How to find the right tuition teacher for your child? Here are 7 main factors you need to consider in order to find the right and the best tutor for your child
Know your child’s learning style
It’s important to know your child’s learning style. Some kids are visual learners, while others are auditory or kinesthetic. It’s best to explain things like math problems visually and then verbally reinforce them. For example, “There are 3 houses on a street and 4 cars in each driveway, so that means there are 12 cars in total on the street. See? If you count up all the cars, there should be 12 of them!”
If you know your child’s learning style it will help you find a tutor that can cater to those needs.
Ask the right questions – what experience do they have?
As you begin your search for a tutor, you will be faced with a daunting list of options. What to do? How to choose? Fortunately, with this article as your guide, you’ll know exactly what questions to ask before committing to that first session.
- What is their experience in teaching? There are many reasons why someone might become a tutor, but I only recommend people who have trained as teachers or otherwise have experience in the classroom. Anyone can call themselves a tutor and they may be very good at it, but I want the person teaching my child to have the skills and knowledge required by an educator.
- How long have they been tutoring? In my opinion, six months or a year qualifies someone like an experienced tutor but even so, don’t be afraid to ask how much they enjoy working with students. It’s always useful and informative to get some context about why your potential tutor has chosen this profession!
- Do they have any formal qualifications? Your child’s tutor doesn’t need to hold any kind of official certificate—the important thing is finding out whether or not they are interested in learning more about the subjects themselves and improving their knowledge and skills. This should also tell us something about their personality type: if he/she wants us all to succeed together!
Do they cater to your child’s needs?
There are many different ways to teach, and each individual will have their style. Personalities vary greatly between children, so you must find a tuition teacher who has the same teaching style as your child. Consider the following:
- Does your child have any special needs? If they do, ask if they have experience catering to someone with similar needs.
- Do they deal well with shy children? Some teachers are more outgoing than others and will happily take the lead in class. Other teachers rely on their students to initiate discussions or bring up questions of their own accord. Look for a teacher whose personality is a good match for your child.
- Are they comfortable dealing with distracted children? If your child is easily distracted by things going on around them, find a tutor who can keep their attention trained firmly on their work. God forbid they get distracted while playing Pokemon Go instead of listening to an explanation about fractions!
Is the teacher able to simplify difficult ideas?
A good tuition teacher always knows that there is no ‘one size fits all approach to teaching. Some students will learn by reading and rereading the textbook. Others need to see a concept in action. This means that your child’s tutor must be able to simplify complex ideas using analogies, stories, diagrams, or real-life examples so that your child can understand them.
Finding a tuition teacher that does this might require some trial and error, but once you find one who understands what works for your child, you will notice a tremendous difference in their learning journey.
Do they understand the curriculum?
What is the most important thing you should look for in a tuition teacher? The answer is simple: they should know what they’re doing!
You need to find someone who understands the curriculum, can explain concepts clearly, and help with homework, exam preparation, and any assessments. It sounds like common sense, right? But so many parents get caught up in other considerations that they don’t leave time to think about whether the tutor knows their stuff.
It’s also critical that your child feels supported by the tuition teacher. They should give clear and specific feedback about how your child can improve. You want a tutor who will build confidence and not just correct homework or flashcards in a robotic fashion.
How do they handle difficult behavior in children?
It’s important to take a look at the type of behavior problems you’re having with your child. If it’s occasional, you might want to just disregard it and see if the behavior changes over time. However, if the problem persists, here are some tips on how to change them:
- Set clear rules and consequences for when they’re broken. This includes rewarding children who follow the rules with praise and encouragement. Letting them know what is expected before starting a lesson will allow them to understand how their actions affect others around them.
- Give one-on-one attention during lessons instead of lecturing from afar or giving too much time for free play — this will help keep them focused on the task as well as reduce distractions from other students in the class who may not be as engaged with their work!
- Make sure there isn’t anything else going on in your home or life that could cause stress like financial issues because these factors could lead people into acting out more often than usual due to not feeling secure enough about themselves; if so then try talking about these things openly so that your kids know they can come to talk about whatever might be bothering them too!
Is the tutor reliable?
You should make sure that the tutor you choose is reliable and available. You want to know that they’ll be there for your child, so you need to be able to trust them. How can you tell if a tutor is reliable?
- They’re always on time. If they say they’ll meet at 3 pm, they will be there at 3 pm.
- They’re always available when you need them. If you have a question about something in particular, or if your child needs an extra lesson before an exam, then the tutor is available to help.
- They can answer your questions and give advice when needed – even if it’s not about the subject being taught! For example, if your child wants to know how best to study for their exams or what qualifications they’ll need after school, then their tutor should be able to help with this too (though don’t expect them to do all of the work).
- They adapt their lessons based on what each student needs – some students learn better by doing rather than listening; others prefer lectures over practicals; whatever your child’s preferred learning style might be ~~~ the tutor should adapt how they teach so that every lesson counts!
Finding a good tutor can be difficult, but when you find one with all these qualities, you will have a positive experience.
Finding a good tuition teacher can be difficult, but when you find one with all these qualities, you will have a positive experience.
You’re not alone. It is a fact that a lot of Singaporeans go through this dilemma.
TigerCampus helps you better support your primary school, secondary school, and JC1 – JC2 students in their English learning journey.
