Homeschool Teachers That Come to Your House- Affordable, Effective!

Inside: Discover an option that would make homeschooling through high school possible. The answer is homeschool teachers that come to your house through GoPeer tutoring.

Homeschooling can seem like a daunting task, especially if you are homeschooling a high schooler for the first time. In fact, some families put their children into the public school system once they hit the high school years because they feel they aren’t qualified to teach at that level.

While this decision is a personal one that every family must decide for themselves, I want to offer you an option that would make homeschooling through high school possible, if that is what you would prefer. The answer is similar to homeschool teachers that come to your house (or a specified location) through GoPeer tutoring.

I don’t think there’s any parent who’s proficient in every subject a homeschooler is required to take. I know I wasn’t! There may be some subjects your student takes that you never even had, like high school Calculus or Trigonometry. This doesn’t mean those subjects aren’t an option through home education.

*Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase after clicking through, The Unexpected Homeschooler may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Read full disclosure policy in the menu.

One of the great things about homeschooling is all the curricula available and the many formats they are offered in. You can find most, if not all, high school courses, which are taught by someone else. You don’t have to do any of the teaching. My son took his chemistry, physical science, biology, literature, writing, and several math courses that way, and he really enjoyed the instructors.

Table of Contents

Why You Need a Homeschool Tutor
Benefits of Hiring a Homeschool Tutor
Find Out What’s Legal
What Is GoPeer?
Why Use a College Student as Your Child’s Tutor?
Where Can I Find Knowledgeable Homeschool Tutoring Near Me?
The GoPeer Process
GoPeer Online
What Makes GoPeer Stand Out?
70 Subjects
Testimonials
Featured Articles
Conclusion
Free 30 Minute Session

Why You Need a Homeschool Tutor

Sometimes a Curriculum Isn’t Enough– There are times, even with an online curriculum being taught by an expert, your child may hit a wall with a particular topic and is just not getting it. A tutor is the perfect solution. The tutor can help your student get back on track and continue moving forward in that subject.

Takes the Pressure Off of You– You don’t have to be the expert when there are others out there who are.

Removes Doubt– There is no need to worry your child isn’t going to pass a certain class because you don’t know enough about a subject.

Academic Success– Getting extra help will enable your child to improve his grades and have success.

Improves Self-Esteem– When a child is struggling in school, it can have quite an impact on his self-esteem. A tutor can help a child quickly get back on track before there are any negative effects.

Benefits of Hiring a Homeschool Tutor

Different Approach– Having someone else teach a concept to them can often present the information a unique way, and it can make all the difference.

Variety of Teachers– Learning from a variety of teachers prepares them for learning from different teaching styles. If they go on to college, this can be beneficial.

Removes Frustration– Sometimes when there is a subject your child is having difficulty with, it’s better to let someone else step in and teach due to the frustration it can cause.

Real Person to Ask Questions– With online courses, this isn’t always possible. They do usually have solution guides, but sometimes that’s not enough. It’s nice to have a real person to ask questions and explain things.

More Affordable– Most tutors are expensive. GoPeer is a very affordable option.

Someone Else to Hold Them Accountable for Their Work– Sometimes a student responds better when there is someone else besides the parent holding them accountable for their work.

Motivation– Once your child has grasped the concept, he will feel successful and motivated to continue learning.

Preserves Your Relationships– Relationships are one of the biggest reasons families choose to homeschool. Those relationships can be strained when a student is struggling in school and you are the teacher. What might seem so obvious, or come easily to us, can add to the frustration your child is already feeling. By hiring a tutor to teach your child, you become the parent again and can support your child, but not contribute to the problem.

Teach Electives– Tutoring isn’t just for academics. You can also use it to teach electives you don’t have the experience to do yourself. GoPeer has tutors for a wide variety of topics, including instruments.

Changes the Learning Environment– When an outsider, who is not emotionally attached to your child, steps in to teach, it immediately changes the learning environment and enables your child to think clearer and not feel pressured by the parent. It’s a lot easier for a tutor to feel unbiased and be patient I am not saying that is the case with every parent, but a lot of times it is.

