Making sure your child gets a good education and enjoys learning is one of the most important considerations for any parent.
Sometimes, children need some extra tuition in a subject – whether that’s because they’re struggling or they need a tutor to give them more academically demanding content. But finding a tutor online can be overwhelming as there are lots of candidates out there and it can be time consuming to sift through them all.
Here are some of the key factors to keep in mind when searching for a private tutor, which we hope will help you make a decision.
Educational expertise
When you’re forking out money for a private tutor, you want to make sure that they’ve got the right knowledge to help your child succeed.
The majority of top tutors are degree-educated in their subject, with many holding a Masters or PhD as well. Lots of tutors will also have worked – or will be currently working – as professional teachers. The brilliant thing about tutoring is that it builds on your child’s current education, offering them a chance to explore subjects in more depth and gain new knowledge that they wouldn’t in the classroom.
If your child has a particular passion for English Literature, you might want to find them a tutor who studied this at University and will be able to pass on their own knowledge and love for the subject.
It’s also important to make sure that a tutor will be able to cater to your child’s syllabus and exam board. For example, if your child is studying for the International Baccalaureate or their Common Entrance exams then you’ll want to find a tutor who has specific knowledge of these exam boards and specifications.
Personality
This often doesn’t seem like the most crucial factor when finding a tutor, but it’s actually pretty important. Your child will be spending a lot of time working 1-1 with their tutor, so it’s better if they get along and their personalities gel.
Students often develop really positive relationships with their tutors and you want to make sure your child will be comfortable asking them questions, making mistakes and learning from them.
With sites like Brighterly, you’re able to message tutors to ask questions and have a free online trial before booking in lessons. This way, you’re able to get to know a tutor’s personality and approach to teaching before you decide if they’re the right fit for your child.
DBS check
A DBS check, or Disclosure from Barring Services check, provides tutors with a certificate that shows they are cleared to work with children and young people.
It’s a government run background check that reassures parents that tutors are suitable candidates to teach their kids. Employers often use a DBS checks provider like uCheck.
Most credible tutoring sites will require their tutors to have a DBS check and lots of independent private tutors will have one too.
Teaching experience
As mentioned earlier, lots of tutors have also worked as teachers and will have a PGCE and plenty of teaching experience. You’ll want to check out a tutor’s online profile to see what experience they’ve previously had, be it in a school, teaching abroad or just as a private tutor.
Reviews from previous students and parents are another great way to check a tutor’s experience. Tutoring platforms encourage their customers to leave feedback after a tutoring session, so you can see how many lessons a tutor has taught and how much positive feedback they’ve had.
Style of teaching
Everyone has their preferred way to learn new information. Some of us are visual learners who respond best to diagrams and videos, whereas others learn best by reading out loud to memorise new knowledge.
Whilst teaching style isn’t the most important factor when choosing a tutor, it could be really beneficial for some students. If your child gets distracted easily and needs to be actively doing things to stay focused, they might learn best with a kinesthetic teaching style that allows them to get hands on with their learning.
Cost
The cost of tutoring is something which often puts families off. Tutoring can be expensive, but the pay out is worth it. Students who work with tutors often report higher levels of confidence, improved independent study skills and a greater enjoyment of their subjects.
The price of a tutor is normally related to their experience and qualifications; a tutor with ten years of teaching experience is going to charge more than a tutor who has only been working for a year. However, this isn’t a negative! Just because a tutor is relatively new to the profession it doesn’t mean they are any less qualified to be a top educator. In fact, the range of prices means that there’s a tutor for every family’s budget.
If you are on the lookout for a tutor to help your child do better in school and build confidence, find out more here.
