How to Find the Perfect Tutor

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 11:53:04 +0000

It may be that, since lock-down began, your child’s progress has slowed, or even halted, and they are struggling a little with school work while stuck at home without the guidance of their teachers. Perhaps you had seen some evidence that they would benefit from some extra help even before the schools closed. Whatever your reason for looking for a private tutor, there are a number of things you should consider in order to help you make the riight choice.

BUDGET- Regardless of how large or small your budget is, the cost of the tuition should be high on your list of considerations. Look for recommendations and/or referrals as this is always a good sign. Always review the tutor’s website if there is one as it is often possible to get a good, or not so good, ‘gut feel’ from the on-line presence that the tutor or tutoring company is presenting. As with all goods and services, it pays to ‘shop around’ for the best value and do bear in mind that ‘best value’ may not mean ‘cheapest’. Finding a tutor to assist with your child’s education is one of the most important investments you will make – it is crucial that you make the right choice for the right reasons.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE – Clearly, as with any job, we need to know that the candidate is up to the task. You should, therefore, ensure that the tutor has an expert level of subject knowledge and this is especially important for those studying at a higher level – ‘A’ Level and Degree Level students, for example. Confident and high calibre tutors will be able to demonstarte their expertise through the provision of Degree Certificates and/or testimomnials from clients they have previously tutored. If confronted by a potential tutor who is unable to provide this, then perhaps you should continue your search. Tutor Help have a very robust recruitment process which ensures we employ only the highest calibre tutors. We can only provide the highest quality tuition service by employing the best people – so we do.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES – Of course, while of crucial importance, a tutor’s subject knowledge is not all we should look at and some consideration should be given to personality, character, interpersonal ability, motivation and communication skills. You, as the parent of a struggling youngster, need to feel confident this tutor is the one you need to help and you are more likely to get that feeling if he or she communicates well and has a confident and affable personality. Why they are doing the job can also provide positivity and all our tutors are motivated by a love of their subject and a desire to pass that knowledge to others. Knowing ‘what is required’ Is also very important and this is why, at Tutor Help, we carry out a learning style assessment as part of the initial free consultation so we are able to deliver lessons in the way that best suits the learner so as to ensure maximum benefit from them. Having spent some time with the learner, our consultant will get a feel for their personality in order to match them with the ideal tutor with whom they will naturally bond. A good relationship between tutor and learner is essential – how many times are we able to make the link between a child who is struggling in a particular subject and that child’s poor relationship with that subject’s teacher ? At Tutor Help, our processes will ensure no such issue gets in the way.

LOCATION – Too many people get hung up on finding a tutor who lives round the corner. Location should not be the vital and significant consideration that a lot of parents insist on and, with the current lock-down regulations that are in place, you don’t need to consider it at all. There seems to be a general feeling that on-line tuiton is merely “better than nothing” – it is, in fact, “much better than better than nothing” and some excellent results can be achieved through tuition delivered via one of the many excellent on-line applications that are now available.

FLEXIBILITY – Always try and find a tutor that is as flexible as possible. Online tutoring, by it’s very nature can offer short notice opportunities not possible with face to face visits and it would be advantageous to engage a tutor who is happy to be flexible and can deal with short notice changes.

CREATIVITY – No matter what our learning style, we all enjoy lessons much more if they are interesting, fun and creative and this is especially important for younger, possibly KS1 and KS2, learners. A tutor who is very ‘text book’ orientated and offers lessons based on readng page after page of ‘technical’ content may not retain student interest as well as the tutor who really knows their craft (and subject) and offers more interactive sessions. Retaining the interest and engagement of a student will inevitably lead to significant improvement in their performance levels and confidence. So there you go, just a few tips as to what you might like to consider when selecting a tutor for yourself or your child. Of course, we’re all different and will have our own specific requirements but I hope the above guidelines help you to make the right choice for you. While we are still in the midst of lock-down and the vast majority of our schools remain closed, and even when we get back to normal, if you feel a tutor can help, please give us a call on 01978 253887 or submit a webform, and our representative will be in touch within 24 hours.

The post How to Find the Perfect Tutor first appeared on Tutor Help 4 u.

Managing Homeschooling – Some Tips For Under Pressure Parents

Mon, 25 May 2020 06:53:05 +0000

Have a plan and stick to it

It’s very important to have an organised routine and this is possibly the most significant single thing that you can do to help get through this. It is also crucial that your plan is not too restrictive and includes creative and/or sports activities as well as time off during the day. This way, the kids can see what they need to do at any given time and it helps to replicate to a certain degree what used to be a normal school day. It also facilitates a sense of achievement and self-satisfaction at the end of the day.

Take on some non-curriculum topics

Some parents have taken the opportunity to introduce some learning that the kids are not doing at school. It may be a subject that they are interested in, something you as a parent feel they should be learning or, perhaps, a different aspect of a subject they are studying at school – a different period in History to those covered in the school curriculum, for example. Whether it be finance, life-skills or the environment now is a good time to think about introducing something that you all can enjoy together.

Don’t be afraid to try something new.

One of the biggest challenges of ‘lockdown’ is preventing things becoming a bit repetitive and a lot of parents have found it very helpful to call upon the services of a personal tutor during these extraordinary times. They have found their kids have responded well to the focused attention of one-to-one sessions and have been motivated by the more structured approach of a high calibre professional who has a passion for their subject. At Tutor Help we offer expert tuition in all subjects, and to all age groups and a lot of parents have found that, while trying to work from home and home-schooling the kids, taking their ‘teacher’s hat’ off for an hour or two has been a great help. Please take a moment to browse our website and get in touch if you would like to discuss how we can facilitate at least a little educational normality, without contravening any social distancing rules and/or advice.

Engender Initiative

For the older chilldren, parents have found that encouraging them to plan and undertake their own study independently has worked well. For those studying towards GCSE and/or ‘A’ Levels, rather than try and replace the teacher they had prior to school closures, perhaps think about guiding them as to how to plan the day or week ahead themselves, suggesting where learning resources may be found and then allowing them to get on with it. This encouragement of independent action not only helps to develop a key competency that will serve our kids well as adults, it also frees up a little more time for Mum or Dad to spend with younger children in the family, or, perhaps, have a little time to themselves.

Don’t give up !

Even when when our children were at school, (remember those good days !!) I’m sure we’ve all had to have the “Have you done your homework ?” conversation at some time. Although there are exceptions, kids will generally try to get out of doing school work in favour of something – sometimes anything – else. Some parents have found this problem to be even greater now that their children are at home full time and getting them to undertake home study is very difficult. However, keep at it and encourage them that doing some study now will make the return to school much easier as they can ‘hit the ground running’ .

Don’t beat yourself up

Sometimes the youngsters just won’t have it and, occasionally, you will wish you’d stayed in bed !!. Just let it go – these things happen and tomorrow will be better. Ultimately, if you come through this with family life intact and everyone in good health – job done !!

The post Managing Homeschooling – Some Tips For Under Pressure Parents first appeared on Tutor Help 4 u.