How to Choose a Tutor for Your Child

Start with the problem, not the tutor

Before you contact anyone, write down what you want to change. "Better at maths" is too vague to act on. "Confident with fractions and algebra before the Year 9 exams" is something a tutor can plan around.

Talk to your child and, if you can, their class teacher. Ask which topics cause the trouble, whether the gap is knowledge, confidence or exam technique, and whether there is a deadline such as the 11+, SATs, GCSEs or A-Levels. A tutor can only be as focused as the brief you give them.

• Which subject, and which exam board if it is a GCSE or A-Level? Boards such as AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC Eduqas set different papers.
• Is the goal catching up, keeping pace, or stretching a child who is already doing well?
• How does your child learn best: talking things through, worked examples, short bursts?
• How much can you realistically fit in each week?

What a good tutor should be able to tell you

Whether you find a tutor through a friend, a local noticeboard, or an agency, the same questions apply. A good tutor will answer them easily and will not mind being asked.

1. What have you taught at this level before, and which exam board do you know best?
2. How will you find out what my child already knows and where the gaps are?
3. What will a typical lesson look like?
4. How will I know whether it is working, and how often will you tell me?
5. What happens if a lesson is missed or needs to move?
6. What materials do you use, and do you set homework?

Listen to how they describe teaching, not only their qualifications. Strong subject knowledge matters, but so does the ability to explain the same idea three different ways. Someone who can get a grade 9 is not automatically someone who can help a child on a grade 3.

Red flags worth taking seriously

Most tutors are conscientious people doing a good job. A few warning signs are still worth knowing.

• Promises of a particular grade or a fixed number of grades. No honest tutor can guarantee an outcome.
• Vague answers about experience, or reluctance to say who has checked their background.
• Pressure to pay for a large block of lessons up front, before you have seen one.
• No plan. If the first lesson is just "doing some past papers" with no diagnosis, the time will drift.
• Criticism of the school or teachers as a way of selling themselves.
• Asking you to keep communication away from a parent, or being unwilling for you to be nearby for younger children.

Safeguarding questions to ask any provider

Your child will spend time one to one with an adult you may not have met. Asking about safeguarding is normal, and a responsible provider will be glad you did. You are entitled to ask each of the following, whether the tutor is independent or part of a company.

• What checks are carried out on tutors before they teach children, and who carries them out? Ask to see evidence rather than taking a general statement on trust.
• Is there a named person responsible for safeguarding, and a written safeguarding policy I can read?
• What is the policy on contact outside lessons, such as personal phone numbers or social media?
• For online lessons, where do they take place? A platform the provider controls is different from a private video call link.
• Can I sit in on or listen to a lesson with a younger child, and can I see messages between tutor and child?
• What do I do, and who do I contact, if I have a concern?

For under-16s, be around when lessons start, especially at first. Keep the lesson in a shared room such as the kitchen or lounge rather than a bedroom, and check in at the end. It also helps you see how the tutor talks to your child.

Use the first lesson as a trial

Whatever the setup, treat the first session as a trial and agree this up front. Ask whether you are committing to anything beyond it. Then watch what happens.

• Did the tutor spend time finding out what your child can and cannot do, rather than starting straight in?
• Did your child get to talk and try things, or just listen?
• Did your child come away with something clear to practise?
• Was the tutor kind, patient and clear? Children rarely learn from someone they feel judged by.

Ask your child afterwards, in a relaxed way, how it felt. "Was it useful?" and "Would you like to go back?" are more telling than any marketing. If they were bored, lost or anxious, say so to the tutor. A good one will adjust. If nothing changes after a couple of sessions, it is fine to move on.

Think about format and fit

Lessons can be at home, at the tutor's home, in a centre or online. Each has trade-offs, which we cover in our guide to online versus in-person tutoring. For many families the biggest practical gain of online lessons is a wider choice of tutors, since distance no longer limits who you can pick.

Fit also means personality and pace. A confident teenager may want a brisk tutor who pushes. An anxious child may need a gentler start. Tell the tutor, and ask what they would do differently for your child.

Where tutoring services can help

If you would rather not search alone, a service can do the shortlisting for you. At Nerdely, you tell us what your child needs. We shortlist tutors, interview every tutor ourselves, match one, and book the lessons. Lessons are live, one to one and 50 minutes long, in our own online classroom. You can message the tutor, change tutor if it is not working, and see scores and a short monthly report in your account. Details are on how it works, and prices are confirmed before you book.

Whichever route you take, ask the questions above. If you are looking for a particular subject, you can see how we approach it for GCSE maths, 11+ or A-Level subjects. The right tutor is the one your child will turn up for, and learn from.