Selecting and Appointing a tutor for your child

Whether your child is struggling and needs a little support or whether they need challenging to reach their full potential, private tuition can make a real difference. However, tuition comes in many shapes and sizes and of course, you want to choose a tutor who is going to teach and support your child in the way that suits them and their unique needs best. With this in mind, in this post, we talk you through all you need to know about how to choose a tutor.

Understanding the issues

However on the ball you are with your child’s education, if there is an issue, it’s not always easy to know what it is. A child might present as naughty and disruptive when in fact the issue is that they are struggling with reading. Or in a busy classroom, a quiet child who is not engaging with a subject may get overlooked. Therefore, it is always sensible to talk to your child’s teacher to try and get a clear picture of what’s going on. This in turn should help you choose the right tutor and teaching setting.

Different types of tuition

The different private tuition options are:

Online tuition, either in a group or one-to-one
In person tuition, either in a group or one to one

One-to-one tuition

One to one tuition can provide a high level of support so might be the answer if you need short term intensive input. However, it can also sometimes be very tiring for your child and does not necessarily help with social skills and interactions. Your child will also need to be fully engaged with the tutor and their teaching methods to get the most from the sessions. One-to-one tuition can also be more expensive.

Group tuition

Group tuition can take different forms from large groups and more traditional classroom style learning to smaller, workshop style settings. Group tuition is great for building social confidence and makes it easy for learning to be delivered in a way that is fun whilst still providing lots of individual support. However, be mindful of the size of the group and how it is allocated as you don’t want your child getting lost in a large or boisterous group.

Online versus in person

There are often practical reasons for choosing an online tutor, but you need to decide if this remote learning method is one that will suit your child.

You know your child, and how well they will respond in different settings but on the whole, we find smaller groups where children can get lots of personal support work best and ensure the children are fully engaged with the learning. Working collaboratively in a small group can also really help boost a child’s confidence and develop a variety of other skills. It’s important that you don’t think of tutoring as a “quick fix” because learning is about building solid foundations and this can take a little time.

Location, cost and frequency

If you’re thinking of choosing an online tutor, then location is probably not going to be a factor, but cost is still likely to be important. For in person tuition, you will obviously need a tutor that is within a reasonable distance and is also within your budget. You know how much you can afford but don’t forget to factor in how frequently the tuition will take place.

A little research should give you a shortlist of what is available and affordable to you in your area. With your shortlist in hand, you can start digging a little deeper into what the different tutors offer.

Subjects, skills and the curriculum

A lot of tutors focus on the core subjects of maths and English. The reason for this is that these subjects are essential to your child’s education and include skills that are used in all other school work. If a child is struggling in maths or English, this is likely to have a knock-on effect on their other subjects as well as undermining their overall confidence. If it’s a different subject your child is struggling with, it’s worth talking to the teacher concerned and to the tutors on your shortlist even if they don’t offer that subject just to be sure that you are addressing the real problem and to see whether they think they can help.

However, apart from these core subjects, you should also consider what other skills are important for your child and ask the tutors on your list if these are part of what they offer. For example, would your child benefit from help with reasoning, study skills, thinking skills and social skills? And make sure that any tutor you choose works in a way that supports the National Curriculum.

At MagiKats, we teach English, maths and reasoning along with lots of other study skills and our programmes are designed specifically to support the National Curriculum whilst building individual confidence.

Style of tutoring

We’ve touched on the different types of tuition like online, one to one, and group sessions already, but once you have your shortlist, it’s important to take a closer look at the style of tuition. If it’s a group setting, how many will be in the group and how much support will your child get? Will the teaching programme be generalised or tailored specifically to the needs of your child? Who will the other children in the group be and how often will the tutoring happen – weekly, twice a week, once a fortnight? What happens during an average tuition session and how long does it last? Will there be any homework set between sessions and how intensive will this be? Do you have to sign up for a minimum period?

It is also important to ask any potential tutor how they deliver their tuition. Is it carried out in a more formal and traditional classroom style, or do they use other more investigative or multi-sensory learning techniques? Would they describe their tuition as fun? And how do they set the pace of learning? Is this something that is determined according to an overall programme or is it child led?

Our MagiKats sessions are small group workshops that happen weekly, and we provide worksheets to be completed in between sessions to build on what has been learnt. Each child has their own work programme designed specifically for them and the groups are carefully chosen with lots of individual support. The sessions are fun, and we use all sorts of different learning techniques.

Feedback and rewards

Ensure you ask about the level of feedback both you and your child will receive. Will it be a termly report or will you get weekly feedback? Will you be able to discuss progress or any issues with the tutor? Does the tutor offer any reward system as part of the learning process and how do they motivate and encourage their students?

MagiKats provide weekly feedback and a reward system, and we’re always happy to discuss progress at any stage.

The tutor

Central to all of the above, is of course, the tutor themselves. As of standard, you want to be sure anyone involved in tutoring your child is DBS checked. Some tuition centres will have a main principal along with a team of tutors or mentors. Ask about the principal’s experience and qualifications as well as other skills.

The individual tutors or mentors should have a variety of skills. These include being able to establish a rapport with your child, be a good listener, be adaptable, patient and reliable. Don’t be afraid to ask the tutor questions such as how they help a new student to settle in and what skills they have, or think are important.

Speak to the tutor and visit their website

Armed with all the above questions and your shortlist, the next step is to speak to the tutors or visit their website. Find out if they will assess your child before they start? Do they sound friendly and welcoming?

If the tutor has a website, spend time reading through this. Do they have reviews from parents? How well established are they? If they haven’t got a website, is there somewhere else you can find recommendations or reviews (such as a Facebook page or from other parents)?

how will MagiKats help my child?

We have nearly twenty years of private tuition experience and over thirty years of education experience. Our teams of tutors and mentors are very carefully chosen, and our workshops are designed to be fun but highly effective. We’ll assess your child before they start so that we can design a programme specifically for them and you can check out our website for reviews.

Alternatively, use our Magikats centre finder to find your local MagiKats private tuition centre and give them a call. Our principals are always happy to talk to you about your child and what you can expect from MagiKats private tuition.

How do I Choose a Tutor?