What are the most important factors to consider if you’re looking for a private tutor? Here are some issues you might like to think about.
Is the tutor safe?
This might not be your first thought when hiring a tutor. But if you’re leaving your child in the care of a total stranger, you need to know they’re safe from harm.
In the UK, a DBS certificate proves whether someone is permitted to work with children and vulnerable adults. Astonishingly, UK tutors aren’t required to have one but at This Child Can, we don’t think that’s good enough. That’s why we require our tutors to hold up-to-date DBS certificates, giving you absolute peace of mind.
Any reputable tutor should do the same, so don’t be afraid to ask!
Will the tutor get results?
Most people hire a tutor to improve their child’s academic results. So how do you tell the difference between a superstar tutor and a mediocre one? It comes down to three key qualities:
Knowledge: A good tutor knows the subjects they are teaching inside out. But it’s not enough just to be a walking encyclopaedia: there are a lot of very bright people out there who would make terrible teachers.
Experience: To find a truly effective tutor, look for a track record of teaching children of a similar age – and with similar needs – to those of your child. Though by no means a guarantee, the more experience a tutor has, the greater their ability to understand your child’s needs and tailor their learning experience to suit. Look for many years of teaching or tutoring experience, not just weeks and months.
Personality: If you remember your own school days, you’ll know why personality is so important: inspirational teachers create confident students, setting them on the path to a bright future. So what’s the ideal personality for a tutor or teacher? It’s being approachable and fun, yet disciplined. It’s being encouraging and supportive, especially when a child is struggling or frustrated. It’s being perceptive, kind and determined, without being pushy or impatient.
What does the tutor charge?
Let’s face it, great tutors aren’t cheap, so it’s worth asking yourself why. While you might be extraordinarily lucky and find a good tutor charging very little money, the adage buy cheap, buy twice is worth remembering.
In other words: good tutors with all of the qualities listed above tend to charge more because they get results. Hiring a high school student at half the price might be tempting but it could equally turn out to be a false economy.
Decisions, decisions…
Hiring a bad tutor is not only expensive; it’s bad for your child and can aggravate existing problems around confidence, anxiety and discipline. But how do you know if a tutor is reputable if you’ve never met them?
Perhaps the most reliable route to a quality tutor is a personal recommendation from another parent. Failing that, use Google to find one with a good reputation (Google Maps, for instance, will show you a list of tutors alongside customer reviews).
Once you’ve selected a tutor, don’t decide until you’ve spoken to them. After the conversation, ask yourself: would I like to be taught by this person? Or even better, ask your child what they think!
Naturally, we wouldn’t be writing this unless we felt we were ticking all the right boxes. We’re proud of our fantastic reputation, which is why most of our business comes from word-of-mouth recommendations from our fantastic clients.
So if you’re looking for a tutor to help your child, why not drop us a line? We’d be over the moon to speak to you and can’t wait to start helping your child too!
