Finding a Private Tutor

» philmaglass - Selecting a Tutor

As your child grows, you are likely to need specialist help in some areas - tutors. If it is an academic subject, and you wish to prepare your child for a particular qualification, you'll want somebody who knows that particular qualification inside out. That means a teacher.

Yes, you can get tutors who are cheaper. Yes, you can get tutors who are academically well-qualified, but are not teachers. You might even be lucky with your choice, but you probably won't be.

Why a teacher?

Teachers know the system, they know the pitfalls, they know which areas of a syllabus are stressed by examiners - and they know children. Non-teachers are at a distinct disadvantage if they don't have previous experience of teaching the course or, worse, of teaching children. That distinct disadvantage is likely to show as an extreme disadvantage in your child's progress.

I'm a tutor, and I'm a teacher. I am not normally involved with homeschooling, although I do have some experience. Normally, I end up tutoring a child because the child's school is not doing its job. Too often, on top of that, I end up picking up the pieces after some other "tutor" has failed.

Not all non-qualified tutors are failures. Some are better teachers than a regrettably large number of "deadheads" in the profession. However, by and large, you're better off with someone with relevant experience.

DON'T commit yourself to long contracts. If it's not working, it's not working. And the best judge of how things are progressing is normally the child. Both tutor and parents should be constantly asking, "Does the tuition help?"

If the answer is hesitant, or a definite "No", then it's time to think again. A new approach - or a new tutor.

Philip McDonald

http://www.angelfire.com/on3/chemtutor/

-- posted by philmaglass

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