When using a private tutor isn’t worth it

This can be an emotional topic for many and, sometimes, the truth really does hurt, so brace yourself.

A private tutor has many roles these days. Mainly it’s the impart at ion of knowledge on a subject or a group of subjects to a learner. But the other roles are often not realised by parents.

More than just a private tutor
In order for a tutor to teach a child successfully, there is a certain amount of trust they must have in the tutor. Trust in the knowledge of the tutor and enough trust to open up about their concerns and fears is extremely important. For instance, many times it is the child’s fear of failure that can hold them back from embracing what is being taught.

A weekly lesson isn’t the be all and end all
A private tutor teaches a child for a set number of hours per week. Unless that child has the luxury of being taught by the tutor every day for a few hours, there is work that they (supported by their parents) have to do at home.

Having a private tutor does not mean that parents should stop checking the work their child is doing, or ensuring their child is actually doing the work.

Using a private tutor will, ultimately, fail if the only work your child does is during tuition…it just isn’t feasible that they spend only the two hours (for example) during tuition out of 168 hours of the week learning, but are expected to excel in their exams. It really doesn’t work…there must be some work at home to reinforce their learning.

Revision of the work and practice is crucial whether it’s for grammar school tests of GCSEs.