Picking the Right Tutor for Your Child

In a time when parents are exploring educational options for their kids, a tutoring expert offers tips on how to find the right service and tutor.

With the majority of Orange County schools still teetering between distance learning and hybrid in-school programs, many children have been left with large developmental and educational gaps, leaving many far below grade standards, and many parents flocking to private education services to supplement or even replace virtual schooling entirely. With the increased demand for private education this year came an influx of options into a space that has always been overwhelming with choices. As parents started investigating private education and tutoring options, many have ended up confused and overwhelmed.

Every child is different and has their own specific needs, and it’s very important for parents in this situation to do research, and take time and care in selecting the right service — and tutor. Here are some things to keep in mind when searching for a tutor.

Determining What Your Needs Are

The first step to selecting the right tutor is for you to discover what your child’s needs are and what you’re looking to achieve with a tutoring service. Consider your child’s age, developmental stage and why you feel they need extra help.

Finding Trustable Vetted Tutors

Safety and trust should be absolute requirements for a new tutor. Use established companies that perform background checks and vet their tutors, or look for personal recommendations from other parents. While there are many freelance tutors and online tutor directories that boast cheap prices and easy matching processes, it’s important to remember that many of these tutors are unvetted and unverified. While there are some talented independent tutors online, it’s typically not worth the gamble.

Finding the Right Service

Knowing what you’re looking for, and how to pick it out, will help refine your search and find the right service quickly.

Ask about their programs. A major benefit of finding a good tutoring service is their expertise in education methods and ability to identify underlying learning issues. Do they personalize the material to your needs? What methods and approaches will they be taking for your child’s specific case?
Ask about their process. While established tutoring companies do vet their tutors, every company has different tutor selection processes and requirements. Learn more about their selection and matching process to make sure you are getting qualified, experienced educators that best fits your needs.
Learn about the tutor. Learning more about your tutor’s experience before they meet your child can help you make sure your tutor is inline with your expectations.

Before you commit to a tutoring service, ask questions and advocate for yourself. Some points you may want to bring up are, “How are the tutors paired/picked for the clients? Has this tutor ever taught this before? How long has this tutor been teaching? What age group does this tutor typically work with? Is the tutor familiar with the school/program/test? Do they have an education background?” Asking these questions and digging deeper into the tutor’s background will help you weed out companies with less experienced educators and refine your search.

What To Look For In Your Tutor

Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, the question parents now face is: “What makes a great teacher?” If you’re looking for a magic ingredient, unfortunately you’re out of luck, however there are many important qualities that make a great educator.

Classroom management skills are perhaps the most important yet overlooked quality. Being able to keep a student on-task and focused makes all the difference when teaching.
The ability to break down information and re-package it in many different ways is another that sets great teachers apart. Many kids struggle simply because they don’t respond to the same delivery method of other students. Knowing this and being able to gauge a student’s reactions, re-package, re-deliver and re-teach the information until the student has truly grasped the information, is supremely important.
Experience, experience, experience. This can never be stressed too much.
Passion is another key piece of a spectacular educator. Young students are perceptive, and they will notice when their teachers aren’t invested in what they’re doing.

Picking a tutor can be stressful. You can never be too safe with your children’s future, and there are an overwhelming amount of choices, each with a different system and claim to be the best. It can be hard to know what to look for and how to weed out the false claims. With over a decade in special education, the best advice I can give you is to do your research and figure out your specific needs. Armed with this knowledge you’ll be much more prepared to ask the right questions, guaranteeing you get to the service with the genuine, experienced, qualified and passionate educator that is right for you.