Selecting a good private tutor for your child can be a daunting task. Here are the top 3 challenges many parents face during the selection process. Learn how to tackle these challenges.
Problem no 1:
Typically, parents select a tutor based on information (such as experience or educational background) provided by local tuition agencies. Parents or students are usually unable to talk to or interview a tutor face to face before hiring. The recruitment process is solely dependent on your assessment of their credentials or experience on paper.
Sometimes having the right credentials or experience may not be enough to determine if a tutor is the right candidate. You will need to have a sense of whether the tutor has the personality that can connect with your child. If you have a hyper or easily distracted, you will need someone who has lots of patience. If you have a child who dislikes the subject, then you will need someone who can make learning interesting and fun. So how do you tackle this problem?
Solution :
Most tuition agencies would not arrange for phone interviews but some do. For example, ChampionTutor. Select tuition agencies which allow you to have at least a quick call with the tutor. Through the phone call and with some clever questions, you can have a sense of the tutor’s style of teaching by the way he or she answers your questions. If, however, you are unable to find a tuition agency who allows you to contact the tutor prior to starting, you can still prepare a list of questions and forward it through the agency to the tutor for them to answer.
Problem 2:
In some very rare instances, some tutors claim that they are local MOE teachers but are not. Current local teachers are very high in demand and because of that, some tutors pretend to be one in order to land more tutoring assignments. Some tutors also will lie about their experience and educational background.
Solution:
Always get the tuition agency or tutor to provide any relevant documents so that you can verify if they are what they say they are. If you realize that the tutor is a fraud, inform the tuition agency immediately. A good tuition center will ensure that the tutor will be banned from taking any other tutoring assignments again.
Problem 3:
Many parents request for MOE current or ex-teachers to tutor their child as they have the impression that these category of teachers are the best. As there is very low supply and very high demand, parents will have to approach multiple tuition agencies to search for one.
Solution:
Parents should not make the wrong decision of just looking at credentials and experience on paper. If a tuition agency does not have the MOE tutor that you are looking for, ask for alternatives, such as full time tutors. These categories of tutors would be teaching many more students than a full time working MOE current teacher as this is their full time job. Their timings would be more flexible and hourly rates more pocket friendly. They would also be very familiar with the curriculum. Another alternative is part time tutors with good experience.
Ultimately, what you need is a tutor who can communicate effectively and be able to build a rapport with your child to improve their school results. Someone whom your child feels like he or she can trust and relate to and also enjoy being around.