How to find the best tutor. Tips for parents

Where to go and what steps should you take if your child needs a tutor?

Assuming that our child needs private tuition is a very important step. Not all parents come to this conclusion under the same conditions. Some make up their minds when the first bad marks arrive, others decide to wait a little longer, while others don't even wait for the results and decide to hire support in the face of a negative attitude.

There are platforms on the internet where you can find a tutor for after-school tuition. This can be easy as there is a great demand, but we must do it well, because it is something that will make a big difference in the education of our children. As parents we have the opportunity to choose our children's tutors and this is a great opportunity to give them a good education.

A tutor can be a great influence on a student.

Private tutors help their students in the subjects they find most difficult, work on their weaknesses and help them overcome them. A good tutor should establish a bond with their students. That is why it is important to choose well.

When looking for a tutor, it's sometimes difficult to know where to start. With all the demand, it is a complicated task and we don't always get results as quick as we expect. We want to give you some guidelines when choosing a tutor for your child, how to detect if your child needs tutoring and what to do from that moment on.

How to know if your child needs private tutoring

It is normal to think that our child needs after-school tuition when we start to see their grades slipping. Private tuition is not always necessary when we see a bad grade or mark, but when there is an overall drop in performance, it may indicate that something is wrong.

But this is not always the case, at certain ages disappointing results can have many different reasons, therefore not always the same solution. Try to find the reason for the poor results and whether a tutor can provide what is needed.

Private tuition for children can be complicated because it adds to their workload, even if it is in a dynamic and perhaps more entertaining way. As it may overload your child with work, it´s something that needs to be considered carefully.

First and foremost, it is always best to be in contact with your child's teachers.They can provide information about the problems you are having and will be able to recommend whether private tuition is necessary or not. Moreover, this relationship will be essential for the after-school tuition to be effective, as it is good for the tutors to communicate with the tutors.

Find your perfect tutor

Private tuition does not mean failure

If you have decided to get private tuition for your child, you must be clear that this is not a failure nor a punishment, or it will be counterproductive. Private tutors should not be seen as an enemy but rather as a support to overcome an obstacle.

We do not all have the same abilities and we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. No one is perfect at everything and that does not mean that we should see a bad grade as a failure. Needing extra help is perfectly normal.

Once the problem has been detected and we have the solution, it is just a matter of overcoming it. If a student sees private tuition as something negative, they can easily become demotivated. They should see their tutor as a figure of hope who will be there to support them.

Private tutors or tuition centers

The first thing to bear in mind when finding a tutor is that home tutors are not the only option. There are also tuition centers. They offer a different service in some respects and they have their advantages and disadvantages to consider.

• Number of students. Having peers can be an advantage in that you can move forward together, study together and classes may feel less intense and more relaxed. However, there is also the danger of distractions or the tutor not being able to pay as much attention to each individual student.
• Several subjects. Some tuition centers provide several tutors for several subjects, so if your child needs support in more than two subjects, this may be the best option.
• Material. Tuition centers usually have teaching materials such as worksheets, books, blackboards and games available.
• Space. If you don't have a good study space in class or you don't know a tutor who has one, a tuition center can be a good solution. Having a classroom at your disposal can be a good way of ensuring that you have a good place to study where you can do your homework with the help of a tutor.
• Time. Most tuition centers offer several hours of after-school tuition. However, you should also take into account that your child has spent all morning in a classroom, and adding extra time in a classroom can be counterproductive. Too much time spent studying can lead to your child feeling burnt out.

How to find a good tutor

On the FindTutors platform you will find tutors for various different subjects including maths and physics, music and languages. You can also find tutors through tuition centers or through recommendations. Here are some guidelines you can follow before making a decision.

1. Ask for references. The first thing to do is to check the experience of the tutor, which is very important, but we shouldn´t rule out those with no previous experience. Sometimes the ambition and enthusiasm of a beginner is worth more than experience. We must take a good look at their interests and everything they have done in life, not only in education. Perseverance, hard work and patience are fundamental in a good tutor.
2. Interview without the student. It can be a good idea to arrange a brief interview without your child present, so that you can talk freely about your child's strengths and weaknesses, and you can confess your concerns without any reservations. Remember that private tutors are your best ally.
3. Interview with the student. This can be before the first class. A small, relaxed meeting where your child and the tutor get to know each other, talk about their concerns and set goals together.
4. Trust. After all this process you have to have full trust, because from now on the tutor and your child will be working together without your presence or help. You can get involved as much as you need to, but if you don't trust the tutor it will never work.

When to hire a private tutor

The best time to hire a tutor is when you need one. If you detect a problem in your studies, don't wait for it to get worse because a new course or term has just begun. The sooner you do it the better.

However, the beginning of the school year or term is when most tutors are free, both in primary and secondary education, so you will have more options to choose from.

Despite credentials and the fact that some tutors may be better than others, one of the key things to consider is that the tutor has a good relationship with your child. It is important that they understand each other well, and this can come at any time of the year.

Which subjects are most in demand

There are some subjects where it is easier to find tutors. Maths and science tutors, as well as language tutors, are all in high demand as these are the areas where students may have the most difficulty. Although not all tutors who teach languages are specialised in school levels, we recommend that you make sure you are well informed before contacting them.

Having said that, all subjects may need extra support, not just maths, science and languages. There is a false perception that some subjects are easy and others difficult, and subjects where the need for private tutors is less common shouldn't be ruled out.

When and where to have private tuition

One of the most important things is to know where to carry out private tuition and how much time to dedicate to it. As we have already said, it is important to bear in mind that a student usually spends about eight hours a day in a classroom, and when the afternoon comes, it is normal that they do not feel like continuing to work. This is why we must create a good study environment. A place that makes your child think differently from the classroom is ideal. Their bedroom or the living room can be a good idea, but bear in mind that too much stimuli can be distracting.

The results

Private tuition does not work like magic. If poor results persist, it may not be the tutor´s fault. We often put too much responsibility on private tutors. The tutors are only a reinforcement of what is learned in school, and sometimes this reinforcement does not only translate into results. Sometimes, good grades take time to arrive. The important thing is that we see improvements in attitude, that your child understands the subject and that study habits are created.

Beyond just better grades, a tutor can help a great deal with your child's learning and maturing. Although things may be tough when a tutor is required, you will be grateful when the results pay off.