Should I Get a Tutor for my Child?

Parents are often left wondering whether to get a tutor for their child. Is now the right time? Do they really need it? When is the right time?

Tutoring is no longer just a remedy for students that are struggling in school. It has become a tool of enrichment for high achieving students that are aiming at competitive admissions to higher education, or mastery in STEM and languages. Beyond just the academic scores, a primary driver for parents seeking tutors is reducing the household conflict that often accompanies homework, or relieving study-related anxiety especially for older students facing end of school examinations. So with the issues clear, why are parents still on the fence? The simple answer is ROI. Private tutoring costs can range significantly, from as low as $10 up to $100+ per hour or session, making the cost-to-benefit a critical consideration for parents. Investing hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars is not easy for many households, so there needs to be a clear path for that money to return later.

So as a parent, what are clear signs that can help you identify if your child needs a tutor?

1. Sustained Grade Drops: A single bad test is not a reason to panic and get a tutor. Look for trends in grades, is one subject doing worse than the rest? Have the grades been trending down for the past few weeks to months? These are the questions you should be asking. A single bad test could be the result of a number of factors, but over time if that trend continues then it could be a more clear sign that a tutor can help.
2. Homework Battles: A fight every night at home over homework could be a sign of subject anxiety and not finding a solution or a way to understand the work. Each student is unique, and therefore they all prefer different subjects, but schooling systems require students to do subjects they may not enjoy. This is where a tutor can make a real difference, helping the student understand a difficult subject by explaining it in a different, more personalized way, or giving extra practice for the student to build confidence.
3. Loss of Confidence or Boredom in Class: These two are often misunderstood as being opposites, but they both stem from the same issue, the student is not being stimulated by the subject and therefore does not want to invest their energy in the subject. A tutor can help reignite that spark in a student and help the student see the subject in a new light to bring back the motivation.

Should you get a private tutor, enrol in a learning center, or get an AI tool for your child? Each of these has its own benefits and choosing the correct one can help you save on unnecessary expenses.

• Private Tutors are the most expensive, but the most personalized as well. They are great at targeting weak points in the students' understanding, or specific curricula or examinations. Online private tutors tend to be cheaper, and private tutors are the best in terms of motivation and accountability.
• Learning Centers offer a structured curriculum that can help students who need more practice. They are also a social environment, helping the student stay motivated to attend class as they will get to see their friends as well. They are also cheaper than private tutors but they are not personalized, therefore helping less with ultra specific weaknesses.
• AI and Digital tools such as learning games are becoming more prevalent and a real solution to some problems. They are immediate, allowing you to sign up and start learning right away, they are also very low cost compared to private tutors and learning centers, often as low as $20 per month. They do however lack the accountability and human encouragement that the others offer, making this a better choice for more motivated students that just need more practice.

So what questions should you be asking before you hire a tutor? Having the answers to these questions first will allow you to find a good tutor on the first try, wasting less time and money on trying out many tutors.

1. What is the specific goal? Do you just want your child to catch up on work missed, is it a specific test they need to prepare for, or do you want them to build confidence? This question helps you determine the type of tutor you are looking for, content specialist versus testing specialist.
2. Does the tutor match my child's learning style? As I spoke about earlier, each child has a unique learning style, and to match that, each tutor has a unique tutoring style. Finding a match in styles can help the learning process run smoother. But a mismatch is not the end of the world either, a good tutor is able to adapt to different learning styles to suit the student. This is always a good point to bring up when discussing with the tutor. Ask them for examples of teaching that specific learning style.
3. How will progress be measured? Not every student needs measured progress, but it can be a helper to identify if the tutoring is working, as well as finding blind spots or areas that need more attention and with that said, some subjects are more difficult to measure than others. But it is a good idea to discuss this, even if it just means the tutor gives a lesson report at the end of the lesson. Other options are weekly feedback, grades in quizzes, or for a really motivated student, even self-reliance and self-reporting is an option.
4. Is my child over-scheduled? Adding a tutor might just increase burnout for the student and this burnout might already be the cause of the lowering grades, thereby becoming the issue it is trying to solve. Examine your child's schedule to see if there really is time for a tutor. Remember children also need time for a social life, exercise, and time to rest and relax.

There are also alternatives to jumping straight into getting a tutor. If you want to check that tutoring will help without fully committing to a tutor, here are some alternatives.

• Teacher Office Hours or Help Desks: Most schools offer outside of class help in the form of a help desk or office hours where students can ask teachers for extra help or questions they are still unclear about. This is great for one test that may not have gone as well as expected as it allows the student a chance to clarify what they might be struggling with and give them a chance to fix the misunderstanding themselves.
• Study Groups: As mentioned before, students have different ways of learning and understanding, and sometimes a study group can help a student look at a problem from a different angle. It also gives the student an opportunity to explain the concept to others, a proven technique to help them understand the concept better themselves. These study groups can also help motivate students as they feel less isolated in the struggles, knowing others also find it tough and they can work together to make it through the course.
• Targeted Online Platforms such as Khan Academy or educational YouTube could also be a great place to start especially if the focus needs to be more narrow. These platforms often give a similar experience to a private tutor but for less cost, they do however still lack the human engagement and accountability that private tutors and classes offer.

Deciding if your child needs a tutor is a big step and can even be a scary one, but communication is key, talk to your child and see how they feel as well. Don't let money be your only deciding factor, there are plenty of affordable tutors and free or cheap platforms as well to help out.