When parents think about the role of a tutor, they often assume that tutors are purely responsible for providing academic support, such as helping their children prepare for exams or supporting them through challenging topics. However, Carfax Education believes that tutors have the potential to be much more than that. They can become mentors, guides, and champions for their students, extending their role beyond academic assistance.

When choosing a tutor for your child, consider the following:

Connection

A tutor’s love of learning and enthusiasm should be passed on to their young learners and inspire them to thrive both educationally and personally. Therefore we believe that it is exceptionally important to find a tutor that not only has the right experience to teach at the pupils’ level but also one that has a connection outside of academics, so they can build on this to promote an eagerness to learn and a strong work ethic.

Expertise

Credentials are important for any educator; many tutors will come with a wealth of knowledge in their field, often honed with master’s degrees within their specific area. Whilst specialised knowledge is hugely valuable, it is important to note that these academically able tutors are not only restricted to teaching within that subject range. The most accomplished tutors will have expertise within a wide range of subjects, ranging from languages to maths and sciences. Many parents may initially request a tutor who is an expert in a specific subject, however, there can be benefits of tutors who can approach subjects from a multidisciplinary perspective. It can bring an added dimension to their teaching, helping pupils to make links between subjects and embedding knowledge more deeply.

Most successful tuition expands beyond the confines of classical ‘single subject learning’, and broad tutors can easily bridge that gap between subjects and provide a much wider scope of learning. Carfax pupils often comment how they suddenly get a ‘eureka’ moment when, for example, their maths class is linked to their interest in space or cars and they fully understand how the concept works in a practical and applied way. Something that then stays with them.

Passion

One of the most important aspects of identifying the right tutor is their attitude towards work and learning. Not every academic can produce a high-quality lesson, and likewise those who can produce good lesson content can not necessarily teach it to a high level. It is important to find a tutor who can not only engage students in a way which makes them enjoy the class, but also provides a route for the student to investigate more and go above and beyond school learning and topics. Tutors should be able to nurture interest, and always push the students academically to be the best that they can be.

Proactive

It is also important that tuition comes with a structured plan of action. It is important that the tutor assesses each child’s best learning methods and the knowledge they already have, alongside their aims and aspirations and then follows a structured route of teaching based on this knowledge. This ensures that both tutor and pupil stay on track and achieve the desired results. The tutor must be able to understand the student and pave the way for them to efficiently reach their academic goals. A well matched tutor will work with a child to not only design their academic pathway but to also deliver it in a way that is not overwhelming and is enjoyable and engaging for the student. We love nothing more than a student saying they have learnt more in a one hour tutoring session than in a whole week at school, demonstrating how targeted and individualised tutoring can really inspire and enhance the education experience.

In all, it is important to look at factors that go beyond academics, credentials, and experience. Although the latter may be important, it is essential that there is a strong personal connection between the tutor and the student, and that the tutor installs a deep understanding of their subjects in a fun and exciting manner. We develop long term working relationships with many of our tutoring families because of the very personal connection the tutors develop with their tutees, which enables the tutors to go way beyond the curriculum demands and harness the child’s natural curiosity.

With the right tutor in place, tuition can provide the strongest possible education foundations; it will push the boundaries of schooling, give a broader understanding of the subject and how it relates to the world, and crucially it can instil the work ethic and habits to succeed as pupils progress on their education journey.

For more information about one-to-one tuition at Carfax Education, please click here to enquire.