Frees Up Your Time– If you are teaching multiple students, having a tutor to help out with subjects that your child is having difficulty with allows you to continue working with the other children.

Test Prep– Prepare your child for the ACT/SAT exams

AP Classes– Support for AP classes and college readiness

Find Out What’s Legal

Homeschool laws can be very different from state-to-state and even more so in different countries. You need to find out exactly what is allowed before having someone else teach your child. Some places only permit the parents to educate their children.

Depending on the country or state, there can be a restriction that only a certified teacher or tutor is allowed to instruct your child. Other places don’t have any restrictions at all and that gives you the freedom to choose whoever you want. Some states may allow you to hire outside help as long as you, the parent, remain the one responsible for the majority of the homeschooling.

For this reason, you need to do a little research before hiring someone else to teach your child. An excellent place to start is with other homeschoolers in your areas and your state homeschool organization.

What is Go Peer?

GoPeer is a resource that enables families to hire college undergraduates to meet at a specified location (or home if agreed upon) for one-on-one tutoring sessions for students in grades K-12. It’s not just for high schoolers, even though that’s the age it’s often needed.

Ethan Binder, a co-founder of GoPeer, got the idea to start this company while seeing his brother struggling with school work and filling out college applications. After his brother received help from a college student at Brown University, he realized the value in connecting high school students with a peer from college and started wondering how many other students might benefit from this type of relationship. Ethan Binder presented the idea to two other friends, who attended Lafayette College with him, and they began to create the website needed to turn this into a reality.

GoPeer has two purposes. The first is to provide excellent tutoring that is affordable for families. The second is to help college students who could use some extra income while going to school. It’s a win-win situation for everybody!

Why Use a College Student as Your Child’s Tutor?

GoPeer specifically uses college students as tutors. Because they are younger, there is less of an age gap, and they are more likely to have things in common with the student.

They relate to the teens as a peer and help understand the difficulties they may be going through. This helps to quickly build the trust needed for success. GoPeer tutors are also a great resource to help students sift through the college process, which can be overwhelming.

Lastly, a college student is likely to be more fun! This is going to make your child look forward to the appointments and want to get the extra help needed to master whatever it is they are having difficulty with.

Where Can I Find Knowledgeable Homeschool Tutoring Near Me?

Trying to find tutoring for homeschoolers in your area can be tiresome. You have to do searches, talk to friends for recommendations, and even get references to make sure they are good at what they do and safe to be around your children.

GoPeer makes this process super easy! With a few keystrokes, you can locate a qualified tutor who specializes in the subject your child needs help with. They then become homeschool teachers that can come to your house (or a nearby location if you prefer) to teach your children the subjects you don’t feel confident to teach, or you just want someone else to do.

Once you have identified a tutor in your area that meets the qualifications you are looking for, you can schedule your session. To make sure you are meeting somewhere safe and accessible, GoPeer has pre-approved pubic locations in your town where the student and tutor will meet. These are generally places like the library, a university, or coffee shop.

If you would prefer the tutor come to your home, that is allowed as long as you discuss it with the tutor and it’s agreed upon.

The GoPeer Process

They have made the process of finding a tutor very simple. There are a few short steps, and you will be set up in no time.

1. Using their website, you can create an account and search for the perfect person to teach your child. I was able to search without creating an account to see what tutors are available in my area.
2. After choosing a college student, there is an option to chat with this person to get to know them better before meeting in person.
   Once you have decided on the tutor that seems like the right fit, you can schedule your appointment online.
3. Determine a location to meet and get directions with the location services on their site. (If it is agreed to meet at your home, you can enter a custom location to provide directions for the tutor.)
4. Make your payment on the website with their secure payment processing that uses Stripe. (Payment information must be on file in order to schedule a session. Charges don’t go through until after sessions are completed.)
5. Have the first session!
6. Leave a review to give feedback to the tutor and also for others to learn more about this particular person.

GoPeer Online

While the original intention of GoPeer was to bring a tutor and student together in person, if there isn’t a person available in your area, they do offer online tutoring as well for grades for K-12.

