5 Best Online Reading Tutoring Services

Reading is part of the common core curriculum that is taught in every school across the country. From elementary school to college, reading is an important subject that every student must complete. However, for many students, reading can be a challenging subject in which they may need extra assistance in reading comprehension. Although, other students may seek extra reading practice as they study for standardized tests or college acceptance exams, like the SATs or ACTs. No matter what situation your child is in, this guide provides all the information you and your student need to find the best online reading tutoring services to help your son or daughter boost their grade in their reading class and guarantee high standardized test scores.

Learner

Learner offers high-quality reading tutors, an excellent private online reading tutor matching process based on students’ individual needs and learning styles, and standout virtual learning tools to make every session interactive and engaging. Learner is one of the best reading tutoring services dedicated to virtual learning and matching students with the best tutors available for any subject or concept. First, students are matched with online tutors after completing a questionnaire that assesses their academic situation. Children of all ages and any grade level or reading level are encouraged to try Learner and can choose to participate in one-on-one or small group sessions. Learner also offers a total satisfaction guarantee, and every first tutoring session is free for all students. Pricing starts at $40 per hour.

No matter what subject you are struggling with, Learner guarantees matching reading students with a qualified teacher specializing in that subject area. For those who require extra help in reading, Learner offers numerous online reading tutors to choose from. Learner only hires highly qualified reading tutors that meet their specific standards, such as having a four-year college degree and several years of previous tutoring experience in their area of expertise. Additionally, employees at Learner meet with each online reading tutor upon hiring them to ensure they meet the company’s qualifications.

After every online session, an online reading tutor will provide children and adults feedback on their progress, including successes and current struggles they still need to work on. One of Learner’s most beneficial features is its recording feature for tutoring sessions. With this feature, students will receive recordings of all of their tutoring sessions, allowing them to review anything they need to when practicing reading test prep or completing reading homework on their own.

Pros:

• Satisfaction guaranteed
• Highly qualified tutors
• Excellent online reading tutor matching
• Affordable plans
• Record feature for each tutoring session
• Offers feedback after sessions for adults and children

Cons:

• No in-person tutoring option

Bottom Line: With highly qualified reading tutors, affordable hourly rates, a total satisfaction guarantee, and an excellent tutoring matching, and screening process, Learner is one of the best online reading tutoring services out there.

Wyzant

To begin your reading tutoring journey on Wyzant, you must complete their four-step process. First, you will answer several personal questions about your academic history, learning style, and tutoring needs. Based on your answers, you will select an instructor of your choice out of the thousands the platform offers. From there, you will have a brief conversation with your online reading tutor and book your first session if you believe they are a good fit. Wyzant offers a good fit guarantee, meaning that students get the first hour of their session free if they are unsatisfied with their selected reading tutor.

One thing to remember with Wyzant is that students must do most of the work independently to find the right reading tutor. If having complete control over the online reading tutor selection process appeals to you, Wyzant may be your solution. Wyzant has 80,000 online tutors in more than 300 subjects, including reading. Each online reading tutor sets their price rate, ranging between $10 and $700 per hour. Depending on your budget, you can either match with a university student tutor studying English or a professional educator in English, writing, or any other specific reading field. The latter tends to be more expensive.

While Wyzant doesn’t provide 24/7 access to reading tutors like most services, students can usually be connected with an online reading tutor within an hour. Wyzant also offers access to a resource library with more than 1 million interactive lessons and videos created by private tutors in any subject.

Pros:

• Good fit guarantee
• Students search for tutors on their own
• Library of free resources

Cons:

• Students must find an online reading tutor to match with on their own
• It doesn’t offer 24/7 access to tutoring services
• Relatively expensive based on online reading tutor skill level

Bottom Line: Wyzant has 80,000 tutors available in more than 300 subjects and a free resource library with interactive lessons and videos. This tutoring platform is catered to individuals who want complete control over their tutoring selection process.

Varsity Tutors

This tutoring service offers scheduling flexibility to students who are balancing a tight schedule due to extracurricular activities, such as sports, completing chores at home, and part-time jobs. Varsity Tutors Instant Tutoring feature is designed to provide students with homework help whenever they have spare time throughout their day. This feature is exceptionally beneficial for a subject like reading, when a student may be stuck on one particular question, so they can save a lot of time instead of struggling by themselves for hours. Varsity Tutors is fully compatible with mobile phones and other devices, so students can use this service on the way to school, walking home after sports practice, or even on break at work.

While Instant Tutoring is Varsity Tutors’ most popular feature, this service is more tailored for students seeking long-term instruction rather than occasional homework help. Varsity Tutors match students with an online reading tutor who will then create a customized lesson plan for that particular student. However, previous customers have claimed that the quality of reading tutors vastly differs across the board. Therefore, after signing up, it isn’t guaranteed you’ll match with a professional online reading tutor who is an expert in their field.

