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Alchemy Tuition Review Summary
Alchemy Tuition provides 1v1 online and in-person tutoring to K-12 students. No qualifications or experience are needed, and they pay $30-50/hr promptly. However, you must commit to 4-10 students a week for 6 months, prep and feedback time is unpaid, and you won’t be paid if you make a bad impression with a new client.
| Pay (per hour): | $30-$50 |
| Location / language requirements? | Australia/English |
| Degree / diploma required? | No |
| Teaching certificate required? | No |
| Teaching experience required? | No |
| Student age (Adults/Children)? | K-12 Children |
| Class size: | 1v1 |
| Minimum commitment (per week): | 4 students |
Alchemy Tuition Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Minimal requirements
- Regular and speedy payments
- Both online and in-person tutoring options
- Short, relaxed interview
- ‘Urgently seeking tutors’ currently
Cons:
- Unpaid prep and feedback time
- First session is unpaid if the parent is unhappy
- Must commit to at least 4 students a week for 6 months
- Maximum of 10 students a week, making this a part-time option at best
- Only suitable for those who enjoy tutoring children (no adult students)
- More competition and fewer students if you only wish to tutor online
Is Alchemy Tuition Legit?
Alchemy Tuition has been a legitimate tutoring company in Australia since 2005. Its legitimacy is underlined by being named Best Private Tuition Provider at the 2019 Small Business Awards, and having featured in several national media outlets such as the Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, and SBS World News:
About Alchemy Tuition Services
Achemy Tuition offers tutoring in all primary and high school subjects as well as test preparation. Its tutors are also expected to be mentors and role models who boost their students’ motivation and confidence to allow them to achieve their full potential.
As a tutor there you will have access to a training suite for a range of subjects and specialisations as part of onboarding. While some tutoring resources are provided on the Alchemy tutor hub, you will also have to prepare some of your own in order to customise your sessions to the particular needs of your students.
The Alchemy Tuition dashboard can be accessed online or through the Alchemy Tuition app, which allows you to accept new students, confirm and reschedule sessions, update your details, maintain your availability, and view announcements.
You will also have opportunities to meet and network with fellow tutors through your dashboard, or at online and in-person events that are scheduled throughout the year.
You may contact the Alchemy Tuition team with any issues anytime via live chat, telephone, email or SMS.
Below is a video where some Alchemy Tuition tutors share their experiences of working for the company:
Alchemy Tuition Locations
You may tutor online from anywhere in Australia with Alchemy Tuition.
In-person tutoring is offered in several major cities, including:
99% of in-person tutorials occur in the student’s home, though they may also request meeting in a public place such as a library or school. You will only be offered students within 8km of your own location and are free to decline any requests that are inconvenient.
How Much Does Alchemy Tuition Pay?
Alchemy Tuition tutors receive a starting pay of AUD$30 an hour for online sessions and $35 for in-person tutorials, rising to $50 the more students and experience you have gained with the company. This is comparable to another Australian tutoring provider, Learnmate, but is arguably more competitive as there are no commission fees at Alchemy.
It is important to be aware that the company offers parents a ‘first lesson guarantee’, meaning if they are unhappy with the tutor during the initial session then they will not be charged and you will not be paid.
Payment can be made the next day once you confirm your completed sessions in the tutor dashboard, arriving in your bank account within 2 business days.
Alchemy Tuition Hours and Schedule
Alchemy Tuition expects all tutors to be able to work with a minimum of 4 and maximum of 10 students a week. While they do not guarantee hours, they claim that “it is rare we have a tutor that is not at capacity” and they “will work closely with you to get you to 4 students per week as soon as possible”.
You will be offered students that match the availability you set for yourself and, if agreed with the student and their family, you are free to move them to alternative times when needed. For longer periods off, such as for a holiday, Alchemy Tuition can also arrange cover.
Alchemy Tuition Requirements
Applicants to become an Alchemy tutor must have:
- the ability to work with at least 4 students per week
- graduated from High School
- completed their schooling in Australia
- a willingness to commit to their students for at least 6 months
- an existing working with children check/blue card or a willingness to get one
- the ability to legally work in Australia
- an existing ABN or be willing to obtain one (all tutors are engaged as sub-contractors and as such, an ABN is a requirement to receive payment)
- a reliable internet connection, device and a quiet place to work from (if tutoring online)
A driver’s license and access to a vehicle is also ideal for in-person tutors.