Through the use of technology that is specially designed for tutoring, your child can be taught from any location that has an internet connection. Digital whiteboards are available so the student and tutor can type, wipe, or draw while interacting. They can also instant message each other and share files.

One of the things I liked about their online tutoring is that all sessions are recorded and the student can go back and review them when needed. You can also track their progress with online tools as well.

This is an excellent option if there aren’t tutors available in person in your area, or you aren’t comfortable with your child meeting someone in person. It’s a great alternative!

How much is a tutor for homeschooling?
If you were to hire a tutor to come to your home, you would most likely pay anywhere from $30-50 an hour, but it can be as much as $85. GoPeer tutors are more affordable with a flat rate of $25 per hour. There are no subscriptions or monthly payments. You only pay each time you hire a tutor.

Here is how their flat rate works:
1 hour $25
1 hour 15 minutes $31.25
1 hour 30 minutes $37.50
1 hour 45 minutes $43.75
2 hours $50

What Makes GoPeer Stand Out?

Tutors Are Carefully Vetted and Chosen-They have a pretty rigorous vetting process they use to select their tutors . You should definitely read about it to get all the details, but a few things that stood out to me were the fact that each tutor goes through a 5-step process which includes a thorough background check and academic requirements.

Large Selection of Subjects– There is a range of 70 different subjects covered, including electives, test prep, and AP classes (see list below)

User-Friendly Search– Easily locate tutors through zip code, university, subject, distance, or days or times

Experience– All students have prior tutoring/mentoring experience

Site Navigation– Their site is straightforward and easy to navigate to find a tutor and get an appointment scheduled quickly

Recommended and Featured Tutors– Their system identifies tutors that have been recommended by others or who are being featured. If you would feel more comfortable choosing someone who has been approved by others, you can scroll through the list looking for those with that label and then go read their reviews.

Chats– You can chat with a tutor before actually meeting

Lots of Tutors to Choose From– At the time this article was written, there were students from 86 different universities available for tutoring. There is a good chance you will find someone to meet in person, but if not, there will definitely be tutors available online to help your student.

CLICK HERE TO GET A $20 CREDIT FOR YOUR FIRST SESSION AND DISCOVER THE BENEFITS!

Personalized Learning in 70 Subjects

Testimonials

Here are some of the articles GoPeer has been featured in:

LaFayette News 

Rhode Island Inno 

Providence Monthly

Rhode Island Inno

Conclusion

While I was in high school, I struggled with geometry. For whatever reason, it didn’t make sense to me. My parents ended up having to have a friend of the family who was a retired math teacher tutor me. While it was helpful and I ended up just passing the class, I think I would have done even better with someone closer to my age.

Remember that GoPeer is not just for high school students. Their services are available for grades K-12. There are just additional benefits for high school students to help with college prep and finding a peer who has been through the same things they are going through.

I know for myself when my son was struggling with Algebra in high school, this would have been a great way to relieve the stress he and I were feeling. Just the mention of doing math those days put both of us on edge knowing what was coming. Having someone else step in and take over teaching definitely would have helped our relationship and given him a more positive approach.

Tutoring is a great option, and with GoPeer, you can have homeschool teachers that come to your house (or nearby) that are both affordable and effective!

They also have a blog with lots of great information!

CLICK HERE TO GET A $20 CREDIT FOR YOUR FIRST SESSION AND DISCOVER THE BENEFITS!

Have you used a GoPeer tutor before? What was your expereience? Let me know in the comments below.

Hi I’m Heidi. I’m a former teacher turned homeschool mom of three. I’ve homeschooled from the beginning and my oldest is now graduated. I believe your home doesn’t have to be chaotic just because you homeschool. When you join The Unexpected Homeschooler’s community, you’ll learn how to have a more organized, efficient, and productive homeschool, and I’ll send you this Daily Assignment Sheet tool as a gift to teach your students to work independently and free up your time.

Learn More

Want to save the Homeschool Teachers That Come to Your House article? Pin it to your favorite board!