THE TUTORING CENTER Franchise: A Great Business to Own?
The Tutoring Center franchise owners operate learning centers specializing in after-school tutoring services in reading, math, writing, test preparation and study skills for school age children. Is The Tutoring Center franchise a great business to own? What should those considering this investment know about The Tutoring Center and its franchise opportunity? See what others are saying and share your opinions below.
(UnhappyFranchisee.Com) The Tutoring Center franchise owners provide after-school tutoring services in reading, math, writing, pre-algebra, algebra 1 and 2, geometry, test preparation and study skills for school age children.
According to The Tutoring Center franchise marketing:
Owning one of our franchises affords you recognition and a “time-tested” system. We give you a proven method of doing business in this industry. We take great pride in creating a successful relationship with our franchisees. In short, we are “partners in your success.”… By working together and supporting your needs, you receive all the tools to run a successful business in our industry.
According to the 2015 The Tutoring Center Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), “The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Tutoring Center franchised business is $90,000 to $132,200. This includes $40,000 that must be paid to the franchisor and/or its affiliate, as appropriate.”
Is the The Tutoring Center franchise a great business to own? Are The Tutoring Center franchisees successful… and happy? What are the potential pros and cons of owning a The Tutoring Center franchise?
We invite those familiar with The Tutoring Center franchise program (franchisees, instructors, franchise or corporate employees, parents, educators) to share their opinions – positive and negative – with a comment below.
Anonymous comments are welcome; however, please use a valid email address (won’t be publicly visible).
The Tutoring Center Franchise Advantages – Opinions Invited
The Tutoring Center franchise marketing includes this list of franchise advantages:
- Monday to Thursday: Enjoy a 3-day weekend every week!
- Great Part-Time Hours & Lifestyle
- No Late Nights or Weekends working on Paperwork
- Change the lives of Children in your Community
- Finest “System” in the After-school Learning Industry
- No Teaching Experience Necessary
- Large exclusive territories
- No Accounts Receivable
- Easy to find Instructors and Staff
- Low Franchise Fee and Royalty Fees
- “The Boss is You.”
- “Grand Opening” Assistance.
- Marketing Support.
- Established System.
Do you know of other benefits of owning The Tutoring Center franchise? Share a comment below.
The Tutoring Center Franchise Disadvantages – And Potential Red Flags
Do you know of potential disadvantages of The Tutoring Center franchise program? Please share below.
Item 20 of the 2015 The Tutoring Center Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) reveals a concerning number of franchise closures & terminations, and franchisee turnover.
During the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, there were a total of 84 active franchise agreements.
19, or 25%, of these franchises were terminated, didn’t renew, or transferred to other owners.
| The Tutoring Center Franchise Turnover | Locations
2012 |
Locations
2013 |
Locations
2014 |
Total
Agreements |
Closed or
Transferred |
Turnover
Rate |
|
| 53 | 58 | 66 | 75 | 19 | 25.33% | ||
| Centers Terminated | 10 | ||||||
| Non-renewals | 8 | ||||||
| Reacquired by franchisor | 0 | ||||||
| Ceased Operations – other reasons | 0 | ||||||
| Transferred to new owners* | 1 |
* In some cases, a transfer could mean a franchise was sold at a profit, but it often means that an owner exited the system at a loss.
What are the disadvantages of The Tutoring Center franchise?
Why does it appear that a high percentage of The Tutoring Center franchisees exit the system?
Tutoring Franchises Average a High 25.52% Turnover Rate
Unfortunately, it appears that the entire tutoring services and supplemental education segment of the franchise industry is suffering from high franchisee turnover.
The ten largest franchises in this segment average 25.52% turnover, with several (Tutor Doctor, Sylvan, & Club Z) exceeding 30%.
| Tutoring Franchise
Turnover Rates* |
Turnover
Rate 2012-2015 |
Closed or
Transferred 2012-2014 |
Turnover
Rate 2012-2015 |
| Kumon | 20.52% | Eye Level | 22.6% |
| Sylvan | 31.17% | Tutor Doctor | 31.8% |
| Club Z | 30.71% | LearningRx | 26.95% |
| Mathnasium | 17% | JEI Learning Centers | 20.23% |
| Huntington | 28.9% | The Tutoring Center | 25.33% |
Are tutoring franchises – in general – not thriving in today’s marketplace?
