Interview Synthesis — Behavioral Segments
Segments describe recurring tutor behavior patterns, with characteristic workflows, pain points, and desired outcomes. Quotes were translated to English where needed.
1) The Retention Maximizers
Defining characteristics
- Prioritize long‑term student relationships over new acquisition
- Invest significant unpaid time in personalized feedback and tracking
- Use detailed per‑student documentation systems
- Adapt teaching approach for individual needs
Core pains + desired outcomes
- Pains: time‑consuming manual feedback creation; disorganized student records; forgetting past lessons/topics; unpaid prep work
- Outcomes: automated-but-reviewable feedback; cross‑lesson memory; efficient progress tracking
What they do today
- Manual notebooks and per‑student Word docs
- ChatGPT for lesson prep (with heavy editing)
- WhatsApp groups for advice
- Post‑lesson feedback PDFs and error summaries
Representative quote
“Absolutely—keeping the students you already have… It’s something I want to organize better, you know? Structure it better—maybe keep a notebook with each student’s name, because sometimes I completely forget what I talked about in a lesson.” — Ana Livia
2) The Conversation Purists
Defining characteristics
- Prefer advanced students and minimal prep
- Focus on natural conversation + rapport over structured curricula
- Rely heavily on memory and intuition for tracking
- Avoid formal grammar instruction and homework
Core pains + desired outcomes
- Pains: irregular advanced student attendance; lack of visible progress; volatile demand; memory‑based tracking limitations
- Outcomes: simple progress visualization; optional auto‑summaries; instant content retrieval (media/articles/topics)
What they do today
- YouTube, articles, music for spontaneous content
- In‑the‑moment corrections via chat
- Memory‑based continuity between sessions
- Minimal structured documentation
Representative quote
“Most people who come to talk to me say they don’t want a class, they don’t want a teacher, they don’t want to write anything; they just want to talk… advanced students don’t require as much effort, organization, or methodological prep.” — Júnior
3) The Professionals
Defining characteristics
- Build highly structured, methodical teaching approaches
- Often avoids platforms and control own website, mailing list, marketing channels
- Maintain detailed assessment + progress tracking
- Invest heavily in personalized student journeys
Core pains + desired outcomes
- Pains: hard to scale 1:1 teaching; marketing burden; time‑intensive assessment creation; learners’ poor self‑assessment
- Outcomes: scalable content delivery; automated progress dashboards; efficient content production tools
What they do today
- Independent operations with custom packages
- Student profiles (“ficha do aluno”) + assessments
- ScreenPal, YouTube, Instagram for content
- Structured mid‑course and end‑of‑course evaluations
Representative quote
“Scaling is very hard… When I have a lesson package with a student, we do an assessment… Students have a very poor sense of what they know and what they don’t.” — Jessica
4) The Adaptive Pragmatists
Defining characteristics
- Highly flexible approach based on student goals + learning styles
- Heavy AI tool users with strong human oversight
- Balance efficiency with personalization through smart workflows
- Adapt to multiple platforms and student types
Core pains + desired outcomes
- Pains: AI reliability requires manual review; students can’t articulate goals; generic materials don’t fit diverse needs
- Outcomes: reliable AI assistants with tutor control; goal discovery tools; efficient personalization at scale
What they do today
- Multiple platforms (italki, Preply, Verbling), or own websites
- ChatGPT + manual editing for exercises and content
- Rely more on role‑play and scenario simulations
- Adapt to mode of instruction students claim to prefer
Representative quote
“It’s about delivering value in a customized way… the challenge is identifying the problem the student wants to solve… I always have to review what was done before I pass it to the student.” — Tony
5) The Engagement Innovators
Defining characteristics
- Structured activities like such as games, improv, and simulations
- Often has a “signature method” that acts as a marketing hook
- Avoids explicit grammar instruction and textbook drills common in language instruction
- Optimize for spontaneity and authentic reactions
- Saavy about best practices for online courses, such as selling a “transformation” rather than instruction
Core pains + desired outcomes
- Pains: high emotional labor; hard to scale a personal approach; student expectations for traditional grades/levels; maintaining long‑term momentum
- Outcomes: tools that support live engagement without killing spontaneity; high‑commitment program structures; non‑judgmental progress indicators
What they do today
- Custom games per grammar function
- YouTube channels + membership models
- Multiple coaches to scale
- Intensive + ongoing support structures
Representative quote
“I have a program for conversation. I don’t do grammar and I don’t do pronunciation itself—I just do conversation… I design a game for every single aspect… I think it’s still a bit stiff. It lacks spontaneity.” — Tutor (program operator)
Recommendation: Best Initial Wedge Segment
The Retention Maximizers
Why this segment: - Highest pain intensity: already spending unpaid time on tasks a tool can automate (feedback, tracking, organization) - Proven willingness to pay: premium tiers for personalized materials - Clear value prop: time savings translate directly into more teaching time (or personal time) - Workflow fit: already use multiple tools (ChatGPT, notebooks, PDFs) and want a unified system - Network effects: retention‑focused teachers recommend tools that keep students longer - Measurable outcomes: time saved, retention improvements, tutor satisfaction