Getting To Know Your Child’s Tutor

Every tutor has a different teaching methodology, and there are countless tutors out there, making it a daunting task to choose the perfect match for your child. One big advantage with private tuition is that tutors have complete freedom to practice their natural teaching style or match the one preferred by their pupils, which often results in more creative, personal, passionate, and engaging sessions that can’t be matched in a regular classroom.

The one disadvantage is that there is no specific guideline or litmus tests to find the ideal candidate, which means that parents are on their own when it comes to getting to know your child’s’ tutor. There are a few questions you can ask your child’s tutor to see how they can help your child academically and to get to know who they are.

1) What are their hobbies?

This one isn’t an attempt to pry into their personal lives, but a tangible way of assessing the ability of the tutor to empathise with the child. Ideally, the tutor’s hobbies should show an interest in roles and professions that deal with human experiences, such as theatre and music, volunteering, journalism, and even politics.

An important component of a tutor’s teaching experience is how well they perform their role as a teacher. Someone with a background in theatre or music will be more effective at filling this role.

2) What is their experience like?

Degrees and certifications will only take you so far. The true icing on the cake of any tutor’s CV or resume is their experience in dealing with and/or teaching children. Tutors don’t necessarily need years and years of teaching children but their experience should show you they are versatile in being able to handle various learning methods.

This is particularly true for tutors teaching GCSE subjects since the examiners regularly revise marking schemes. Only a competent and up-to-date tutor will be able to prepare your child for the GCSE exams.
A tutor should have a proven track record of success. To this end, you should ask the tutors the evidence of their history and teaching methodology.