How to find a tutor
Word of mouth
Asking about is the most popular way to source good tutors. A lively local network, and simply knowing people, can enable you to find out who in your area is reliable, friendly and has good results. Parents whose children have just done the relevant exam, if that’s what you’re preparing for, are often the best source.
But remember a good tutor, especially in English, maths or science, is a local treasure and so their name may be guarded jealously by parents who are often less than keen for other people’s children to have the advantages they are buying for their own.
You should also be mindful that nerdy Nick might have worked a treat with your friend’s son, whereas your child will find him dull as dishwater. Meanwhile, gregarious Gail may be a huge hit with your offspring but would develop no rapport with your neighbour’s child.
Plus, the best local tutors are usually very busy and may well have waiting lists. If you need someone who will be flexible on account of your son’s karate competitions or music lessons or the au pair’s English classes, you may well find yourself relegated to the bottom of a long waiting list.
Recommendations from your child’s school
These days, schools are much more open to the benefits of tutoring (if it’s needed and done well) and nobody knows your child’s learning style better than your teacher. This makes them an excellent person to talk to – not only about whether they think your child could do with some top-up learning, but also who would be a good fit from their local network or knowledge of tutor agencies.
Tread carefully though, you don't want your child's teacher to feel you are being critical, suggesting it is their fault that your child may need some support to overcome the deficiencies of the school provision.
Online tutor directories
These websites act like newsagents’ advertising boards, but with a search facility. So, you input what you need and they come up with a list of relevant tutors – and because the matching is automatic, and does not require any human intervention, the overall cost is usually a good deal cheaper than with the more personal tutor agencies.
Moreover, these websites tend to list tutors all over the country, whereas many tutor agencies specialise in one part of the country – often the south-east. The parent can interview or chat to as many potential tutors as they like before agreeing to start tutoring.
However, these companies take little or no responsibility for the tutors they list and usually have not undertaken, for example, the police checks that all the reputable agencies now do routinely. And as no regulation or inspection of these websites exists, anyone with an ulterior motive can advertise on them.
It’s also worth noting that there is likely to be little support from website agencies if things go wrong. Matching is pretty generic too – all you know about these tutors is that they teach a certain subject at a certain level.
Tutor agencies
If you deal with a professional, painstaking agency which takes a pride in the tutor/tutee relationships it sets up, then you could find yourself with a choice of highly experienced, handpicked and expert tutors, custom built to meet your own child’s particular needs – rather than the local, all purpose, tutor who takes on all comers.
But employing a tutor from an agency has advantages and disadvantages. You are not getting a tutor recommended to you by someone you know. That said, you may well get a choice of tutors and can pick the one who seems most compatible – and if it doesn’t work out, you can switch. You may pay more too – those agencies can take a hefty commission and some insist on a registration fee.
The best agencies take immense care over finding the right tutor for a family. These agencies will select carefully, interview, vet and train their tutors and do careful follow-ups to make sure everyone is happy. Other, generally less expensive agencies, have a large list of tutors and who cover a wide geographical area. They are dedicated and hard working and take enormous pride in the service they offer but do not provide the face-to-face relationship offered by the more exclusive agencies. They meticulously check references, DBS records, etc but, partly because of the size of their lists, conduct their interviews only over the telephone or – in some cases – don’t even interview.
If you are thinking about using a tutor agency, be sure to read The Good Schools Guide’s reviews of tutor agencies and companies.
Tutor reviews
Verbal reviews of individual tutors from people you know can be invaluable. Otherwise, Google can help. You can also find testimonials and reviews on tutor websites, although be warned you’ll only get the sugar-coated versions.
The Good Schools Guide reviews over 50 tutor agencies, providing in-depth, unbiased, regularly updated and candid reports based on detailed questionnaires to all the tutors and families they’ve worked with during the past 12 months (including follow ups with at least four of each). And in all cases, we’ve met and grilled the agency staff.
Questions to ask before you take on a tutor
What is your educational background?
How much tutoring experience do you have?
How will you tell if you’re suited to tutoring my child and how will you evaluate their needs?
What tutoring methods do you use and how do you motivate your students?
What do you expect from me?
What hours are you available?
Do you tutor in-person or online?
How long do you expect the tutoring to last?
Will you provide summaries of lessons and progress reports?
What are your fees and are there any hidden costs and terms and conditions?
Can you provide references and proof of DBS?