Is Alchemy Tuition Hiring?
At the time of publication, Alchemy Tuition is ‘urgently seeking tutors in all areas’.
Alchemy Tuition Application Process
Begin by completing an Alchemy Tuition application form by answering the following questions (those in the ‘About You’ section are unusual and are aimed at understanding your personality):
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- What state are you in?
- What is your postcode?
- What suburb do you live in?
- How did you hear about us?
- If you have a referral code
- Your education:
- What year did you graduate from High School?
- Did you complete High School in Australia?
- During your High School career, what would you say was your proudest academic achievement?
- What best describes your current academic situation?
- Your experience:
- Have you had any experience tutoring before?
- Why do you feel you would be a great tutor?
- What subjects would you feel confident tutoring?
- Do you have your drivers license?
- About you:
- Imagine we meet at a party. Give us your intro – what are you currently doing, what are you interested in and what are your plans for the future?
- If you could have dinner with any 3 people alive or dead, who would they be and why?
- You become a time traveler and have the opportunity to visit your 15 year-old self, but you can only stay for 30 seconds. What advice would you offer them?
- Character References:
- Names, email addresses, and relationships for 2 referees
- Compliance:
- I understand I will need a valid working with children check or blue card to register as a tutor
- I understand I will need to submit an ABN (Australian Business Number) to receive payment for any work I do
This screen told me that my application had been successfully submitted:
I also received this confirmation email, which informed me that I would receive an answer within 7 days (outside of holiday periods) as to whether I would be invited to an interview or not (it actually came in less than 24 hours):
Alchemy Tuition Interview Questions and Process
Applicants who pass the initial screening will be invited to an online video interview lasting 10-20 minutes. In this they will primarily be assessing your communication skills and how you would deal with students in particular scenarios.
Here are some recent Alchemy Tuition interview questions that have been asked of candidates:
- Tell us more about yourself. What hobbies and studies do you currently have?
- Are you currently working?
- Why did you decide to apply for the tutor position?
- Why did you choose Alchemy Tuition?
- Why would you be a good tutor?
- Who is a person that inspires you?
- What advice would you give to a stressed year 12 student?
- What would you do if a student started crying during a session, and saying that they would fail their exams?
- How would you tackle a potential learning issue a student may have?
- Do you have a WWCC?
- What are your goals?
- Where do you see myself in 5 years?
Once you receive a job offer you will register on the platform, where there is onboarding and online training to complete before you are offered your first students.
Alchemy Tuition Reviews
The Alchemy Tuition Glassdoor page currently reports a high recommendation rate of 98% and overall score of 4.5 out of 5. Below is a summary of these Alchemy tutor reviews, which praise the flexibility, pay, and support from admin staff, though there is some complaint about the lack of communication with other tutors, difficult-to-please parents, and the disparity between the prices paid to the company and what is passed on to tutors:
Here is the response from the company director to this last comment:
The Alchemy Tuition Indeed page rates the company similarly with a 4.5 out of 5 score. For comparison I have included both a recent 5* and 1* review below. The first talks positively about the flexible schedule, fun and rewarding students, and company responsiveness, though they do warn that prep and feedback takes time and some weeks they have no work if their students are unavailable:
This negative review adds to the previous by pointing out that prep time is unpaid and schedules are dependent on the parents, but they have contrasting opinions regarding the students, who can be rude, and unresponsive management:
Conclusion – Is Alchemy Tuition Worth It?
Alchemy Tuition is a reputable company that has attracted largely positive reviews from its tutors. Pay is competitive for the industry and paid out regularly and swiftly, while no higher qualifications or experience are needed, making it an accessible option for many Australians. However, there are some downsides you will need to weigh up, notably the unpaid prep and feedback time, unpaid first session if you don’t make a good impression with new clients, and maximum cap of 10 students a week that limits this to a part-time job with insufficient hours for some.
You can apply for Alchemy Tuition jobs online.
A full list of other online teaching companies can be found here, while alternative Australian providers you may wish to consider are Cluey Learning and Learnmate.