Is the tutoring market overbuilt and saturated with tutoring franchises?
Should prospective franchisees stay away from education franchises in general?
Share your opinion below. Company responses, clarifications and corrections are invited and encouraged.
Data Sources for The Tutoring Center and other tutoring franchises are the 2015 Franchise Disclosure Documents, or FDDS, of the respective companies.
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FRANCHISE DISCUSSIONS by Company
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE TUTORING CENTER AND/OR THE TUTORING CENTER FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY? SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
TAGS: The Tutoring Center, The Tutoring Center franchise, Tutoring Center franchise, The Tutoring Center franchise complaints, The Tutoring Center tutoring franchise, Tutoring franchise, Education franchise, Education franchise opportunity, Education franchise complaints, unhappy franchisee
The Tutoring Center (TTC) of which I was an owner is a dead loser in monetary terms . The CEO is less than truthful about almost everything from cost to open to projected earnings. The hours are much longer than the 5 hrs a day 4 days a week advertised. The rewards of satisfaction are true with respect to the students ,mostly, but ends there. The company is horrible and did very little to promote your business success. There is no money in teaching no matter how much you may want this to be untrue. The limited satisfaction you receive for the amount of effort required makes the proposition poor at best. Just volunteer or take on private students if satisfaction is what your after.
I agree with the above comment. I too owned the same franchise and the CEO is a control freak. He talks a big game about how the center is for ADH students but he makes the owners stack their shelves with candy and other junk which is not good for kids.
You are much better opening your own non-franchised business or just private tutoring. They make you buy so much useless items with their logo on it and the prices are very high. They play favorites to the 4 or 5 centers which are doing well and they look down on the centers which are not as successful.
I did not lose money in this experience but I would say please don’t waste your time with this franchise. The turnover rate is very high and company will hide that information from you.
This place is a scam.
Could any of those who have left comments advise:
1) as a franchise owner, are you required to purchase all furnishings, equipment and supplies from their preferred vendors? including the educational “prizes”? what about posters and bulletin board decorations?
2) as a franchise owner, about how many minimum number of students (coming twice per week) are needed to turn a profit? and how many instructors?
3) does the HQ provide ongoing data/stats from all franchises showing student success rates by program type?
Thanks in advance!
I work at one of the centers. My boss was responsible for purchasing the furniture in the office. She had to buy furniture from a particular vendor. The furniture is really expensive for what you are getting. You cannot add or change any of the furniture choices. In addition to the furniture, she is required to purchase all the equipment and supplies from a preferred vendor. All the stuff from the posters to the sticker choices are expensive. The kicker is that they choose products that no other store sells, so you cannot got to staples and ask for a price match. The educational prizes also have to be purchased on a monthly basis. The kids get impatient if stuff on the shelves is old, and they buy a lot of stuff. You don’t have to purchase the prizes from a particular vendor. My boss buys stuff from the dollar store and five and under. I think she would be better off if she bought things from other places when they have sales or in bulk online. HQ does not give any stats on student success.
Am having huge problems with the Ceo where he’s even threatening me . This guy is a huge scam.
Am having huge problems with the Ceo where he’s even threatening me . This guy is a huge scam. I’d appreciate any advice given
The Tutoring center is fraud.The FDD hasn’t been accurate since 2019 . I heard the franchisor is being investigated for sex tourism by the feds. He is a control freak and if things don’t go his way he rushes to court. This company should just be closed. No way such a person should be allowed to run an education company or to interact with children. Most franchisees feel stuck and there’s not much they can do .
There’s even a website exposing him.
The Tutoring center franchise corp
https://www.change.org/exposedredwardthalheimerofchildsexrelatedcrimes