5 things you need to know before you hire a tutor

As with any person you hire, there are few things you need to consider about the tutor you hire. Think about qualifications, personalities, place of business, and your goal for tutoring.

First, what qualifications and experience does the tutor have?

Are they high school students who know a lot about a subject, or are they retired credentialed teachers? While there are benefits to both types of tutors, the difference between the two types of tutors mentioned is years of experience. Just like in any profession, people who have more years of experience will charge you more than those who don’t. But the more experienced ones will likely be more capable of showing results.

Second, who has the tutor worked with before?

I was hesitant to start working with elementary students in the beginning because I’ve always tutored students who are older – college and high school level. Eventually, I started working with middle schoolers and more recently with elementary school students. I was hesitant because I knew that the ability to teach one group of students doesn’t translate to another group of students. Meaning, my ability to teach a college student about trigonometric functions would not necessarily translate to working with second graders and subtraction.

It’s important to know what age range the tutor has worked with in the past to know if your child’s age is an appropriate match for the tutor.

Third, personality is key!

I would love to say that I’m the best tutor in the world and there is nobody better than me. Yes, I’d love to say that, but I know that it is far from the truth. We all have a personality. It’s what makes us, well, us! But some people’s personalities don’t mesh with others. (It’s probably why most people don’t marry the first person they date.)

I work well with most students, but not everyone. But I need to meet the students at least once to know if our personalities match, right? Think back to your first date – knowing what you know now, would you be a good match? Maybe? But maybe not. I would say if you meet with a tutor for about a month and your child generally goes kicking and screaming, that may not be the right fit.

Fourth, does the tutors location and schedule work for your family?

Notice how I didn’t say child… I said family. My children are in multiple activities during the week, and if I have to take my child for tutoring in a different city with an “exceptional” tutor, you can assume fairly quickly that this relationship won’t last long – no matter how exceptional the tutor may be. For me, relying on car pools and getting kiddos from one activity to another sometimes feels like we are given scissors to diffuse a bomb. Pick the wrong wire and BOOM there goes the schedule.

Students who are looking for tutoring are in need of consistency. Breaking up that consistency is very hard on the student who makes progress and then falls behind when sessions are missed. You absolutely must think about how your child will get to see their tutor on a regular basis and if you can make it work long term, then great! But if not, I would urge you to keep looking.

Finally, what are you hoping to achieve with tutoring sessions?

I know when I first started tutoring a fellow high school student her parents wanted her to get the homework complete. Hopefully, she would also learn some math along the way, but it was more about completion.

While that may not be your goal for tutoring sessions – you may have a kiddo who is below grade level in math, or your kiddo may want some enrichment, or you may actually want homework help for your child – you need to share these desired outcomes with the tutor. Also, be open to re-evaluating the students’ needs every so often. If they are caught up with their grade level peers, and still have a strong connection with the tutor, maybe they should do some enrichment?

My point is, you don’t have to choose the first tutor you talk with. You have to choose the tutor who is right for your child. After all, your child’s education is what we are focused on.