to set a meticulously good example.

What’s the most rewarding part of running Tutor Hail, and how has this experience shaped your perspective on education?

Being from an education and tech background the most rewarding things are Seeing that there is a place for a parent to easily get help for their children the other rewarding thing is seeing that I have used my tech skills to make something that is rewarding for a profession I love.

About my perspective on Education TutorHail has given me a better understanding of how the future of education is moving towards the Individualized learning experiences and these are going to be lead through individualized tutoring.

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