Some tutors at the trAce Online Writing School are available for one-to-one tutoring. Each arrangement is based on a contract negotiated between student and tutor which is suitable for their needs. Typical situations might be:

• You have a period of holiday time approaching and would like to use it to focus on a specific task e.g. reworking a short story or poem sequence.
• You would like a sustained critical relationship over a period of weeks or months so that you can obtain feedback on an ongoing writing/programming project
• You would like to develop certain technical skills - to write a sonnet, or to build a website
• You would like to be tutored by a specific person whose work you admire.

How it works
You and your tutor will be given a private study space inside the trAce School. Effectively, it is a course for just one person. You will have access to it for the period of your contract and can use it for posting and discussing work with your tutor. Your tutor may provide you with appropriate resources inside the space, and may arrange live chat meetings with you. You can also work by email if your tutor agrees.

How much it costs
Each contract costs £25 to set up, and is based on an agreement regarding the number of hours your tutor agrees to spend teaching, reading your work, and providing feedback. The fee varies between tutors but most charge £30 per hour.

Basic Package
We recommend a basic package of 5 hours at a cost of £175. If you require extra time, further hours can be negotiated at £30 per hour and trAce will provide an extension contract to cover them.

How do I pay?
Payment is in advance and based on the contract you agree with your tutor. trAce collects payments and manages any contractual problems which might arise. Extra time can be quickly arranged with an extension contract, and is also payable in advance.

How does the contract work?
It's important that you and your tutor agree on the purpose of your arrangements and that you each are clear about the amount of time the other is contributing. You will gain more benefit from a targeted relationship than from unfocussed and occasional contact, and your tutor can give your writing better attention if s/he knows when to expect it and what your intentions are for the work. trAce will help you identify your needs and draw up a contract based on:

1. What will be the outcome? E.g. a finished short story; a completed sequence of poems; an outline for a novel; a treatment for a screenplay etc
2. How many hours will the tutor spend teaching, reading and commenting?
3. Over what period of time?

Example 1
You wish to rewrite the first chapter of a novel and you would like the option to submit drafts to your tutor 3 times. You would also like your tutor to spend 2 hours helping you develop a synopsis. You would like this work to take place over a period of 2 months, with contact spaced out regularly over that period. You and your tutor agree some rough submission dates so that s/he will know when to expect work from you.

Example 2
You wish to learn Flash programming very quickly in order to use it in a current project. You agree on 5 hours of tutorial and feedback time over a period of 2 weeks. You and your tutor agree that much of the contact time will be fragmented into troubleshooting your work as you go, and your tutor guarantees a quick turnaround response time of 3 hours per query during office hours.

The above are just two examples of the way an agreement might work. Please feel free to make further suggestions.

How long will it be before I can start?
It's important to get the contract right before you begin. We recommend you leave at least one month for negotiation. This is a big investment of your time and money and will work best with good pre-planning.

How do I arrange for one-to-one tutoring at the School?

Stage 1 Application
Email us at traceschool@ntu.ac.uk and we will provide you with the necessary documentation to apply for a one-to-one tutoring place. You can request a named tutor or, if you are not sure which tutor you would like, we help you decide. You will be asked to include in your application a sample of the writing or project you would like to work on plus a short synopsis of your plans. Please note that we cannot guarantee a place on the scheme as it is dependent upon tutors' availability.

Stage 2 Contract negotiation
If your application is successful, we will put you in contact with your prospective tutor and work with you to develop a tutoring contract. Once it is ready, you will pay the appropriate fee.

Stage 3 Scheme commences
Tutoring begins on the contracted date.

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