Would you hire this private tutor?

[LuluFlower]

We are looking at getting a private tutor for DS9, who is due to do his 11+ next year. We live in the South West and there is a very well established and recommended tutor that gets fantastic results. For example, all of his students have passed their 11+ and all of his GCSE students (including ones that came to him only achieving a level 1) have passed with a minimum of a 6. We have reservations because he is on the pricier side for a tutor and...

He is not a qualified teacher and doesn’t have a degree. On his website it says that he has been tutoring for over 10 years, and was in the top 1% for both GCSE and A Levels. He was head hunted to teach maths at an independent school at age 20, despite not having gone to university or being a qualified teacher. Obviously his results are amazing, I’m just not sure how I feel about paying for a tutor who doesn’t have formal qualifications?! When I spoke to him over the phone about his national curriculum knowledge, he said that a qualified teacher who hasn’t taught in a school for ‘x’ number of years would rely on paperwork/exam boards/government education websites/books to stay up to date, which is what he does.

I would love any input from teachers or people who pay for private tutors. We’ve never had a tutor before so want to make sure we are getting it right!

@LuluFlower the testimonials are by far the most important thing in this case.

I'd say don't worry whether or not he has a teaching qualification.

I have done tutoring and teaching, and they're very different skill sets (Teaching qualification includes a lot of focus on classroom management, differentiation etc).

I tutored before I became a qualified teacher and truly do not feel my teaching qualification has made much difference (if any) to how I tutor.

Regarding the lack of a degree, again I wouldn't worry, particularly with it being the 11+. If it were A level/university interview prep, "proof" he has a breadth of knowledge beyond the syllabus might be more important to you but I doubt it makes a difference at this stage.

He does seem to be at the top end of fees though?.Also what does he do during the day ?,as others have said!.I appreciate you may not need a degree to teach Maths at 11 plus, but surely if he teaches older students he would need to have one!(or does he just do primary school children)either way I would be having a look at the competition I think!

He wants you to decide soon, because if you don't , he loses money. And you indicated you wanted him to teach your child when you went on the waiting list.

He teaches up to GCSE level. He worked as a GCSE Maths teacher at the independent school.

I'd definitely book him and i'm a teacher!

He may teach home ed kids during the day.

Your DS already has a qualified teacher at school, and you clearly don't think he's achieving his full potential, so that surely shows that qualifications are not everything?
If you trust the recommendations you've been given for this tutor, and can afford the fee, better this one than one with qualifications and medicore track-record (even if cheaper?)

I wouldn't worry about pressure-selling. If there's a waiting list and your next up, he's just being honest with you and letting you know his deadline to take it or leave it. Which is a lot fairer IMO than City of London Girls and their 'exploding offers' - now that IS pressure.

For example, all of his students have passed their 11+ and all of his GCSE students (including ones that came to him only achieving a level 1) have passed with a minimum of a 6

This bit rang alarm bells for me. I am a maths teacher and I also tutor about 15 hours a week. I once flirted with the idea of 11+ tuition but quickly realised a lot of parents have exceptionally unrealistic expectations; also the fact is that the combination of relentless tutoring and the fact that my local grammar schools prioritise postcodes which many of the pupils contacting me did not live in meant however "brilliant" a tutor I was, I would doubtlessly have disappointed parents.

Similarly, the fact he claims every pupil obtained a minimum of a 6 - this would mean that he was only tutoring pupils entered into the higher paper. Which doesn't account for the fact that in many schools at least 50% of pupils are entered into the foundation paper, capped at a 5 - and honestly, if a pupil is consistently receiving 1s/2s prior to starting tuition I would not be considering entering them into the higher paper.

Sorry, but these claims don't add up to me. Whilst it sounds like people are very happy with this tutor and he has genuinely helped their children, I think that at best he is extremely selective about the pupils he takes on, at worst he has a loose relationship with the truth.

Also... whilst this is the minority view, I personally wouldn't hire a tutor who doesn't currently teach in a school.

I used to tutor while gaining my PGCE and afterwards. I used a different set of skills when working 1-1 than those I needed with classes of 30+. I also tutored subjects I didn't have a first degree in but had work based experience/ masters.

I tutored day times as well as after school and weekends in some subjects ( so when a pupil was told the school wasn't able to offer the subject behind AS I tutored for the A level) going to pupils homes or school. I also worked with home schooled children. I think if I had continued to tutor I probably would have earned more than as a NQT. I taught ages 6-20. All my pupils passed the exams they were entered for. I increased the predicted results by several grades. Personally I think it's the one to one attention and the ability to ask questions you might think would make you look stupid in a big classroom that makes the difference. This tutor sounds fine to me but speak to actual parents rather than read online recommendations

My DC had a tutor for 3 years. The tutor was a TA. No formal teaching qualifications.

I paid £25.00 for 30 minutes.

Wow, so £50 per hour for a TA. So maybe I am putting too much emphasis on the qualifications.

I am going to go with him. I have just phoned the independent school and they said he was an amazing teacher who achieved amazing results. He left them to go freelancing with the after school tutoring, though they still hire him to teach courses during the school holidays and some 1-1 within the school during the day as and when.

I assume during the day he is planning and marking work for the after school tutoring? If he is making a good income from after school (which he appears to be!) then why the need to do anything during the day?

I have used private tutors for years for my dcs. The best tutor I had was an eighteen year old A level student.
My ds who had been falling behind in maths , built up an instant rapport with the tutor. My ds moved to the top set having been in set four. He now plans to do maths A level

Lulu - in your OP you say he teaches up to A level and then later only to GCSE. Before you part with £50 per hour I would do more research. I also wouldn't be happy with any school who gave out so much information about a member of staff (you say he still does some work for them) Regularly taking students from level 1 to a minimum of level 6 - really isn't going to happen. Proceed with caution

Having just had an awful experience with a tutor
My advice is to make sure you sit in on some sessions and at least be in hearing range for the rest.

My dad runs a training company. He is very dubious about any training organisation which claims a 100% pass rate. He reckons any company, unless they are self selecting, will inevitably get THAT student, the one who cracks under pressure, or struggles to grasp a concept, or even just have a bad day.

Perhaps his pass rate is because he removes struggling children from his service? The same way that private schools do.