Finding English and Math tutors for yourself or your child can sometimes be a difficult task. You want to find someone that can help you catch up at school (or keep up), teaches well, doesn’t cost too much money and motivates you to become the best student you can be! Two popular tutoring centres are Success Tutoring and Kumon with centres across Australia. However the question is, which one is better?
This comparing tutoring programs guide will compare Success Tutoring and Kumon on price, delivery, outcomes, and ease of learning. You’ll learn whether the personlised approach of Success Tutoring or the standarised approach of learning that Kumon promotes is better. It will be your choice to decide!
Quick Facts
Success Tutoring Overview
Success Tutoring provides personalised tutoring for K-10 students. Students can book any of our study hubs as many times as they like during the week. Study hubs allow students to work on their customised learning plan based on students’ academic performance. Students also receive targeted homework and assignment help specific to the content they’re learning in school.
What is Success Tutoring?
Success Tutoring is a personalizsed tutoring service that provides tutoring in English and Math. Founded in 2017 by Michael Black, the goal is to give children the opportunity to enjoy English and Math in an engaging learning environment that inspires students to work hard and dream big.
With constant assessments and a personalized learning plan, Success Tutoring offers a new way to learn English & Math. Success Tutoring has always provided both in person and online tutoring services.
Pros:
Motivational Community
Unlimited tutoring sessions, for a weekly price
Personalized learning plans based on Australian Curriculum
Offers both in-person and online sessions
Cons:
We can’t think of any!
Bottom Line: Success Tutoring is an excellent option if your child requires assistance with English & Math.
How Does Success Tutoring Work?
When you sign up for Success Tutoring, your student will take an initial free assessment. You’ll discuss the results and your goals with the centre manager. Your child will design their binder and be given a personalized learning plan.
Most centers suggest 2 tutoring sessions a week to keep your child learning at the same pace and catching up with homework and test prep. Each session runs for 60 minutes. Students will go through lessons and complete regular assessments. Students are also rewarded with points to keep them engaged with the learning journey.
After a certain number of completed lessons, the student receives enough points to pick out a prize from the Success prize cabinet. This method keeps every student engaged and offers them ways to track their own progress and see results.
How Much Does Success Tutoring Cost?
The prices for each center are slightly different, but Success Tutoring costs around $200-$300 a month on average. Cost depends on your location.
The base package covers one Success Tutoring session per week. However, the unlimited package allows your child to attend an unlimited number of times at no extra cost. For specific payment plans and options, contact your local Success Tutoring.
What are Customers Saying About Success Tutoring?
Parents and students have positive reviews about Success Tutoring. Most kids who have struggled with English and Math, end up loving their trips to Success Tutoring and parents are encouraged. Overall, tutors are well-trained and friendly, working to keep students engaged and learning the whole time they’re in the centre.
Success Tutorig allows students to bring in their English and Math homework from school and prepare for tests while at Success Tutoring. Homework and test preparation sheets count towards student points. This practice has been praised by customers and can boost the grades of struggling students in as little as a few months.
The biggest positive to Success Tutoring, according to tutors, students, and parents, is the level of personalization within each centre. Students who struggle with English and Math often feel seen and understood and able to grasp difficult concepts with the help of their tutors. It’s a system that works well and produces results.
Kumon Overview
Kumon is a dual math and reading program with tutoring centers all over the country. Founded in Japan in the 1950s, Kumon has used the same teaching methods for over 60 years.
What is Kumon?
Kumon is a learning system developed in Japan in the 1950s. It has been in business since then and has been popular for drilling the basics of math and reading into children for over sixty years.
Instead of using personalized learning plans, Kumon focuses on the basics and tests a student to the appropriate level. Once they master a specific skill set, they can move on to the next level in mathematics or reading.
Pros:
Structured curriculum
Offers reading and math curriculums
Less expensive
Cons:
Less individualized
Extra homework
Repetitive learning
Bottom line: Kumon is great for students who need repetitive learning but not for anyone who needs one-on-one help.
