A BTA tutor is the cheat code for Australian homeschool families.
Better Tuition Academy is the company that funds this site so every Australian family can access the same exam prep regardless of income. BTA tutors also work with homeschoolers across the country - as a teammate for the parent, not a replacement for them.
$70/hr with code examexplained through 2026-12-31. Free first lesson, no contract.
Four ways BTA shows up in a homeschool family
Most homeschool families use BTA in one of these four shapes. You can mix and match.
- 1. Gap-fill
Tutor for the subjects you can't teach
Most homeschool families do brilliantly until a specific subject - usually senior maths, physics, chemistry or essay marking - outruns the parent. That's the moment a weekly 1-on-1 with a BTA tutor pays for itself. You stay the teacher for everything else.
- Senior maths (Methods, Specialist, Advanced)
- Chemistry and physics with practical components
- English essay marking
- Languages where no parent speaks the target language
- 2. Senior exam prep
HSC, VCE and QCE preparation for homeschoolers
Homeschool families preparing for external Year 12 exams overwhelmingly use a tutor for the externally-examined subjects. BTA tutors specialise in HSC, VCE and QCE - most are recent graduates who sat the exams themselves. We work alongside your distance education enrolment, not against it.
- Subject-specific tutors aligned to the relevant syllabus
- Practice papers and exam-style marking
- ATAR strategy and subject selection
- Intensive blocks ahead of internal assessments and externals
- 3. Coordinated tutoring for multi-child families
Multiple children, one schedule
Homeschool families often have several kids studying at the same time. BTA can coordinate timing across siblings - same tutor where possible, back-to-back sessions, less juggling for the parent. Talk to BTA's intake team about how a family arrangement would work for you.
- Back-to-back sessions to fit a school-day rhythm
- Same tutor where possible for continuity
- Coordinated reporting back to the parent
- Talk to intake about scheduling for the whole family
- 4. Independent progress review
A second opinion on how your child is tracking
Ask BTA's intake team for a progress-focused first lesson. The tutor spends the 60-minute free lesson doing a quick diagnostic on the child's current level in one nominated subject, reads a recent piece of work, has a short conversation with the parent about goals and concerns, and follows up by email with a one-page written summary. Useful before a registration renewal, when you want a sanity check, or when planning transitions.
- Short diagnostic across foundational skills in one subject
- Quick read of one recent piece of the child's work
- 10-15 minute parent conversation about goals and concerns
- Follow-up email with one-page summary you can attach to your registration records
Three families, three uses of BTA
Names and identifying details changed. Each is a real pattern we see across homeschool families on the books.
- Gap-fill
The Lim family, NSW
Year 9 student, homeschooled from Year 4
Mum taught everything until Year 8 maths got hard. Started with a weekly BTA Methods tutor in Term 2 Year 9. The tutor explains concepts, sets practice between sessions, marks the work. Mum stays the teacher for English, science and the rest. Six months in, the student went from frustrated and behind to ahead of grade level.
- Senior exam prep
The Patel family, VIC
Year 12 student, enrolled in VSV for VCE
Enrolled in Virtual School Victoria for five VCE subjects. Has two BTA tutors - Chemistry weekly and Maths Methods weekly - plus an intensive block before each major SAC and the externals. Tutors work the VSV course outline, mark practice papers, and run exam-style timed responses. Student aiming for high-80s ATAR for an engineering pathway.
- Progress review
The Whitmore family, QLD
Year 6 student, registered with HEU
Family had been homeschooling for four years. Mum was confident but wanted an independent sanity check before transitioning into Year 7 and harder content. Booked a free first lesson followed by two paid follow-ups with a BTA tutor: diagnostic in Mathematics and English, written summary with strengths and gaps. Used the summary in the annual HEU report.
The Anders family, regional VIC
Year 8 student, homeschooled since Year 3
Family booked a free first lesson with a BTA Methods tutor in Term 2. The tutor was capable and well-prepared, but the family realised partway through that their child needed an in-person rather than online format - focus drifted on video. They didn't continue past the free lesson. The intake team referred them to local options. Sometimes the right answer for a homeschool family is a local in-person tutor or a co-op class; we'd rather you find that out at the free first lesson than three months in.
How it works
Step 1
Contact BTA
Fill in the form. Mention you're a homeschool family and the subject (or gap) you want help with.
Step 2
Free first lesson
We pair you with a tutor for the subject and book your first session. No charge for the first lesson, no payment details needed up front.
Step 3
Regular sessions
Weekly or fortnightly, in your timetable. $70/hr with the code examexplained. No contract.
Step 4
Parent updates
Tutor checks in regularly with the parent. You stay in charge of the program; we cover the subject.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you tutor homeschooled students?
- Yes. BTA tutors work with homeschooled students every year across the country. The format is the same as for school students - live 1-on-1 over Microsoft Teams (or in-person at our Sydney Northern Beaches and North Shore academies) - but the conversations with the parent are different. We work as a teammate to the parent rather than replacing them.
- What subjects do you cover for homeschoolers?
- Years 3 to 12 across English, Mathematics, the three sciences, plus humanities. For senior years, we cover the HSC, VCE and QCE syllabuses in full, including Modern History, Ancient History, Mathematics Methods and Specialist where applicable. Languages on request.
- What does a BTA tutor cost for a homeschool family?
- $70 per hour for live 1-on-1 online tutoring when you mention the code "examexplained" on BTA's contact form. Your first lesson is free. Rate honoured for sessions booked through 2026-12-31. No contract and no auto-billing.
- We have multiple children at home. Can BTA package siblings?
- Yes. Many homeschool families run back-to-back sessions for two or three children with the same tutor. Talk to BTA's intake team about a family arrangement - we can structure packages with consistent timing and family-rate pricing.
- Can BTA help with senior exam preparation if we are not enrolled in a school?
- Yes - this is one of the most common uses. Homeschoolers preparing for HSC, VCE, QCE or equivalent are typically enrolled in a distance education school for the credentialed subjects and use a BTA tutor as the weekly support. We work alongside the distance school's program rather than replacing it.
- Can BTA do a 'second opinion' progress review for a homeschool child?
- Yes. Some homeschool families bring in a BTA tutor for a one-off or termly progress review - an independent check on what the child knows, where the gaps are, and how they would benchmark against a school cohort. Useful before a registration renewal or when the parent wants a sanity check.
- Is BTA only based in Sydney?
- BTA has five in-person academies on Sydney's Northern Beaches and North Shore (Belrose, Brookvale, Forestville, Gordon and Mona Vale). Online tutoring is delivered Australia-wide over Microsoft Teams.
- How is BTA different from other tutoring services?
- BTA is the company that funds ExamExplained - we built the free site so every Australian family could access the same quality material regardless of income. The tutoring is how we pay for that, and how families who want a real person work with one. Our tutors are subject specialists, mostly recent ATAR-strong graduates, not generalists.
The free first lesson is the whole pitch.
You see whether the tutor is a fit, whether the format works, whether the child engages. If yes, you book more. If no, you don't. Zero risk, no payment details required to start.