To receive specific pricing information, students must provide personal information, including their full address and zip code. Varsity Tutors also offer an abundance of free resources, including practice problems, flashcards, and complete practice tests for numerous subjects, including reading.

Pros:

• Instant Tutoring feature
• Customized lesson plans are created for every student
• Library of free resources

Cons:

• Rates and pricing are only available upon request
• The quality of tutors varies

Bottom Line:  Varsity Tutors’ platform is conducive for students juggling a busy schedule and only has short time slots available for reading tutoring work.

SpecialEdTutoring

If your child has special needs or suffers from a learning disability, SpecialEdTutoring is the best tutoring service for you. SpecialEdTutoring’s mission is to provide the best tutoring services from qualified reading tutors who have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education in a virtual manner that understands students with special needs work best when they’re at home in a familiar environment.

To begin the tutoring process at SpecialEdTutoring, you must sign up for a free consultation. From here, adults will discuss their child’s learning style, needs, and what they believe a good tutoring fit would be. The initial consultation will also address pricing, as plans vary for each student. Tutors at SpecialEdTutoring are certified in Special Education but are also experts in their field, including reading or English, so it’s guaranteed your child will receive the help they need. If you are a parent who is homeschooling a child with special needs, SpecialEdTutoring can also help you design a curriculum best suited for your child. SpecialEdTutoring is more tailored towards students who need long-term tutoring rather than individual homework help.

Pros:

• Every tutor has a Special Education degree
• Helps adults design a homeschooling curriculum for their child

Cons:

• Pricing isn’t given until the initial consultation
• Tutoring services are only geared towards students with special needs

Bottom Line: With every tutor certified in Special Education, SpecialEdTutoring will help you find a qualified online reading tutor that suits your child’s learning style and overall needs.

Tutor Doctor

Tutor Doctor offers high quality courses for students with online and in-home tutoring selections in reading, math, science, English, and college exam prep. The service’s international staff of tutors consists of teachers from 15 different countries around the world. With over a decade of tutoring experience, Tutor Doctor is a well-known provider to many students and parents.

Tutor Doctor matches students with specific reading tutors that cater to their needs and provides customized learning plans. Pricing is fairly reasonable with online tutors ranging between $40 to $80 per hour. However, a finalized detailed price is not given until after you complete your initial consultation assessment. Furthermore, some user reviews state that full payment is required up front before you can begin your reading tutoring sessions.

Students receive a free consultation before committing to a tutoring plan. Tutor Doctor’s teaching strategies focus on creating a positive environment and encouraging independent learning. Tutors provide students with additional study material after their session, and each lesson is recorded for students to go back and review later. Additionally, parents are given infographics about the learning process and the educational progress their child is completing.

Pros:

• Customized learning programs based on student needs
• In-home tutoring available as an alternative to online programs
• Reasonable pricing
• ACT and SAT test prep available

Cons:

• Detailed final pricing not available until after initial assessment
• Some user reviews state that full payment is required up front

How To Find the Right Online Reading Tutor For Your Needs

When deciding which online tutoring service is best for you and your family, it’s essential to establish your financial goals and your child’s educational needs. Having an open and honest conversation with your son or daughter can help you determine what areas they’re struggling in and what type of tutoring style they think will help them the most. For example, if your student is only looking for occasional assignment help, an online tutoring service with tutors available 24/7 may be best for them. However, if they require long-term tutoring or exam prep, you may want to look into services with excellent online reading tutor matching programs and personalized lesson plans that cater to your child’s strengths and weaknesses.

While your child’s educational needs are essential, you must consider your budget and what you can realistically afford. Sitting down and looking over your finances can help determine how frequently your student can meet with an online reading tutor and how much you can afford to spend on a qualified reading tutor.

Taking your and your child’s needs into account when choosing the right online reading tutor can save lots of stress for you and your family. While you want your child to be happy and grow in their education, you also need to be realistic about what you can reasonably afford. The choice of which reading tutoring service is best lies within your hands.

Online Tutoring vs. In-Person Tutoring

While online tutoring can be more convenient for parents and families, many students perform better with in-person tutoring. With in-person tutoring, students are offered a quiet space, similar to a classroom setting, where they can stay focused in group tutoring sessions with their tutor or peers. In-person tutoring is an excellent option for students who quickly get online fatigue, struggle working independently, and better focus in a quiet space with hands-on work.

On the other hand, online tutoring can be a perfect solution for students struggling in reading, English, or any other subject. Online tutoring is more beneficial for those with a busy schedule since parents don’t have to worry about commuting, and students can complete sessions from their bedrooms. Additionally, virtual tutors offer a more comprehensive range of qualified tutors for your student, and online tutoring tends to be relatively cheaper than in-person sessions. Therefore, online tutoring may be a better option for parents with a busy schedule and for students who learn better with one-on-one virtual tools and lessons.

