Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring A Tutor

It’s not a surprise to learn that the home tuition industry in Singapore has become so popular over the past few years. As a rising country, parents and students prioritize their education so they can lead a bright future ahead. Singaporean parents also only want the best quality education for their children. As there are instances wherein students will struggle to keep up, some parents turn to home tutors to help their child overcome these struggles.  There are also students who are already doing well and yet, want to get ahead of their studies so they also hire tutors to give them supplementary lessons.

In a modern world, it’s understandable why education is considered a priority. There are also many benefits students can earn form private tuition that goes beyond just their academic excellence. Students will also learn valuable life lessons and skills they can use in the future such as time management skills, discipline in one’s work, and even social skills. However, there are still many questions that stands in between parents hiring a tutor or not.

Advantages of home tuition

Before we tackle the questions that parents should consider before hiring a tutor for their child, let’s first look at the advantages or benefits a child can get through home tuition.

1. Personalized lessons and pace

As a parent, you wouldn’t be there everyday while the child is in class. In an average classroom setting, there can be more than twenty students for one teacher. This ultimately leads to a disadvantage for students who require clarifications for the lesson. Since not all student learn the same, there may be instances where the student will be left behind in their lessons.

This wouldn’t be the case in home tuition. As it is 1-to-1 tuition, there would only be one student per tutor, and as such, the tutors can allot all their time and effort to the student for the entire tuition session. The lessons are catered according to the student’s learning needs and styles, with the tutor bearing in mind the pace the student learns the best in.

2. Less distractions

Because private tuition happens at home and at 1-to-1 ratio, there can be less distractions than that with learning in the classroom. A larger classroom with more students can be highly distracting for a student. Of course, classrooms should be a conducive learning environment however, this wouldn’t always be the case. Since there’s a set schedule and organized routine in private tuition, the student will already know what’s going to happen in the session. The house is also generally peaceful, more peaceful than a room with twenty-plus students anyway, and offer a place for the student to properly concentrate for the lesson at hand.

3. Improved self-confidence

Though this isn’t always the case, there are many students who struggle to keep up with their lessons in school because they don’t believe in their abilities or think they aren’t good enough. Students with low self-esteem can be provided with positive reinforcement in tuition and help them become more confident in their skills and knowledge. As a result, the student will slowly start to open up also in school and participate more.

4. Better academic performance

Let’s face it, more often than not, the reason why tutors are hired is to help students get a boost in their grades. With a tutor’s help, they would not only learn but also be guided and given techniques they can use for exams. As such, many tutors also have a compilation of supplementary resource materials that students can access. Overall, because of the personalized lessons and increase in self-esteem, the students can achieve their desired academic goals.

Disadvantages of home tuition

As much as we want to iterate to parents that tuition is a good idea, and it is, there are also some disadvantages in tuition that students and parents may potentially suffer from. There are always two sides of a coin and so, let’s also talk about the possible disadvantages of tuition.

1. Cost

This is one of the main concerns of parents once they are given the suggestion of hiring a tutor for their child. Private tuition can cost a lot, depending on the level of experience a tutor has and the number of hours for the tuition session.

There are also parents who have hired a tutor for less but this also doesn’t guarantee the same results as when parents will hire a highly skilled and experienced tutor. Many tutors who charge less do that because they lack the experience and skills of a properly qualified tutor. This will only be a waste of money though when the sessions aren’t effective because of the tutor lack of qualifications.

2. Student may see it as a chore

Private tuition is often the parent’s choice rather than the child, and because of this, the child may feel obligated to attend the tuition sessions. A child may already be exhausted from school and their extra-curricular activities, and they have their tuition session and homework to do still. The extra time for tuition can become a chore for the child and they will not enjoy the extra lessons anymore. At some point, if the benefits and reasons aren’t explained to them, they can even resent the tuition and cause an even bigger issue for their studies and behavior.

Questions to ask before hiring a tutor

Now that we’ve talked about the advantages and disadvantages of home tuition, parents will already have an idea as to how to weigh the decision to hire a tutor or not. However, if you are still interested in hiring a tutor, let’s take a look now at the questions you should really ask yourself before even considering hiring a tutor or your child.

Does the child really need tuition for this subject?

Most often, private tuition is done per subject. When parents see their child struggling with their studies, their first instinct would be finding a way to help them. This is where this question comes in.

Take a moment to ask yourself If the child really needs tuition for this certain subject. There are instances where the child is only struggling with one topic that can be relieved with studying the topic by himself. Reasons why the child is having trouble with the subject should also be considered such as not liking the teacher, or being too distracted in class because of a noisy environment.

Additionally, the parent should also only consider tuition for a certain subject the child is having trouble with. Getting tuition for multiple subjects or all subjects will only overwhelm the child and pressure them more, causing more stress that can also affect their academic performance.

What are the goals my child wants to achieve for this subject?

Of course, parents and students want to achieve academic excellence, that’s an obvious enough goal. But what exactly does “academic excellence” entail? It can be different for different students. Remember that since students learn differently, they also have different goals.

By setting a clear goal and expectation as to what the child should be able to achieve by the end of the tuition, you will be able to give the student and the tutor assistance to achieve a successful tuition arrangement, with less chances of failure.

For instance, if the child’s problem with a subject is his/her motivation to learn, you can set the goal for him/her to enjoy the lessons more and be willing to learn more. Once there is a clear desired outcome, you can then communicate with the prospective home tutor so they will also have the idea of the expectations projected from them.

Make sure also that the goals set are reasonable and realistic. You don’t want to put too much pressure on the child and the tutor. Setting really high expectations will only stress out the student and make tuition counter-effective.

What can I do to help?

How can you be part of the process? Now that the goal and reason are clear, it’s time to think how the parent can help both the student and the tutor achieve this. When hiring a tutor, parents shouldn’t expect them to do all the work. This will still be a collaborative effort with one goal in mind. Yes, the tutor is paid to work with the student, however, there will only be so much they can do in one tuition session.

Learning is a continuous process, that means even outside school or tuition hours, there should still be support and assistance given to the child for them to succeed in their studies. A parent can be of help during this time. Their involvement in the child’s academic progress may depend on the individual, however, giving your support and encouragement is a fool-proof method to boost the child’s motivation and determination to do better.

Conclusion

There are still many factors to consider when hiring a tutor for your child. Factors such as tutor’s qualities and credibility also play a role in their progress as well as the parent’s attitude towards tuition. However, the questions stated above can jumpstart the process of considering a home tutor for your child.

Interested in hiring a home tutor for your child? Check out FamilyTutor, the best home tuition agency in Singapore. We offer over 200 subjects from our highly qualified and skilled home tutors for all levels from pre-school and beyond university.

Ready for hire a tutor for your child’s bright future? Give us a click now!

Carelle

Carelle

Carelle is a teacher who has been through the ups and downs of the teacher and learner life. She wishes for every learner to gain educational satisfaction that will help embody the people they want to be in the future.

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About FamilyTutor!

FamilyTutor is an established home tuition agency in Singapore! We match suitable home tutors for our clients not just to improve the students' academic grades, but also to build a strong rapport and meaningful relationship with the students and even the their whole family. FamilyTutor put every student in good hands!

If you need an excellent home tutor, feel free to call/WhatsApp us at +65 8777-2168! Our matching service is free!

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