As a parent, how can you be confident that you have found a great tutor for your child? With an infinite number of websites promoting tutors, finding a tutor who is reliable, personable and knowledgeable may be both an exciting and daunting prospect. With increasingly more parents thinking about hiring a tutor for their child, either to make up for lost learning or to help challenge them beyond their classroom expectations; approaching knowledgeable experts within the tutoring industry is paramount for ensuring a smooth and successful private tuition experience. Sadly, we hear from numerous parents about their previous frustrating interactions with tutors who have fallen short of expectations. Here is the guidance we frequently go over with parents to make sure they choose the ideal tutor for their family:
1. Make sure they are qualified and experienced!
Even though it might seem obvious, it is important to ensure that your tutor has teaching credentials (or, at least, is familiar with the most recent curriculum) and has first-hand experience teaching students of your child’s age in their subject. Teaching methods have evolved substantially over the past years, with newly qualified teachers having been given updated strategies to maximise successful outcomes with their pupils. Therefore, just having a degree in a subject does not necessarily mean that they will be able to teach it in a clear and concise way. Often, these tutors can lack the necessary teaching skills to communicate their subjects effectively.
Teaching is a skill that requires experience of working with children and being in a classroom setting. An experienced and qualified teacher makes the best tutor, as they are up to date with the latest curriculum and have hands-on experience of teaching children of all ages. We only select the most talented individuals who are either; experienced tutors who hold undergraduate degrees from top UK universities, qualified teachers, educators having experience within a classroom setting, or leading academics who have a passion for their subject. Passionate final-year teaching undergraduates also provide a valuable resource for younger learners!
2. Do they have a DBS Certificate?
DBS checking is still at the centre of the discourse when it comes to safeguarding and child protection, which has rightfully received an increasing amount of airtime. While the check cannot guarantee one’s behaviour in the future, it does at least make sure that no one with a criminal past may attempt to conceal it. You might be shocked to learn that not everyone who participates in events involving children is required to have a DBS Certificate. At Eden Tutors, we take safeguarding seriously and recognise that child safety is a joint responsibility. We play our part to mitigate any safeguarding eventualities by initiating a number of safeguards to ensure that all of our tutors are safe to work with children. Each tutor is meticulously interviewed, Enhanced DBS Checked and fully vetted, with references followed up and academic qualifications confirmed. Our Safeguarding Handbook explains out commitment in more detail.
3. Is the learning experience tailored to your child?
The majority of tutors will have a sizable collection of worksheets, books, and other teaching aids at their disposal; these resources, although integral to your child’s learning, are a small component of an overall exceptional tutoring experience. In addition to using these resources, a competent tutor will spend time talking to their student and working through the materials with them. They will do this by asking follow-up questions, verifying their understanding, and drawing examples from their own experiences that are related to the learning. At Eden Tutors, we carry out an assessment to identify your child’s strengths and areas for development to create a flexible and tailored learning plan that suits your child’s requirements. We believe that learning should be made fun and aim to apply learning within ‘real world’ contexts, ensuring that children obtain important life skills and develop their cultural capital throughout their learning journey. It is crucial to select a tutor who will value your child’s unique strengths and put their needs at the forefront of learning. Developing a child’s love of learning is centred upon building an excellent rapport and a tailored, immersive approach towards lesson content, customised to realise their full academic potential.
4. They are more than just a tutor!
We advise families on hiring the best possible tutors for their children. When selecting our tutors, we consider a wide range of factors, including a tutor’s underlying purpose for supporting students on a one-to-one basis. It is essential that our tutors consider your child’s learning as the utmost priority, enabling them to achieve their academic aims.
A tutor should be able to demonstrate great versatility, eager to teach a range of subjects within the primary curriculum. Their constant focus should be on supporting their students to develop more broadly, including boosting their self-esteem, expanding their horizons, cultivating a love of learning, and developing practical skills like time management and handling pressurized circumstances like exams. They should also be dependable, particularly in terms of punctuality, politeness, and effective communication. At Eden Tutors, our philosophy is to inspire our students by exposing them to inspirational educators who go beyond purely instilling knowledge, but providing a grounding in life that will take them beyond the classroom. During a child’s most impressionable years, their appetite for learning will be stimulated and inspired by our partnership of devoted tutors instilling fundamental values that will truly benefit them on their journey into the future.
If you would like to discuss private tuition for your child, contact us to speak to one of our experienced education consultants who will provide further guidance on finding the ideal tutor for your child.
