"The true purpose of education is to make minds, not careers." -William Deresiewicz

The stats and reports have proven it: private tutoring is on the rise with no signs of slowing down! Whether it's in-person or online, more individuals are seeking the assistance of private tutors in their lives to understand concepts that are discussed in and outside of schools.

With private educators, students can learn about any topic they wish such as basket weaving, sharpening knives, shuffling, and how to become a clown. 

However, if you've never had the opportunity of hiring a private tutor, you may still be on the fence about whether or not it works. Therefore, without further delay, today's article will serve the purpose of convincing you that hiring a private educator is a great idea.

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Rush
5
5 (79 reviews)
Rush
£75
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Lucinda
5
5 (22 reviews)
Lucinda
£150
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Hakim
5
5 (16 reviews)
Hakim
£50
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Maria-alexandra
5
5 (18 reviews)
Maria-alexandra
£40
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
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What are the Top 1o Ways to Find a Private Tutor?

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The best way to find academic tutors is through online ads or tutoring websites. (Source: Unsplash)

When shopping for something of value, we usually take our time and make sure that we've selected the best option. The same can be said about a private tutor. Mediocre tutors are a dime a dozen; however, a brilliant private instructor that matches our personality and learning style is not so common.

But, where can you find the best academic tutors? Let's take a look at the following list that highlights the top ten best ways to find a private instructor for your child, or even for yourself:

  1. Ask other parents for recommendations: the tutor their child is using might have availabilities in their schedule.
  2. Ask teachers at your child's school: at times classroom teachers tutor students before or after work to make extra money.
  3. Consider online tutoring: there are so many online tutoring websites with plenty of tutors that will suit your child's needs.
  4. Utilise tutoring agencies: the suggestions they provide will pair you with the right tutor.
  5. Consult local ads in newspapers or bulletin boards: you may be surprised to find tutors offering their services using these methods.
  6. Post a classified ad online: if your ad is specific and well-written, the tutors answering back will be good matches.
  7. Ask friends for advice: if your friends have sought the help of private tutors, they might be the best people to ask.
  8. Consider teaching your child yourself: let's say your son or daughter is struggling to learn a topic that you're very passionate about, why not tutor them yourself? You'll save money and it'll most likely be a bonding experience.
  9. Search for online recommendations: there are plenty of forums and teaching websites that suggest hardworking, difficult tutors that are located nearby.
  10. Visit kids and teens support sites: well-written articles on these sites might lead you towards the right academic instructor.

We recommend starting with the first suggestion on the previously mentioned list and then slowly working your way down until you find the best tutor possible!

What are 10 Things to Look For in a Tutor?

smiling faces
The personality of the tutor is an important factor that students should actively look for. (Source: Unsplash)

While not as important as the search for a partner, finding a private tutor can be an extensive journey that takes time. Nonetheless, before you begin your search for a personal educator, it's important to convince yourself that this is the right decision for your learning goals.

Ask yourself, why should I hire a private tutor? The following reasons can provide comfort that you're making the best decision:

  • A private tutor provides students with a personalised learning experience, 
  • Personal educators help pupils master the basics of an academic discipline before moving on to other topics, 
  • One-on-one learning sessions are jam-packed with valuable information due to fewer disruptions. 

Private tutors are essential figures that reignite a person's passion for learning.

Without, further ado, the following are the top ten things to look out for when finding a personal teacher for the first time:

  1. The tutor's qualifications,
  2. The price of courses offered, 
  3. The personality of the tutor, 
  4. The overall flexibility of the private instructor, 
  5. The reliability of the tutor, 
  6. The proximity of the tutor from your home, 
  7. The feedback from past and present students, 
  8. The references of the private tutor, 
  9. The creativity of the tutor, 
  10. The sample lesson plans.

If you have the above-mentioned checklist, your search for a private tutor will be incredibly successful. When you've found the right tutor, education becomes something that you look forward to and that continuously want to do.

But, what happens if after some time the tutor isn't the person you thought they were and your learning situation goes from bad to worse? Read the following subheading to know what to do if you experience problems with your tutor.

What to Do If You Experience Problems With Your Tutor?

Nothing in this world is perfect and that includes our relationships with others. At times, even with the best intentions, we may struggle to see the other person's point of view and a conflict might ensue. Disagreements occur commonly and that tends to be the case with students and their tutors.

For example, there are many reasons why you might start to have complications with your private teacher. Such as? For one, sometimes students have unrealistic expectations of their tutors and can get frustrated when they aren't learning concepts as quickly as they'd like. Secondly, sometimes there's a significant lack of chemistry between the student and tutor which can lead to pupils becoming disengaged with their instructors. And, thirdly, when there's a lack of time from both parties, concepts aren't explored in depth and this can lead to problems with lessons.

So, what's the solution to dealing with "tutor problems"? Is it wise to conclude that firing them is the best bet? Not necessarily. Consider the following two options:

  • Carefully Check the Tutor Beforehand: many problems can be avoided when students carry out an effective search for their tutor beforehand. Consider taking one remedial lesson before purchasing an entire package right away since this will allow you to get a gist of the tutor's teaching methods and see whether they have any suspicious traits.
  • Have Open Communication: a lot of arguments and disagreements can be solved quite quickly when you and the tutor have frank and open communication. If you're not satisfied with the tutor's approach, their way of teaching, or their lesson plans, you might just have to say something. Most reasonable tutors will try hard to accommodate you and reshape their methods to match your needs. All you need to do is talk!

Nonetheless, from the start, there are a few things that are big NO-NOs. Such as? If the tutor asks you for money for a few lessons from the beginning; even before classes have commenced. Also, struggling to get in contact with your tutor via email or text could show that they aren't very professional.

But, what should you do if you encounter a "rogue tutor"? Read our article about dealing with tutors!

How Can A Tutor Help Students Get to Grips With Dyslexia?

reading difficulties
Specialised tutors have experience assisting students who deal with dyslexia and other learning difficulties. (Source: Unsplash)

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty or disorder that affects many students today and involves a general difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols. By no means does dyslexia mean that persons lack intelligence. Rather, it's the contrary since they might be uber-intelligent in topics other than reading and writing.

But, what causes dyslexia? In the formative years, dyslexics struggle to comprehend phonemes and their sounds. Also, dyslexic students have a hard time with verbal memory. Other than the obvious reading and writing issues, unfortunately, even if we wish it wasn't true, dyslexics deal with some bullying and lack of understanding from peer groups which causes them to isolate and feel dumb.

So, what help is available for students with dyslexia? Thankfully, because dyslexia and other learning difficulties are so commonplace, there are multiple resources for students. After parents have done their reading and research about dyslexia, the following three sites can be visited:

  • The British Dyslexia Association,
  • NHS Choices,
  • Kids Health.

The British Dyslexia Association provides a directory of local associations and helplines that can help parents and their dyslexic students get the help that they need. Also, it's in a child's best interest to request an appointment with the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO). SENCO will create an Individual Education Plan, specifying the steps the school needs to take to satisfy your child’s specific learning needs and goals.

Also, since this is a series of articles about tutoring, it's important to state that there are many educated and hardworking private tutors that have years of experience instructing students with dyslexia. Private tutors make dyslexic students feel confident again and they assist them in solidifying their appreciation for education.

As a way of concluding, we hope that the information provided in today's article is more than enough to help you see that hiring a private tutor is worth every penny spent!

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Brentyn

Avid movie-goer, reader, skier and language learner. Passionate about life, food and travelling.