Things to Consider When Choosing A Tutor

More parents have realized the importance of getting a private tutor to assist in their child’s learning. If you choose wisely, a tutor can implement a personalized method of explaining and simplifying difficult concepts to your child. However, today’s global pandemic situation may prevent you from scheduling a physical mentoring with tutors. Fortunately, online tutoring services, such as Tutorme, can be availed on demand.

With the many choices you have, choosing a tutor can be overwhelming. Here are some things for you to consider when looking for a tutor for your child:

Your Child’s Strengths and Weaknesses

First, think about what your child needs from a tutor by looking at their strengths and weaknesses. The best way to do this is to ask your child which subjects they find difficult and need help with. You can also review your child’s academic performance to determine which subjects they need assistance with.

Finding a tutor to help with subjects that they find difficult will ensure that your child maintains confidence and remains interested in their academic work. It might be best to talk to your child’s teacher and seek advice on how you can support your child in their schoolwork.

Think About Your Child’s Learning Style

It’s no longer a secret that different people learn in different ways. What teaching strategies that work for other children may not always work for your child and vice versa. Thus, you must reflect on your child’s learning style and choose a tutor that’ll effectively teach them using this style.

In finding a Biology tutor, ask each candidate what they think about different learning styles and how they can assess and handle your child’s preferred style. Choose someone that’ll incorporate teaching strategies that fit according to your child’s learning style.

Seek References 

Choose a tutor that has references from people you know, such as family, friends, or fellow parents. These people can provide you their honest feedback on a tutor that they’ve personally tried.

Contact people that have tried a tutor’s service or ask them for recommendations.

Availability and Budget

When hiring someone to privately teach your child, while also ensuring that both your child and the prospective tutor’s schedule will fit, consider your budget. Private tutors usually set their own rates, so it’s best to ask candidates upfront on how much they charge. Also, as mentioned, inquire about their availability to know if your schedules coincide.

You may also want to reflect on the tutor’s age. Some parents prefer younger tutors thinking that their child can connect better with someone younger. Other parents may want someone older with many years of experience. Whatever you prefer, you should also assess this factor.

Qualifications and Experience

When finding someone to assist your child in their studies, experience, and qualification are vital. Determine which college or university they finished their degree, what they finished, and other relevant work experience or qualifications. You may also want to consider if you want to get someone who’s a registered or licensed teacher.

While experience and qualifications aren’t the only considerations to make a great tutor, it’s still important to look into these.

What Your Child Thinks

Allowing your child to share their ideas about what they think with a tutor may improve the possibility of keeping your child interested in learning. Hence, it’s best to talk to your child about the qualities that they want in a tutor.

Finding a tutor this way can help ensure that your child will cooperate, which can increase their chances of learning.

Progress Reports

A good tutor should regularly provide parents with progress reports of the child. This could be at least once a month or even more frequently if needed.

This way, you’re assured that your child’s progress is monitored and that the appropriate steps are performed, depending on the child’s performance. Thus, find someone who’s willing to make progress reports as required.

Cancellation Policy

This consideration is also important since some events might disrupt the child’s time with the tutor. Check what kind of cancellation policy the tutor prefers. Whether it’s a day or two days in advance, it’s best to have this figured out ahead.

Both of you should value each other’s time, so it’s a good idea to ask the tutor upfront how much time they need to cancel a lesson.

Determine the Required Homework and Follow Up

Many tutors prefer to assign follow up homework before they start a new lesson, which they think is vital to your child’s improvement. Discuss with your child how often they’ll be expected to do homework. This way, expectations are set for both parties and you’re informed ahead.

Lesson Observation

When working with a tutor, it’s recommended that you check how your child interacts and behaves. This will help you determine what works or not for your child.

Inform your child and the tutor that you’ll observe one or two sessions. Doing this will help you check how the tutor and your child interact with each other and perhaps find areas of improvement. If you observe that your child isn’t paying much attention, you can encourage your child to interact more with the tutor by asking questions.

Pre and Post Tests

To determine your child’s level of knowledge, the tutor should provide a pre-test. This will help them diagnose any learning gaps your child may have, which can hinder future understanding of more complicated concepts. These learning gaps will then be addressed by the tutor in the following sessions. The tutor will also conduct a post-test to determine if the intervention was effective in addressing these learning gaps.

This step is crucial in your child’s academic success, thus, it’s highly recommended to ask a candidate about this. Ask how frequently post-tests are given and how the results will be shared with you and your child.

Tutoring Agencies vs. Individual Tutor

While you have the liberty to find the best private tutor according to your preferences, a tutoring agency also has an advantage.

Agencies can help you find a good tutor match for you since they have a pool of tutors of varying expertise, experience, levels, and backgrounds. Working with an agency also ensures that these tutors have undergone background checks.

Final Thoughts

Deciding to give your child assistance in their academics by tutoring is an excellent idea. However, your child’s learning progress is greatly affected by the tutor you choose. Thus, interviewing candidates and asking questions should help you select the best one for your child.

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