Why a private tutor could be the key to your child’s success

Nathaniel McCullagh, Director of Simply Learning Tuition, answers some important questions.

There is widespread demand for the services of private tutors. However, parents who are thinking about engaging a private tutor should think carefully before leaping into action. Firstly, is extra tuition really necessary? Secondly, how will they find the most suitable tutor for their child? And thirdly, how do you know the tuition is working?

Does my child really need a tutor?

This is the first, and perhaps most important, consideration. Private tuition should be supplementary; an addendum to classroom teaching rather than a replacement. Just because your child’s classmates are being tutored, it does not necessarily mean that your child needs tutoring. The aim of tutoring is to ensure that every child is fulfilling their academic potential. If you child is already doing this, then tutoring would be unnecessary. 

Furthermore, it is important to recognise that tuition will not solve every problem. Most of the time if a child is underperforming it is to do with their classroom environment. Often, they do not feel comfortable or confident; often because the particular methods of the teacher do not make sense to them. Talking to your child or their teacher, rather than engaging a tutor, can resolve this. 

Similarly, neither tutors nor most teachers are expert in Special Educational Needs (SEN). If you suspect your child might be falling behind because of a SEN you should speak to your school SENCO, or engage a specialist private tutor with SEN experience.

How do you find a suitable tutor?

There are a variety of ways in which you can make contact with a tutor. Usually recommendations are an excellent way to go. If one of your friends is pleased with the service that their tutor is providing, then they are probably a good tutor. However, there is no guarantee that your child will have the same needs as your friend’s child. So, you should interview. You know your child better than anyone and if you do not find a tutor engaging or trust in their expertise, then do not work with them. 

There are several basic criteria that all tutors should be able to meet: they should have an enhanced DBS check, good references and extensive experience as well as at least an undergraduate degree in their subject. These will often be guaranteed if you contact potential tutors through a reputable agency, but it is important to ask nonetheless. 

It is usually not relevant whether or not your tutor is a qualified classroom teacher. Some teachers do offer private tuition as well but their regular job is demanding and they are often not available very frequently, or reliably. Moreover, experienced tutors closer to your child’s own age tend to be more effective because they can connect to your child on a different level to their classroom teacher. Furthermore, one-to-one teaching is a particular skill and private tutors are specialists in this.

It is also vital to consider the way in which you wish to work with your tutor. If you wish to direct the content of the lessons this must be made clear from the beginning. Or if you trust the tutor to plan the lessons themselves but want to give a broad direction to follow, this must also be discussed.

Is my child’s tuition working?

It is vital that your tutor is accountable to you. Lesson diaries and progress reports are extremely helpful. Your tutor and child may have a fantastic relationship and not a bad word to say about each other, but that does not mean that the tuition is effective. Ideally, have an objective standard against which to measure performance. An academic assessment before commencing the tuition is a very good idea; this test can then be repeated at any point to ensure that your child is improving. 

However, successful tuition is about significantly more than exam performance. A good private tutor serves as a mentor and an academic role model. They will build your child’s confidence in their own ability; something that will give them more help than anything else when it comes to sitting exams. They will also be able to transmit their own love of the subject to their pupil; a great tutor is not just informative but inspiring as well.

Ultimately, you are entering into a professional, business relationship with your tutor. It is important that this is a relationship based on mutual trust and good communication. It is helpful if there is a clear brief for the tutor to fulfil and an agreed system in place to monitor progress. If these criteria are fulfilled, then your child will benefit from their private tuition.

For more information about working with a private tutor, visit www.simplylearningtuition.co.uk