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Qualities of a Great Home Tutor
What should we look for when engaging in a home tutor?
It is known that teaching is a noble profession. Others claim it’s a calling and a vocation. This profession is unlike any others, however. It is well known that teaching is a profession that teaches all professions.
There are many responsibilities that befall on teachers. Many think that knowledge of a subject area is sufficient enough to make a good home tutor. But it takes more than that to make a great home tutor.
Home tutors and aspiring home tutors realize that working as one is one of the most fulfilling careers in Singapore. There are many perks of being a private home tutor than often involves the flexibility and freedom we all aspire to have.
With thousand of full-time and part-time home tutors in Singapore, how can parents make sure to distinguish great home tutors from good home tutors? The answer lies in the many aspects and qualities parents should look out for before engaging in home tutors for their sons and daughters.
Important qualities to look out for in Home tutors
Not every home tutor displays the same qualities and virtues required to be a great home tutor. There are some home tutors that only aim to make money without any regard for their job or concern about the student’s improvement. It’s a sad reality but it is also not unheard of.
Here are some qualities parents should look out for in home tutors:
1. Knowledge of the subject and strong educational background
This doesn’t mean that all well-educated tutors are great tutors. However, there is a significant difference between a great home tutor who has the unique passion for his/her field of expertise. This is the basic reason why great home tutors would also want to continue improving themselves.
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A great home tutor has adequate knowledge about the subject being taught to the student. This means that a great home tutor is knowledgeable enough for him/her to discuss easy concepts to the difficult one without any problems.
Here in FamilyTutor, we make sure to only hire home tutors that have the qualifications to teach. Even our part-timers are all either undergraduates studying to earn their diplomas or professionals who have the passion for teaching.
We make sure that we check their grades and level of knowledge. Our full-timers and NIE-trained teachers all hole diplomas and experience in teaching. We also make sure our home tutors follow the MOE syllabus.
2. Ability to teach students at their own pace
Every student learns in a different pace from others. This is exactly the reason why larger settings such as in conventional schools can prove tricky for students to learn. A great home tutor knows and understands this.
There are many researches of how humans learn. However, it is generally agreed that students learn differently from one another. Some students may be more visual learners while others are auditory learners. Some learn by doing while others need models to gain knowledge.
A great home tutor is someone willing to tailor their teaching according to the style that fits best for the student. Not many can do this, especially with some home tutors that already have their set pedagogy.
Which means, this separates the good home tutors from the great. A great one understands the proper pace a student should learn and understand also the science of learning. A great home tutor will rely on adding their technical knowledge and softer skills to make up a personalized plan for the student’s needs.
A great home tutor should not only have one teaching method. That’s why here at FamilyTutor, we make sure to match the student’s needs with the home tutors. This way, our home tutors can personalize the lessons for them and adjust according to their needed concentration.
3. Compassion and adaptability
This relates to the second quality stated above. A great home tutor should both show compassion for students and exert adaptability.
Let’s first talk about compassion. Surely, this isn’t something that immediately comes to mind when thinking of good home tutor qualities. Most people have come across the tough task master in schools or even the workplace. They are mostly the people that loves to order people around to ensure discipline and respect.
For some people, this works. But this isn’t the best teaching method.
A kind teacher will also make lasting impact on the students than a rough one. A great home tutor should be able to empathize with the student rather than bombarding them with knowledge and exercises like a task master.
This is counter-productive and will not give the lasting effects we want for our students to ensure life-long learning.
Relating to this is the home tutor’s ability to properly adapt to the students needs. As stated in #2 of this post, a student learns differently from one another. This means the teaching style should also be adaptable to different kinds of students.
This will also mean that with different students, a great home tutor may change their teaching styles many times and still make learning effective. Let us remember that as our students learn, they also grow. The teaching style that may work on them before may grow to be boring in the future.
4. Flexibility and Good Time Management
One thing to consider about home tuition is that it’s a seasonal job. Parents usually hire tutors whenever their child requires the assistance. This means that parents should also look for home tutors that are flexible with their time and manage their time well.
Parents should look out for home tutors that have good time management skills. This means that since the tutoring session lasts for approximately an hour, they should look for someone who can make the most out of that short time frame.
A great home tutor should be able to develop a schedule for the student to follow and make sure to not miss anything during the session. A great home tutor is well-structured and organized. They should also have a fixed goal for their students in mind.
In FamilyTutor, we make sure that there is a guaranteed improvement in our students. We are proud of the approximate 12% increase in our students’ average grade improvement.
5. Good communication with the parents
Yes, this is also important to look out for when engaging in home tutors. Parents don’t want to put their children into just anyone else’s hands. A great home tutor should show transparency and communicate well with the parents.
A great home tutor should remember that this is not only a student-tutor relationship but should involve the parents as well. There’s a saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” and this reflects that saying well.
Communicating well with the parents ensures that the parents are aware of how home tutoring is helping their child and also allows the home tutor to address concerns or issues encountered with the student.
Being a great home tutor also means that they should be readily available to discuss the student’s progress with the parents always.
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6. Enthusiasm and Passion in Teaching
This being said, a great home tutor should be full of energy and show passion for the job. Enthusiasm impacts the students learning in a positive way. Students can see that their home tutors are passionate and enthusiastic in teaching and that also transfers to their outlook in learning.
Passion cannot be easily faked. And students are inquisitive beings. If a great home tutor is passionate about teaching, it will show. An enthusiastic and passionate home tutor will always find a way for learning to be more interesting for the student.
When a great home tutor exerts that, learning with vigor becomes infectious. Students will then be more motivated to learn. With this enthusiasm and passion in their teaching, great home tutors also find it easier to cement a good relationship with their students.
7. Resourcefulness
A great home tutor teaches the student with the supplementary tools that can help the student learn in an effective manner. A good home tutor has the ability to come up with new ways to use resources to supplement learning.
Although there is the MOE syllabus that we at FamilyTutor follow, it is known that great home tutors should always continue to find more ways to engage students not just using one method.
In conclusion…
Looking for qualities of a great private home tutor may be a daunting task. However, we have to keep them in mind when engaging in one for our children. It’s not always easy to spot the great among the good. There are only so many qualities parents can detect within the first meeting.
However, as leading home tuition in Singapore, FamilyTutor ensures you that our home tutors have the qualities of a great and effective home tutor. As the best home tuition agency in Singapore, we not only match your students with the best home tutors but also make sure they have a meaningful relationship and improve their academic skills and values.
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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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FamilyTutor is an established and the people’s favourite home tuition agency in Singapore! We match a suitable tutor for you not just to improve the student’s grade, but also to build a good rapport and meaningful relationship with the student and even with the student’s whole family! With FamilyTutor, every Singaporean son & daughter is in good hands.
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