Finding/choosing/working with a tutor

[RedSkyLastNight]

DS (Year 10) is really struggling with physics (he says he doesn't understand his teacher and when he asks him to explain again he doesn't understand the second explanation either). He is now convinced he can't do physics and his confidence is shot to pieces.

We plan to work with the school to see what can be done to improve things at school, but DS has asked if he could have a tutor as he is seriously worried that he will fail his GCSE.

We've never used a tutor before and don't know anyone that does, so wonder if anyone could share suggestions as to how to find a suitable tutor and what to look for when choosing one?
Also interested in what happens with a tutor - my plan was to have a session once a week which would start by reviewing what DS was currently doing in class and (if time allows or he gets more confident) then reviewing past topics. Does that sound like a "normal" thing to do? Would you normally have to hire a tutor for a certain period, or could it be more ad-hoc?
Any experiences / advice welcome!

[TeenTimesTwo]

In the absence of knowing anyone who could recommend, we used the website TutorHunt to find a tutor for DD. We were able to converse through the system, and then when agreed he seemed suitable we paid a fee and they released the contact details.

I think your plan sounds reasonable. Is this a 2 year or 3 year course, and is he doing combined or triple (i.e. how much Physics has he got behind in?)

[Somethingsmellsnice]

My DS was rhe aame with physics but predicted all 8s and 9s for rest. We found a local 6th former who was doing double maths, physics and chemistry who had a UCL offer. He came once a week and they would just discuss things ds hadn't understood, do some.practice papers with DS talking through how he was approaching stuff. It really helped his confidence and meant he wasn't spending excessive time on this to the detriment of his other subjects and he also started to believe he did actually understand and ended up with an 8 (bonus!) He charged £12 an hour.

We actually only did this after year 11 mocks so if your DS is asking for this kind of help in year 10 I would go for it.

[RedSkyLastNight]

He's taking triple science but at a school with a 3 year KS4 so I guess he should be about half way through the syllabus.
Unfortunately we had issues with DS's coastong and showing lack of effort/attitude in year 9 so he was doing equally badly in all subjects. He's had a reality check this year and actually started trying but whereas he's been able to make up for lost time in other subjects, the physics is still bad. He's on target for a 3 based on where he currently is (but on target for 7+ in maths and 6/7 in chemistry and biology so the issue doesn't feel like lack of aptitude).

[Somethingsmellsnice]

My DS got a 4 for Physics in his year 11 mock in Jan and with the help the tutor/6th former from abour March on he ended up with an 8. So it is doable to get his grade up.