One-on-one PC training

By Adam Gifford

An attempt by a large computer training company to develop a franchise business for at-home tutoring has raised eyebrows at One on One Computer Tuition Ltd.

One on One has been in business for seven years and still has only five tutors in Auckland and one in Wellington.

Founder Clare Lamb says it is not through lack of trying - she has advertised in the past for franchisees, but the combination of computer, teaching and people skills needed has proved elusive.

"If we find one person a year, we feel we are doing well," Clare Lamb says.

"The people who work for us have experienced our tuition or heard about us and wanted to join."

There is more to taking computer learning into the home, small business or large office on a one-to-one basis than working through course notes.

"Tutors need to have an extensive user background. They're not just asked to help people learn a particular program, but to fill gaps in people's knowledge.

"Experience is everything. They need to know hardware and software, as well as have a network of support people and suppliers so they can help people get what they need."

Tutorials last three hours, with a short break in the middle, and cost about the same as a full day's course from a classroom-based operator. Most of the work involves Microsoft applications running on PCs.

"What you can learn in a three-hour, one-on-one session is more than equivalent to a full class. You absorb more, you retain more, it's more relaxed and friendly," she says.

One on One tutors ask clients what they know and what they use their computers for, and design the tutorials to suit. Clare Lamb says everyone's needs are unique, but the prompt sheets the company has developed over the years cover most of the common problems.

"What all of us do most is reassure people, giving them the assurance and confidence they need to use computers." She says the most common difficulty people have is just managing the file system - working out how to find their work in the maze of the hard disk.

"We're frequently asked to help smaller businesses. We find out what type of documentation they are producing, what documents they want to produce, then design templates and show them how to use them."

One on One tutors handle all their own support calls.

"Some people will never call us, others need a lot of support for a short time. Some people ring two years later with one question, which probably means they're ready for their next session."

Many of One on One's clients have been women wanting to re-enter the workforce or work on the home PC. For those wanting to return to the workforce, there can be a huge technology gap. To get a job they must know Windows, word processing, spreadsheeting and e-mail, she says. "There are many women who have computers in their home who can become distressed. They can't help children with them."