"The quality of our lives depend not on whether or not we have conflicts, but on how we respond to them." -Thomas Crum

We're living in the 21st century and the world is utterly packed with conflicts and crazy situations. It seems that people from both sides of the issue aren't eagerly trying to understand the other's point of view and this lead to outbursts rather than peace.

If we're active peacemakers who try to seek tranquil relationships with the people around us, at times, we might experience problems. Unfortunately, that's what it's been like for centuries. Because no matter how hard we try, humans think differently and we all have our unique points of view and emotional baggage that we carry on along with us.

Therefore, even if you've gone through an extensive search to find the perfect tutor, you may encounter some problems. Why's that? And, how can I avoid or resolve these issues? We're going to answer those questions in today's article.

The best tutors available
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!
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!
Let's go

Why Might You Be Experiencing Issues With Your Private Tutor?

lack of time
More often than not, students become frustrated with their tutors and think they have a problem because they aren't willing to dedicate the necessary time to learning a new concept. (Source: Unsplash)

As we briefly discussed at the onset of this article, experiencing difficulties and personality conflicts with other people is a given in today's world. However, although it's normal, we often ask ourselves the question, why? So, why might you be experiencing issues with your private tutor? Well, before playing the blame game and accusing your personal tutor of doing a lacklustre job, you might not have considered the following issues:

  • Unrealistic Expectations: as a teacher and occasional tutor myself, I've seen it happen many times that students have unrealistic expectations of their learning goals and speed before beginning private tuition. Overambition and unfair demands cause students to blame their instructors when they aren't seeing lightning-fast results.
  • Lack of Chemistry: it's sad to say but sometimes there's a lack of rapport or chemistry between the student and the tutor and this is occasionally only uncovered a few weeks into learning sessions. If you don't click with your personal educator and their way of explaining things, it's much better to cut ties than to continue suffering more unbearable lessons; it is a business relationship after all!
  • Insufficient Time: whether it's you or your tutor, a lack of time can become like poison for the tutor-student relationship. Insufficient time leads to short explanations and short solutions for deeply entrenched academic problems leaving you, the student, feeling unsatisfied. Both parties need to give enough time to the relationship.

When you analyse the previously mentioned issues, you start to have a more balanced attitude towards your private tuition experience and recognise that it's not entirely the tutor's fault!

How Can I Successfully Deal With Tutor Problems?

Tutoring is a service that you expect great things from. Why's that? Well, private tuition is a brilliant way for your child, or yourself, to receive the one-on-one support that you need to get through that exam or understand a foundation topic more accurately. But, what happens if you start lessons and things don’t go to plan? It's easy to feel discouraged but it's worth stating that there are many solutions to establish peace before firing is even an option.

Let's take a look at how unfavourable situations with professional educators can be handled beforehand and when they come up during training sessions.

Carefully Check the Tutor Beforehand

Though this isn't always the case, most issues with a potential tutor can be spotted prior to the commencement of lessons. But, how can this be avoided?

It's greatly suggested to check out the tutor beforehand and take at least one remedial lesson before committing to a package of lessons. You would be surprised how many parents/students do not follow up on references and just blindly read all the good things the tutor is saying about themself without recognising any red flags. For instance, some might say that they are DBS or CRB checked and have multiple accreditations from fancy schools but you should ask to see a copy of the paperwork.

For instance, if you were going to spend hundreds of pounds buying something you would check it out on Google first – you should apply the same caution when selecting a tutor.

Another major red flag that might occur before lessons start is when the suspicious tutor asks you to pay up-front for lessons. In most situations, you should not have to expect to pay in advance, unless there are compelling reasons for you to do so such as a discount or the reservation of particular dates and times.

The common practice, especially on well-managed and trusted tutoring sites, is for tutors to invoice you and then you pay accordingly for lessons.

Have Open Communication

conflict resolution
Before hiring your private tutor, you might need to have a frank chat about a few things that aren't going as well as you expected. (Source: Unsplash)

Oftentimes, the best thing to do is to have a one-to-one chat with the tutor before the first lesson. From the beginning, this will cement a strong relationship with the tutor since communication will be open and honest. Keep the two-way dialogue flowing because this is vital when problems occur.

For example, if a problem occurs, do not ignore it in the hope that it will disappear; tell the tutor about it. Whether it's something about their teaching style, if you find the course material boring, or if they're talking too much, the tutor should be made aware because, in their defence, they may have been completely oblivious until you mentioned it.

Open communication keeps tutors honest and lets them realize that although they have years of experience, there is always room for growth and improvement. 

Just remember that open communication goes both ways and the tutor might provide you with feedback on how you can improve during lessons as well. When both sides are tactful and respectful, a good business relationship can continue.

In most situations, problems can be quickly resolved and there's no need to fire the tutor. However, what happens when you encounter a rogue tutor? Read the following subheading to find out!

What Should I Do When Encountering a Rogue Tutor?

frank conversations
If you're having issues with a "rogue" tutor, the first thing to do is call them to see what's happened. (Source: Unsplash)

Tutoring on the whole is a caring profession with millions of professional educators around the world providing help to students in a professional manner. The vast majority of customers are satisfied and think that their cash is well spent whether they are taking in-person or virtual training sessions. However, it's sad to say, that's not always the case.

Unfortunately, some rogue or rebellious tutors infiltrate themselves into tutoring communities wreaking havoc on students and making them feel as if they've been duped.

The gist of the complaints is similar when dealing with these types of tutors although the details are different in each case. One common issue includes payment for a series of lessons only to find out the tutor vanishes after they've received their money. Also, abusive or harsh behaviour has been experienced among other terrible things. Though rogue tutors are not the norm, sadly, these situations do happen.

But, what can parents or adult learners do when these unfair things happen to them or their children? The following advice will lead you in the right direction:

  • Call the Tutor: the first step should be trying to reach an amicable settlement of the problem. Asking for your money back for lessons not held is not unreasonable unless you signed a contract, in which case you should take a close look at it. Nevertheless, calling the tutor to have a chat about things is step one.
  • Write to the Tutor: if you didn't hear anything back after many phone calls, write the tutor via email and ask again for a refund.
  • Contact the Tutoring Company, Agency, or Website: it's worth stating that no agency wants problems like this to occur since it's bad for business. Therefore, they should do their very best to help you contact the tutor and resolve the problem. Do not be afraid of also asking the website or agency for a refund of the commission you paid them.

If after attempting all three of the previously mentioned suggestions, you've really got a rough situation on your hands and we're very sorry! Some victims of fraud have contacted local authorities or have posted about it on social media to raise awareness for their cause and prevent it from happening to others.

In conclusion, at Superprof, we sincerely hope that this blog post has helped you to deal with conflicts and issues with your tutor successfully. You're now prepared for whatever may come!

Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!

5.00 (2 rating(s))
Loading...

Brentyn

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