If your family has recently decided to add a tutor to your child’s academic routine, it’s important to find the right person to fit your individual needs. Here are 5 important factors to consider when looking for a tutor!
1. Area of speciality. For most families, this is going to be the primary factor when seeking out a tutor. Before starting your search, we recommend coming up with a general outline of your child’s needs. An elementary school student who requires general help with homework is going to have very different needs than an older student struggling with algebra. For some students, the primary goal may be to improve organization or executive functioning skills (which contribute heavily to time management and planning ability). Once you have an idea of what areas your student needs to address, you can start refining your options.
2. Instructional style. As we’ve discussed before on our blogs, people have different ways in which they learn most effectively. In general, learning styles can be separated into three categories – visual, auditory, and tactile. Younger students often learn better with hands-on activities, so it’s important to consider your child’s learning style when looking for a tutor. A qualified tutor should be able to help you identify your child’s learning style, so make sure to discuss this in the initial consultation.
3. Scheduling availability. If you are planning on working with a one-to-one tutor, flexibility should be expected. Tutoring works best on a recurring basis as students tend to benefit from routine sessions, so it’s important to make sure the tutor you are planning to work with is able to accommodate your family’s schedule. Unlike learning centers, individual tutors can work outside normal business hours and even over weekends (both in-home and online), so it’s crucial for families to have an idea of the frequency of sessions ahead of time.
4. Personality. Tutoring will be most effective if your child is working with an individual that shares similar personality traits. At Tutor Doctor, we take the time to match students with tutors based on personality, interests and academic needs – students should feel comfortable with the person they are working with and will absorb material much more effectively when matched with a compatible tutor. To learn more about our tutor matching process, click here!
5. Session format. Due to current global health concerns with the pandemic, the format in which tutoring sessions will be conducted has become a growing concern with families. Depending on local health and safety guidelines, in-home tutoring may be available once again in your area. However, online tutoring is an extremely convenient option that is every bit as effective as traditional tutoring, so we definitely encourage parents to keep this in mind! Online tutoring can also be more flexible in terms of scheduling as no physical travel is required. If you’re interested in learning more about online tutoring programs, click here!
