A website which promises to give exam students access to the "best teachers in Ireland" from the comfort of their homes has begun operating this week.
More than 25 teachers have been recruited by the site - examteacher.com - and exam students can purchase online lessons for £7.50 an hour. The website is the most radical departure so far from traditional classroom teaching methods.
Over 1,000 pupils have registered with the site since it began operating on Tuesday, according to its founder, Mr John Gavin, a Co Clare teacher. A small group of private investors have put £1 million into the project so far.
Mr Gavin said it was the first service of its type in the Republic. He explained that students could now access grinds and home tuition through their PCs, although he emphasised that online lessons were not a "substitute" for traditional school classes.
He said the 25 teachers had been recruited from a group of 200 applicants.
The teachers deliver their lessons live from offices based in Ennis, Co Clare, and students from around the State can access them on their PCs simultaneously.
The students can hear and talk to the teachers and their PC screen is transformed into a blackboard. Teachers are able to highlight and underline points and take questions online during classes. The pupils can also view graphics put on the screen by teachers.
Parents or their children pay for lessons either by cheque or credit card. The website's staff send study notes to the students before each lesson so that they can prepare for it.
About 20 subjects at Junior and Leaving Certificate level are on offer. The company behind the project, Mindbest Ltd, is offering free Easter revision courses to thousands of students, beginning next week.
The website could prove controversial. Private fee-paying grind schools have been criticised by many teachers in mainstream schools for concentrating solely on exam results. Others in the education sector have questioned whether their success gives more affluent students an advantage over those who cannot afford tuition outside school.
However, Mr Gavin said his site was improving the provision of private tuition. "A lot of private one-on-one tuition is not good quality. This site gives students the chance to buy lessons unit by unit and allows them to interact with the teacher during and after the class, or by sending a private e-mail."
He said the site was a commercial enterprise and no regulation was required from the Department of Education.