"Maximum effectiveness in helping to overcome critical and emergency situations that require a specific approach. I teach maths at the last minute in a simple, fast and effective manner," that’s how Jacek recommends his tutoring services in maths on a popular website with advertisements. He charges 80 PLN per one-hour lesson.
Only in the maths section can we find far more than 2,000 thousand advertisements of persons offering private lessons. Lessons with students of exact sciences are the cheapest (30-40 PLN), the price of lessons with doctoral students is usually higher (50-80 PLN), and academic lecturers collect 80-100 PLN per one-hour meeting.
Tutors often point out that they are doctoral students, have academic degrees or work at schools of higher education – an academic experience is an advantage. Like Piotr, a doctoral student at one of the Wroclaw schools of higher education, they also boast that they are extremely effective teachers. "All of the students who had lessons with me passed their exams. 3-4 lessons before exams are usually enough," says Piotr.
He does not publish advertisements himself - his services are recommended to students having difficulties in learning maths by other persons. At the end of a semester, he gives lessons even up to 10 persons. His lessons cost 100 PLN per hour.
He also agrees to give lessons to a group of maximum 3-4 persons. In such case, the price is lower (180 PLN per hour).
Persons giving lessons in chemistry and physics have also a lot of work before end-of-term exams. However, there are fewer offers in these subjects, and lessons are cheaper: from 25 PLN (lessons given by a student of physics) to 70-80 PLN per one lesson with an academic lecturer.
Students of the Wroclaw University of Technology (Politechnika Wrocławska) have many problems with mathematical analysis and algebra, students of the University of Wroclaw (Uniwersytet Wrocławski) often look for help in maths, chemistry and physics, and students of the Wroclaw University of Economics (Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny) are often afraid of exams in accountancy, statistics and maths.
Colleagues, courses, private lessons
However, students say that private lessons are the last resort. At first, they usually seek help from more gifted colleagues or students of older years.
Michał, year 3 of management at the Wroclaw University of Economics: "I and my colleagues often learned together or explained problems to one another, mainly in exact sciences. Sometimes I acted as tutor, although I did that free of charge."
Rafał, a student of Business Informatics, uses courses in YouTube or in e-learning platforms. Their most important advantage is that they are offered free of charge.
At the Wroclaw University of Technology, one of the older students has organised a free course in mathematical analysis twice in each semester for three years. "More than 200 persons participate in it– there are many more students willing to attend, but the capacity of the room is too small to let them in," says Wojciech Ruszkiewicz, head of the self-government of students of the WUT.
The Wroclaw University of Technology has also prepared two series of recorded lectures devoted to mathematical analysis and physics. Each of them consists of several episodes, with each episode lasting 20 minutes. The most popular episodes have even achieved 90,000 hits.
When colleagues and courses fail to help, private lessons are the only solution. "My friends use this support mainly before a difficult exam or a retake exam. The demand for private lessons is remarkably higher at the time of end-of-term exams," admits Ania from the Wroclaw University of Economics. Friends of Tomek, a student of finance and accountancy, decide to have additional private lessons with him not because of the subject itself, but due to his approach and requirements. "These are single meetings before exams rather than regular meetings," says the youth.
Michał, student of year 2 of management: "When things get really hot, we meet and go to private lessons together. But this is the last resort."
