Join a Network Built on Excellence — Not Just Numbers
LST connects serious, committed Orton-Gillingham (OG) therapists with families who are ready and waiting. No marketing. No cold outreach. Just the right students, thoughtfully matched.
This is not a tutoring marketplace.
It is a professional home.
Language Skills Therapy has operated differently from every other tutoring organization in
Oregon since 1960.
We don't employ tutors.
We don't take a cut of what you earn.
We don't hand out leads at random.
What we do is carefully match independently certified OG specialists with families whose children are right for their expertise, approach, and availability. Every family comes through a personal intake process — you receive students chosen for you, not whoever called first.
We're looking for therapists who are serious about their practice, committed to evidence-based instruction, and want to be part of something with real roots and real standards.
If that's you, LST may be the professional home you've been looking for.
We are not for everyone.
We are for the right people.
What LST membership actually means
for your practice.
you keep everything you earn
LST does not take a cut of your hourly rate. Ever. Your earnings are yours. What you pay is a modest monthly membership fee. That's it.
mentoring for new members
Therapists who are new to LST have access to mentoring support as they build their practice within our network. You are not dropped into the deep end. Experienced colleagues are available and the biweekly Tutor Talks create a natural space for getting guidance on challenging cases.
60 years of institutional knowledge
When you join LST you don't just get referrals — you gain access to a collaborative community that has been building expertise together since 1960. If you have a challenging student, you can reach out to experienced colleagues who have seen it before. That kind of professional depth cannot be replicated by any tutoring marketplace or agency.
continuing education resources
LST curates and shares ongoing professional development opportunities — online and in-person — so you stay current in a field that continues to evolve. Our hybrid membership meetings, held via Zoom or in-person, include programs designed to advance your practice.
biweekly
Tutor Talks
Every two weeks, LST therapists come together on Zoom to share resources, discuss challenges, and support each other's practice. These are not mandatory webinars — they are genuine peer conversations among specialists who take their work seriously.
Oregon’s oldest OG organization
Being part of LST signals to families that you meet rigorous standards built over six decades. That credibility is not available anywhere else in Oregon.
monthly member meetings
LST is democratically run. Monthly meetings give every member a voice in how the organization operates. You can make recommendations directly to the board and be heard. This is your organization as much as anyone's.
thoughtful referrals, not random leads
Every family referred to you through LST has been through an intake process. Their child's needs have been assessed, a narrative profile has been written, and you have been selected as the right match — not just whoever was available.
professional liability insurance
LST provides professional liability insurance coverage for students placed through our network — a benefit most independent tutors have to source and pay for themselves.
Built differently, by design.
Democratically Run
LST is a nonprofit organization run by its members. Monthly meetings give every tutor a direct voice in how the organization operates. You can make recommendations to the board and be heard. The decisions that shape LST are made collectively — not handed down from a corporate office. This cooperative structure is rare in the tutoring world, and it matters: LST exists to serve its members and the families they work with, not to extract profit from either.
Financially Fair
The model is straightforward. You set your own rates, up to the agreed-upon cap. LST does not take a cut of your hourly earnings; your income from tutoring is entirely yours. What you contribute is a modest monthly membership fee, and families pay a one-time placement fee at the time of their first match. That modest structure is what keeps LST running and allows us to provide everything we offer our members.
Professionally Grounded
You have complete flexibility in how you structure your practice. Set your own schedule. Offer sessions in person or online. LST places no restrictions on how you run your tutoring business — we simply connect you with the right families and support your work from there. When therapists are treated as professionals rather than contractors, and quality is prioritized over volume, everyone benefits — therapists, families, and the students whose lives change when they get the right instruction at the right time.
New to OG?
There's a path for you too.
LST actively supports the growth of the next generation of OG practitioners. Through our partnership with Elizabeth Johnson, a Fellow of the Orton-Gillingham Academy, we offer training opportunities that create a direct pipeline into LST membership.
Trainees who complete Elizabeth Johnson's OG training and join LST to tutor their practicum student through our network receive a partial refund of their training fee upon successful completion of their practicum.
This means you can begin your OG career with built-in student placement support, professional mentorship, and a community of experienced practitioners from day one.
Upcoming training with Elizabeth Johnson — Summer 2026, Edison High School, Portland.
Contact us to learn more about training opportunities and the LST practicum pathway.
Who We're Looking For
LST therapists are independently certified specialists. To join our network you will need the following:
A bachelor's degree. Completion of training in an Orton-Gillingham based method of remediating dyslexia. Completion of a supervised practicum. Three professional references.
If you are currently completing your practicum, you are still eligible to apply — practicum-level therapists are welcome in our network at a reduced membership rate while they complete their supervised hours.
We review each application individually. If you have questions about whether your training and certification background meets our standards, reach out and we'll have a conversation.
Ready to join Oregon's oldest OG network?
We'd love to learn more about your practice and tell you more about what LST membership looks like.