Leaders

Providing opportunities to learn from any corner of the world, Online education is convenient, flexible, and offers more individual attention which ensures the holistic development of a student. Ashima Singhal Sarkar realized that there is a dearth of good tutors in the remote location and in order to bridge the gap she cofounded an E-Learning solution called as eTutorWorld Learning Solutions. Her tech and educator’s experience helped her combine the learning of both domains and provide an effective way of learning to the students.

Ashima Singhal Sarkar recently engaged in an exclusive interaction with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, here’s the highlight from the same.

Take us through your early educational and professional background.

I graduated from St Xaviers College, Mumbai, and completed my post-graduation in Statistics and Operations Research from Mumbai University. I started my career with Tata Motors in their Management and Information System Department which was one of the most ethical and best corporate experiences I had and it helped me to carry the same morals and culture to eTutorWorld.

After a sabbatical of eight years, which I took to focus on my family, I went back to college for a degree in Education and from there I saw a plethora of opportunities in the Education field and of which online teaching seemed most exciting. Therefore, we started eTutorWorld in 2008 with just four tutors, including myself. Then convincing students & parents especially in the US that Indians too can be good teachers of maths & science was tough. But gradually, our testimonials from existing students helped us to build a name and reputation for our services and are now ranked on many sites as one of the Best Tutoring Services.

What led to finding ETutorWorld Learning Solutions and what is the underlying idea behind it along with some special features about it?

Access to good tutors especially in remote areas was something I experienced myself and, I realized that many others are facing the same issue. The easy availability of home computers and a good network connection provided a good business opportunity in the field of online education and that is how eTutorWorld was founded.

Our USP is the focus on concept-building rather than mere homework help because every child learns differently and it’s this individualization that helps us get happy students and parents. As of today 4000+ students have learned from us. The rigorous Tutor Training transforms our tutors into mentors too, who in turn take ownership of every student’s academic progress and our 24X7 support for tutors and students goes a long way in establishing customer relations and customer retention.

Tell us about the roles and responsibilities you shoulder including the challenges you face at your position and how do you overcome those challenges?

For about 13 years, my primary role was to establish and strengthen the Operations and Sales team in eTutorWorld along with the Tutor Management and Academic Content development now my focus is on developing premium, proprietary Academic Content and streamlining more than ten thousand units on eTutorWorld’s exclusive worksheet tool.

Building trust in our customers online was the biggest challenge that we have overcome with our niche tutoring services and impeccable customer support system. Presently, most of our tutors are from India, and hence, convincing global students and parents about our ability to teach the US curriculum using appropriate pedagogical skills was a herculean task. But, our excellent team of tutors and customer support helped us in overcoming this challenge.

“Challenges are a part of life, however following your passion is the road to success”

What has been your most remarkable achievement so far and what is the driving force behind your success as a business leader?

It took us 13 years to create a name for ourselves in the US education market and hence, growing from a team of four tutors to about 50+ now has been a remarkable milestone while maintaining the quality of tutoring all through.

My family is my driving force as they have always supported me and they always made sure that we don’t ever lose hope in building the EdTech business of our dreams.

How do you keep yourself aligned with the periodic evolutions in this domain? What advice you would like to give young women and girls who are aspiring to become business leaders in the future?

Earlier students had only one option for supplementary academic help, and that was the next-door tutor., Now K-12 students are able to interact in real-time with a virtual teacher who is a total stranger and go beyond the school curriculum, all from the comfort of their homes. Also, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and gamification have made learning for a child easier and more interesting.

Reading, webinars, and short courses are a great way to keep abreast of the developments in the Indian and global e-learning landscape.

The secret sauce to being a successful business leader is hard work, self-care, and having the courage to ask for your rights. Being a female is not a roadblock, so grab those opportunities that come your way and the world will make way for you.

Ashima Singhal Sarkar, Co-Founder & Director Etutorworld Learning Solutions

Having years of working experience in the Management and Information System Department, Ashima Singhal Sarkar has done her Post graduation in Statistics and Operations Research from Mumbai University.