How Does Kumon Work?
On the surface, Kumon might seem like Success Tutoring – both are in-person tutoring centers that offer services from kindergarten through high school. However, the teaching methods are entirely different between the two centers.
Kumon focuses on repeating the basics of math thousands of times until it is drilled into a student’s head. Once your child takes an assessment test, they will be assigned to a slightly lower class than they tested into. This ensures they have mastered all the basics of Kumon’s curriculum.
At Kumon, students work through worksheets dedicated to the current issue they are trying to master. They don’t bring in their homework or move on until they have mastered that concept. Kumon also sends homework back to the child’s house for about 30 more minutes of work that evening.
Kumon’s tutors are often high school and college students. Instead of giving one-on-one advice and mentoring a small group of students, these tutors are in charge of up to a classroom full of children working on the same subject matter. They are available to answer questions if necessary but do much less actual tutoring.
How Much Does Kumon Cost?
Kumon costs anywhere from $100-$200 per month, depending on the location and subject matter. High school students and higher levels may cost more, but the sessions are all the same length.
Kumon students attend twice a week for the duration of their time and have about 30 minutes of extra homework every week. This is included in the cost. The main variant in cost for Kumon students is whether they are enrolled in tutoring for math, reading, or both.
What are Customers Saying About Kumon?
Kumon has more mixed reviews than Success Tutoring, with a good portion of Kumon’s students and parents saying that there wasn’t enough personal support and Kumon was a lot of work. However, many other customers emphasized that the rigor of Kumon is what produces results – by repeating a formula hundreds of times, a child will never forget it.
One of Kumon’s main teaching points is that the students are put into lower testing brackets than they may need. This system ensures that every student learns every concept, no matter how simple. However, it can lead to students doing work they already know or redoing work from several grades below them.
Although Kumon is much more rigorous than Success Tutoring, the results are often similar. Children aren’t as positive about their Kumon experience, but they do learn math and reading concepts without forgetting them.
Success Tutoring vs. Kumon Similarities
Success Tutoring and Kumon both have the same goal: to get students struggling in academics to a better standard. They both teach math, and both have relatively good results. These tutoring centers have different teaching methods but are set up similarly in several ways.
Another way Success Tutoring and Kumon are similar is that they are cheaper than standard one-on-one tutoring. Because the students are grouped by three or more with a single tutor, they won’t get one-on-one instruction (unless the centre is empty that day).
Success Tutoring vs. Kumon Differences
The main difference between Success Tutoring and Kumon is their approach to education. While Success Tutoring focuses on where the student is and allows them to bring in homework or have input on what they’re working on, Kumon has a rigid curriculum focused on memorization and repetition.
Kumon is generally less expensive than Success Tutoring, however the students at Success Tutoring are given more one-on-one attention and small group instruction. Tutors at Kumon act more as group facilitators.
The tutors go through extensive training to work at Success Tutoring and have a minimum required test score. Kumon does not have such an extensive hiring process.
Success Tutoring vs. Kumon: Which is Better?
Between Success Tutoring and Kumon, the decision depends largely on what your child needs. Every child learns differently, and some need a more rigorous, repetitive curriculum to drill math or reading into their heads. However, others learn better with the possibility of rewards and visible progress.
If your child needs help with both math and reading, Success Tutoring is the better option for the two. It’s the only one that offers both at the same location. Success Tutoring also has a more flexible schedule.
Online tutoring
For a more laid-back, personalized approach to learning, Success Tutoring is the better choice. Your kid will have a more personalized relationship with the tutors at the center and will receive a stronger foundation of math basics. While they might learn math by rote memorization at Kumon, Success Tutoring helps them to take control of their knowledge.
Overall, Success Tutoring is the better choice for most students. Kumon has its advantages, but the learning system is more contentious than not, and learning professionals argue that it’s important for a child to take control of their own education to some extent. If you want your kid to like school, put them in Success Tutoring! Find a centre today!
