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Original poster

**POLL** Have you ever used a private tutor for your DC?

67 replies

thedollyridesout · 06/07/2010 20:47

If so, what subject and at what age/level?

I've just been reading a reseach paper on this but I reckon I'll get as good a sample by asking the question here.

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Original poster
thedollyridesout · 07/07/2010 13:11

50%

Lucky Daphne

You don't need to apply to an agency Cortina - just set yourself up if you feel you would be any good at it - people will soon let you know what they think.

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belledechocolatefluffybunny · 07/07/2010 13:14

No.

Cortina · 07/07/2010 13:20

There's more than one, 'Daphne' it seems too! She has friends .

I honestly thought you'd have needed teaching experience. Who usually makes the best tutors? Some appear to have better reputations that others?

I imagine some could charge the earth too if they had fantastic success rates?

Original poster
thedollyridesout · 07/07/2010 13:22

belle - maybe I should have factored in some questions to allow you to participate further in the thread . They did something similar in the questionnaires prepared for the research paper that I was reading - I kid you not.

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frakkit · 07/07/2010 13:26

Speaking as a tutor and the daughter of a teacher who does tutoring:

I did tutoring for 4+, 5+ and 7+. My mother has no spaces at all for this year or next doing private maths tutoring. That's in Bucks. The most common enquiry for both of us was 11+ despite us not offering it!

My mother (and her colleagues) reckon more than 50% of their top set maths are tutored to get them there and keep them there, and around 50% of bottom set have remedial tutoring. 4 sets in a year so that makes 25% of girls doing maths at a highly selective grammar who have tutors.

southeastastra · 07/07/2010 13:28

yes as ds(8) wasn't getting maths, didn't do any good though so stopped. maybe do again in year 6

Original poster
thedollyridesout · 07/07/2010 13:29

Fantastic success rates probably means lots of time spent preparing so fees would have to reflect that. I am currently looking in to this as a small scale (i.e. just me) business venture but I do have a teaching qualification.

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Cortina · 07/07/2010 13:29

Frakkit - have you noticed a huge surge in demand recently? Does it surprise you that childcare agencies are branching out into the field?

notagrannyyet · 07/07/2010 13:31

Paid a fortune to the dyslexia institute from year4 to GCSEs for one DS. I had to transport him weekly to our nearest centre which was 10 miles away.

Paid for 2 1/2 years home tuition for another dyslexic DS. Stopped when he went to secondary school.

Paid english graduate to give another son extra comprehension & essay writing. He was older. Year 9-10 to boost GCSE grade. He went to her home for an hour per week, and she set him homework as well.

frakkit · 07/07/2010 13:38

Me? I left the country. If there's a surge in demand I might move back!

I'm not at all suprised. I was in great demand as a nanny with a degree, there's been a huge surge in the number of 'governess/tutor' posts over the last 5 years that I've noticed and there are nanny agencies now that require you to have a degree to go on their books.

My mother has always been in demand that I remember but I think this is the first year she's been booked for the whole year before the academic year has started. Normally she has a bit of flexibility for people wanting extra exam tuition - now she would either have to open up another evening or turn them down, which may be fuelling the panic because tutors get booked up quickly, so people reserve spots well in advance and not just when they need them for boosting because you might not get someone.

The thing is that being a successful tutor is not the same as 'having' a teaching qualification or a 2:1 degree. An exam tutor usually has specific knowledge of the schools or exam. Childcare agencies will need to be careful they don't end up with a bunch of graduates/post-grads who think they have a 2:1 and can therefore teach. That might work with some subjects where you need to learn and regurgitate the syllabus with minimal understanding but it won't help with subjects that require a more skills based approach such as English. Does that make sense?

Original poster
thedollyridesout · 07/07/2010 13:39

frakkit - any tips for a 'would be' tutor?

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Cortina · 07/07/2010 13:42

I hear you Frakkit. I also see the agencies concerned making huge amounts of money.

My friend with a nanny has told me about the surge of quaintly named 'Governess' positions.

