A Cycle of English Success
Hey 👋 I'm Sophie King and I started Soph's Students after tutoring VCE English for 5 years! This was a decision primarily driven by the number of referrals from my past students becoming so large that I had no way to tutor them all. So, not wanting to pass on trusting students to large companies, where random high scorers are often picked up after graduation and branded as tutors with little to no training, I decided to hire one of my own students who had scored a perfect 50 in 2022! By hiring only past students, I was able to ensure my highly specific and often scientific approach to English would be taught as there is no better training for a tutor than having spent over 30 hours one on one with me as a student themselves. This is the edge that makes us effective, a cycle of success if you will, as Soph's Students is made up of tutors who have been in the exact same shoes as their students.
I truly consider it an honour to be trusted to guide a student through their English studies, a belief I have passed on to my tutors and I hope you find us a helpful resource in making English studies not only more straightforward and successful but also enjoyable!
Meet Soph's Tutors
You’ll note I have only a handful of tutors and this is by design. We do not recruit nor stalk the honour roll hoping to quickly slap a brand on a freshly graduated high scorer to increase revenue, as that method offers no real way to ensure consistency and quality in our teaching. Instead, these tutors are my own students. I've witnessed them under pressure, seen their response to feedback, their temperaments and their strengths. In turn, my tutors have learnt first-hand the way I teach English and seen for themselves the brilliant results of trusting in my methods. In fact, I trust my tutors so much that my own brother and sister who are completing Year 12 this year (2024) are being tutored by them (specifically our lovely tutor Teela)!
What we Offer
Individual Tutoring
For those who want a guiding hand and someone to have their back during their studies, we offer 1-1 tutoring for Years 7-11. Each lesson is customised and can be conducted both online or in person (depending on location). Whether you are looking to nail down those last hard to reach marks or simply trying to get to a passing standard this is a game-changer for anyone!
From $90-$150 per session depending on tutor and year level
Group Tutoring
Got some mates and decided you all need a little extra help? Group tutoring is perfect for those who want to save some money whilst still getting access to all those next level text ideas we offer. Group sizes typically range from 2-4, however, if you are looking for something larger do get in contact as we can always organise something special!
From $50-$100 depending on number of students and tutor
Annual Lecture
A now well known sign that the school year is starting, popularised on VCEDiscussionSpace Soph has been running her annual Summer English Lecture for 4 years now! If you're not ready for the commitment of tutoring or want to get a taste of how we teach, our lectures offer insight into our specific writing structures and study techniques for all SACs!
Access to both the live lecture and recording for $10
So why choose one of Soph's Students?
Every tutor you come across in this industry is likely a high scorer, including mine, but that alone is no guarantee of a good tutoring experience. What we offer is different in that my students-turned-tutors are not only fully versed in my very specific and methodical approach to English but by first being one of “Soph’s Students” themselves, they have been vigorously screened and mentored to have the specific skill sets to teach effectively and not just score highly themselves. This is tried and tested with my first tutor Clare, who scored a 50 in 2022, had her first year 12 student in 2023 score a 49, showcasing just how effective this cycle is!
What gives us the edge?
01
Properly Mentored
Now whilst you would think 30-50 hours one on one with me as students themselves would be plenty of training for these tutors it does not stop there! My tutors and I not only share resources and templates (I struggle these days to tell the difference between notes I have written and what my tutors have) but also have regular one-on-one mentoring calls to discuss specific texts and things such as the changing study design. In this way, even if I’m not tutoring your child they likely will still be getting many of my text perspectives as they trickle down! As such, I’m not one to simply provide a pdf labelled “how to tutor” but actively and personally work with my tutors to improve their specific skill sets, be it strategies to engage with shyer students or how to run a killer lesson on the new frameworks part of the 2024 VCE study design.
02
Fairly Compensated
Another core difference with Soph’s Students is that unlike other tutoring agencies, my tutors will always be paid a majority cut as they are the ones dedicating hours of their time and energy. Thus, by having more skin in the game my tutors tend to be a lot more invested, answering messages 24/7 and seeing their students as their own, not just another job. In this way, you can be rest assured that your tutor is being properly compensated at often 2-3 times the industry rate. This is not a business where they will only see $25-$40 of every $100 charged (what typically occurs). After all, I hand pick my tutors from my own past students so I am invested in them as people and not about to shortchange them now.
03
Boutique and Up to Date
At Soph's Students, we pride ourselves on staying up to date with the latest study designs and marking approaches from different schools. With the recent changes of the new Year 12 study design coming into effect in 2024, it's more important than ever to stay informed and adapt to new methods. Trust us to provide you with the most current and effective educational solutions. In addition to this, our tutoring approach is boutique so our students maintain their advantage, you will not find our specific analysis of texts on everyday blog sites. This means our students continue to impress examiners with unique and insightful commentary! There would be no point in you paying hundreds of dollars for tutoring if we sold all our 'good stuff' to anyone in the form of $30 notes, so trust that the ideas you're provided will always be exclusive to our students!