The private tutoring industry has boomed in recent years, with more and more parents seeking additional academic support for their children. This is due to a range of reasons, including an increase in class size and a decline in the number of teachers and resources available to schools.
Private tuition is the most effective way to ensure that students are receiving the expert advice, support and guidance that they need at every stage of their academic journey , with students of all ages and levels benefitting from private tuition as they progress through the education system.
Tutors are not just for pupils who are looking to improve their grades and progress academically, private tuition can also ensure students are undergoing personal development and cultivating key skills such as communication, confidence and teamwork.
While the boom in the tutoring industry has led to an increase in the number of tutors working in the UK, it has also made finding the right tutor for your child more challenging. With more tutors than ever operating in the UK, it can be hard to identify the great tutors from those who are less skilled, and with demand for tutoring growing by the day the best tutors can seem to get snapped up fast.
Fortunately, there are still a number of approaches parents can take when searching for a tutor that will ensure that they find the right match for their child. Read on to discover some of the top strategies for finding your perfect tutor.
Word of Mouth/Recommendations:
Whilst hardly a recent innovation, for some people, word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways to find a tutor. Parents will often be able to find great tutors through getting recommendations from their friends or from other students who have also had private tuition. An increasing number of parents are working with private tutors to help their children get the results they deserve, so you’re sure to find at least a few parents who can give you recommendations on potential tutors. You can also try talking to other parents who have children at different schools who are the same age as yours – whether you know them from your child’s weekend sports team or an after school club, they might know about available tutors from a different area near you.
If you’re on the hunt for a tutor, talking to your child’s teachers is also a good idea as many of them will offer home tuition outside of school, or, alternatively, will be able to recommend you other teachers who do. For many parents, word of mouth is the best way to find a tutor as the personal nature of recommendations reassures parents that the tutor has the right qualities and experience to help their child. A further advantage of finding a tutor through word of mouth is that parents have complete control of communicating with the tutor and the entire process is conducted on their own terms.
Having said this, lots of local tutors who operate on a word of mouth basis may be busy and struggle to find the time to fit your child in for sessions. This can be especially true during periods of time when students require tuition the most, such as just before an important set of exams or retakes, when you could well find yourself at the bottom of a long waiting list. If you are looking for a tutor who is available immediately and able to work around a schedule that suits you, taking the word of mouth approach may not be the best option. Furthermore, it can be challenging for parents to hear about tutors via recommendation if they work long hours and don’t spend much time around other parents, or are new to the area. Whilst word of mouth works for some, it definitely isn’t the answer to finding the perfect tutor for everyone.
Online/A tutoring platform:
In today’s age of technology, using the internet is probably the simplest and quickest way to find a qualified and reliable private tutor for your child. Some tutors may choose to advertise themselves online, or use a personal website in order to promote their services to potential customers, but the best way to find a tutor is to use an online tutoring platform.
Through using a tutoring agency, parents can trust that they are finding the perfect tutor for them and their child. An agency will work with lots and lots of tutors, whom will specialise in different areas of study, have varied experience and qualifications, and have taught at a range of levels. This diversity means that parents are almost guaranteed to be able to find and connect with a tutor that matches their exact criteria.
Tutor House will take into account a student’s unique requirements in order to match them with their perfect tutor. An agency will take into consideration a student’s learning style, personality, strengths, weaknesses and their personal and academic goals in order to ensure they are receiving a bespoke tuition experience guaranteed to help them unlock their full potential.
Moreover, professional tutoring agencies will vet and approve their tutors before they go live on their website. Tutor House, for example, require all their tutors to hold a DBS check, have undergone an in-depth interview process and have demonstrable experience tutoring. Tutoring organisations are also able to ensure that the process from finding a tutor to receiving sessions runs smoothly from start to finish. They will help you to connect and communicate with a tutor and ensure payments are easy and run smoothly.
Whilst tutoring platforms will be able to recommend you tutors, you will still have the autonomy and freedom to pick from a wide range of qualified and professional tutors – giving you the best of both worlds.
Use Social Media:
Using social media is a less traditional method of finding a private tutor, and may not always be successful, but nonetheless could work for some parents. There are several private and public groups and online communities on Facebook that have been established by either parents looking for tutors or private, freelance tutors that are looking for work locally or online. Request to be added to the group if it is private, or simply join a public one and read through the comments – you will likely find parents who have used tutors and recommend them to others, or be able to find tutors directly who you can message and arrange a call or book a trial session with.
Use an online tutor…
Whilst this isn’t technically a way of finding a private tutor, online tuition is a different way that students can receive top quality tuition at a time and a place that suits them. Home tutoring can be quite expensive, ranging from £30 to £90 an hour, but online tuition tends to be more affordable, as tutors don’t have to factor the added cost of travel into their hourly rate.
Online tuition allows students to receive tuition from anywhere – whether they want to have sessions from the comfort of their bedroom, a cosy cafe or a quiet library, or even on the move, all they need is access to a laptop, tablet or computer and some wifi and they’re good to go. Tutors normally deliver lessons over Skype and the online platform allows for unprecedented access to a range of online resources, including online whiteboards and file sharing to make lessons as interactive, fun and engaging as possible.
Whilst some of these options might not appeal to everyone, using an online tutoring agency to find a tutor is generally acknowledged to be the best way to find a private tutor – especially if you’re under time pressure or want to ensure you are matched with a tutor that is perfect for you.