Benefits of Online Reading Tutoring

There are many educational and social benefits to getting a private online reading tutor for your son or daughter, especially if they are having difficulty learning and feeling comfortable in their English or writing classes. Below are some of the top benefits that an online reading tutor can have on your child.

Individual Learning Experience

One benefit of reading tutoring for students is that children can feel comfortable learning at their own pace without the pressure of reading teacher expectations and classroom competition. With online tutoring reading sessions, students don’t have to feel embarrassed about their reading level or understanding of a subject or concept. Reading tutors online create a learning environment that helps each child learn and feel comfortable throughout the process.

Focus on Material

Understanding reading requires a dedicated focus. This means avoiding distractions as well as keeping your attention on the essential material to practice critical thinking. When preparing for the SATs or ACTs, an online reading tutor helps students stay focused on what’s important so students don’t waste time on material that won’t help them in the future or that won’t appear on the exams.

Improves Confidence and Self-Esteem

Classroom environments aren’t always positive, especially for struggling students in English or writing class. Since reading tutoring sessions are typically one-on-one, students are more comfortable being honest about what they know and what areas they’re having trouble in. Therefore, certified tutors can target the problem areas and help students improving reading skills and reading comprehension. This sense of academic achievement can help students feel confident and increase their self-esteem as they will believe in themselves and no longer feel like outcasts.

Facilitates Good Study Habits

Once students showcase proven success with tutoring services, they will gain valuable reading skills and academic support for their academic career, even after their sessions with a reading tutor. Reading tutors teach students skills to enhance their performance in the subject of reading and reading comprehension through different studying and learning techniques and methods. These are lessons that students can carry with them when they have to study for SATs or other important exams that will impact their academic evaluation. Having an online reading tutor is beneficial at the moment and can teach your child reading skills they can carry with them throughout the rest of their lives in English and other subjects.

Peaks Interest in Reading

When students excel at a subject, such as reading or writing, this sense of pride and confidence can make them interested to learn more and continue to expand their knowledge in the matter. Since an online reading tutor can assist students with their performance in English by helping them understand the concepts being taught, students will feel confident and become more interested in the subject since they have a better understanding of how it works and why it’s essential to know.

How We Chose the Best Online Reading Tutoring Services

All the online tutoring services we listed above are established and accredited companies with highly qualified certified tutors and excellent online learning tools. More importantly, this list includes a wide variety of tutoring services that cater to students of all backgrounds and learning needs.

When creating this list, we included tutoring services that appeal to students of all ages, any grade level, and subjects looking for long-term tutoring and individual homework help. Additionally, regardless of your financial background, many of these tutoring companies will suit your needs and satisfy your budget. Overall, no matter what experience you or your child come from, there is an online tutoring service to help your child improve their English grades and boost their confidence in school without damaging your wallet.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are still curious about online reading tutoring, below are some common frequently asked questions by parents and students about tutoring reading.

What are online reading tutoring services?

Reading tutoring services use online teaching methods such as a virtual classroom, video, and an interactive whiteboard to replicate an in-person learning experience at a lower cost to make tutoring more convenient for students and parents.

Who should use online reading tutoring services?

Anyone can use and benefit from reading tutoring services. Whether you are struggling with reading or want to prepare for an important exam, there are numerous reading tutoring services to fit your needs. 

How much do online reading tutoring services cost?

The cost for reading tutoring services depends on the company, how qualified the online reading tutor is, what kind of session your child needs, and how many subjects your student needs help in. Some services charge per hour, while others offer membership fees or monthly packages.

What should you look for in online reading tutoring services? 

When looking into reading tutoring services, you should pay attention to the quality of tutors, the online reading tutor matching process, and the learning tools the service uses in each session. Some services are tailored towards quick homework help, while others offer long-term tutoring options.

What are the pros of using online reading tutoring services?

The pros of reading tutoring services are that they are typically more affordable and convenient than in-person sessions. Additionally, many online tutoring services offer interactive whiteboards, instant messaging features, 24/7 access to tutors, and the ability to record and download sessions.

What are the cons of using online reading tutoring services?

Some high school students and college students prefer the experience of in-person learning. If your student has a short attention span, learning disabilities, special needs, or is easily fatigued by computers, then reading tutoring may not be best for them.

What should I look for in an online reading tutoring provider?

Reading tutoring providers who are typically excellent reading tutors should showcase strong interpersonal skills. Reading tutors need to have lots of patience, empathy, and positivity to keep students engaged in the subject. Therefore, online tutoring providers should showcase these skills within their tutors.