An interesting title. 'I am a Governess' I rather like it. Very Jane Eyre.

belledechocolatefluffybunny · 07/07/2010 13:43

Fair enough. I shall enhance my answer for you.

I have never felt the need for ds to have a tutor. He's a bright boy, he's ahead by more then a couple of years academically so I've never had the need for him to be tutored. I have quite a bit of knowledge so am able to keep up with whatever it is he wishes to ask questions about. His school is barely able to keep up with him, his teacher finds his knowledge intimidating so it would be unfair on both him and his teachers to have him tutored at home in any subject, however, he is encouraged to have other interests and does projects at home that are not related to anything that he does at school.

Cortina · 07/07/2010 13:47

The whole area of education seems to becoming uber competitive. I saw a thread today on here about how a 2:2 isn't enough to get a job (I think that was it). In my day, insert old git icon, a 2:2 was very respectable.

Taking the whole Tinies thing, would they refuse an Oxford Graduate from 1978 with a 2:2 over a candidate with a 2:1 from a less well regarded Uni in a 'lesser' subject etc?

I assume it's not as clear cut as that.

frakkit · 07/07/2010 13:48

My top 3 tips would be.

  1. Target market! Know what exactly you are tutoring for. Know who you are going to be tutoring. Perfect it and get a reputation for being 'the' tutor for that school entrance/A2 English Lit/Edexcel GCSE science. Parents ask other parents for numbers and specialists get booked up quicker than non-specialists.

  2. If you're planning to do GCSE/A-level tutoring become an examiner. I think this really worked for my mother and makes her more sought after than her colleagues who might have more varied experience/be more popular at school.

  3. Give parents feedback. Do a needs analysis and tell them what you found, give them a strategy that you'll be working on, set homework, report back. It's very easy to think that tutoring can be taken as it comes but I found my reputation was half built on the way I communicated with parents and told them what I was doing/why/gave them tips to help.

Unfortunately I have no tips on marketing or anything like that. I'm rubbish at the business side as I fell into it and didn't really seek clients out, people just asked if they could hand out my number.

Cortina · 07/07/2010 13:51

Frakkit, you said: ) If you're planning to do GCSE/A-level tutoring become an examiner. I think this really worked for my mother and makes her more sought after than her colleagues who might have more varied experience/be more popular at school.

What are the requirements for becoming an examiner?

frakkit · 07/07/2010 13:52

MNers have in the past laughed at me when I describe myself as a governess. I stopped doing it after a while!

I seem to be stuck in an 18th century novel really....

Original poster
thedollyridesout · 07/07/2010 13:52

belle -I think have read on here about your boy before.

I was thinking of offering enrichment sessions for just that kind of child - I think I could keep up with him .

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Cortina · 07/07/2010 13:56

Frakkit, I rather like it, keep it. Are you a Governess abroad? Shades of 'The Professor' and E.M.Forster if I have the right novels?

belledechocolatefluffybunny · 07/07/2010 14:01

I had to home ed him for 1 week before I found him a new school last year, he ended up teaching me maths as he was alot quicker at working the answers out. There are some things that are best left to the teachers There's a thread in G&T if you are interested dolly, we just chat

Original poster
thedollyridesout · 07/07/2010 14:02

Thanks frakkit

I think I've got everything you suggested covered apart from the needs analysis. I have been thinking of doing something initially by way of highlighting gaps/weaknesses but I haven't settled on what.

I too love the whole 'governess' thing. Do you wear big frocks?

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Original poster
thedollyridesout · 07/07/2010 14:06

cheers belle

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frakkit · 07/07/2010 14:15

edexcel guidance

AQA

It seems like you need to be a teacher with recent experience at the level you want to mark for.

Original poster
thedollyridesout · 07/07/2010 14:17

Examining is good for kudos but that's about it if you're already a decent teacher.

You can be an examiner without a teaching qualification IIRC but you just mark the non specialist items. V.v. dull work.

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frakkit · 07/07/2010 14:28

IMO examining seems to give you an edge because you know the syllabus as well as the kudos. I reckon that could be quite important in essay subjects.

Of course you could just read all the examiners reports but marking squillions of exam papers has to give you an edge.

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