How do you find a good tutor?

[tutorhelpp]

Feeling a bit overwhelmed looking on websites. My son has agreed to some tutoring in year 11 from September. He needs help with chemistry, he’s triple science higher but struggling, only got a 4 on this paper so needs some support to bump up that grade (predicted 6), and his maths is more to push him.

He’s always been naturally good at maths, has an aspirational target of 7 but has been told if he really pulled his finger out he could get to 8 (but only getting 6s in mocks currently). As he’s interested in engineering I really want to do all we can to push him in maths to keep options open, especially the potential to do A Level.

Anyway sorry that was just some context. I just don’t know how you go about picking. Do you try locally? Do you use the websites? How do you differentiate between all the strong looking candidates? Do you rate online or in person (DS says he’s prefer online). Help!

Usually local word of mouth. You're leaving it a bit late. Try to get one now and start asap

Unfortunately tutoring is completely unregulated. Anyone can offer tuition without any proper subject knowledge, qualifications or teaching skills. Even tutors from tutoring agencies often lack those.
I am a qualified maths teacher and it always baffles me that some parents are willing to pay people who are unqualified and lack relevant knowledge and experience.
Look for the following...
Qualified teacher status (eg a PGCE certificate or equivalent).
A degree in the correct subject.
Experience teaching in real schools.
Experience teaching and/or marking the exam board that your child is studying.
Don't be tempted to book someone without those to save on cost as you'd just be wasting your child's time.

I have a word of mouth maths tutor for maths and I had to go to pmt.education website for a science tutor. My DD is in yr10 currently and has grades increased with both.

Try the pmt.education website, you can see each tutors’ profiles (many are teachers).

@Deneke this is what I’m finding frustrating, on websites there are loads of PhD or university students charging handsome rates but their qualifications don’t tell me anything about their ability to teach. I was on mytutor and there’s not even a filter beyond SEN, I was hoping for a QTS filter.

What @Deneke said.
I found this website when I was looking. They are all qualified teachers and you can read a lot about them
www.teacherstoyourhome.com/uk

I've been tutoring A level biology for over 16 years. I have a first class degree, a PhD and a 15 year research and academic career behind me. I do not have a teaching qualification. It is extremely dismissive, and frankly ignorant, to think that you have to have a teaching qualification to be an excellent 1:1 tutor. In fact, one might conclude that it's an advantage because we aren't institutionalised and we don't talk to our tutees in a 'school-like' way. I have had to provide an enhanced DBS, my degree certificates and references to be on tutoring websites, so no, not exactly 'completely unregulated.' School teaching isn't exactly regulated either, if we are looking at subject specialisation, deep knowledge and talent. On the other hand, if we are talking about undergraduates tutoring A levels with, I'm on your side...I cannot fathom parents paying for this, other than they are cheap.

Have you tried asking his school teachers? They may have teacher friends who can help (from other schools- you are usually not allowed to tutor students from your own school).

I'm a tutor. I agree with others. Word of mouth.

Qualifications, experience, DBS are all good. Ideally, you also want a qualified teacher that examines and teaches the A Level that your son is taking. An examiner will have exactly the information on what is needed in order to pass that exam well. A teacher is needed because they will have experience of the areas students usually struggle with and will have a range of teaching strategies they can utilise. However the best person on paper isn't necessarily the best tutor.

Equally, do not low ball it and look for cheap. You'll be wasting your money and your DS's time.

I'd imagine science tutors are scarcer than my subject, and I earn £65 an hour. So you're probably looking in the region of £70-80 an hour. So if you're paying that you want someone good.

I suppose the main reason I am veering towards someone who has actively taught GCSEs is the familiarity with the exam board and exams in general, that’s just an assumption I’m making though. My son’s issue in chem in particular is the ability to apply the knowledge to the question correctly, using the right terminology the examiner is expecting so I assumed a teacher entrenched in teaching GCSE chem would be well versed in that kind of application.

Do you want in person or online? If online is OK, try searching LinkedIn. You can look for qualified teachers and examiners that way. I get a LOT of work through LinkedIn because I'm an examiner.

I completely agree. There should be a function to filter by QTS. Such as shame there isn't.
I did some tutoring when I was a university student and now look back on it with embarrassment. I don't think the families who paid me got a good deal at all. I was cheapish and had great subject knowledge but had no clue about the syllabus or how to teach properly and yet a tutoring company took me on and gave me GCSE students to tutor with no training on how to do it, or on what the syllabus contained (this was pre-internet so I couldn't look it up).
Now I'm fully qualified with years of teaching in schools, plus some exam board marking. There is no way I'd pay an unqualified person to tutor my own children.

Exactly the reason you would be best with an examiner. It's like the inside info. It's the reason my tutees do well. I show them how to pass, not just teaching them the subject.

Don't dismiss those who are not qualified teachers. I have a PhD, I have been tutoring various exam boards for my A level subject (I am a subject specialist), and although I am not an examiner, I have an in depth knowledge of the specifications and mark schemes for the specifications I cover. I also only tutor A level. I would not be comfortable tutoring GCSE age children. With my A level tutees, I approach teaching in the same way I would teach undergraduates. But I do not have a teaching qualification. Classroom teaching is irrelevant for 1:1 tutoring of A level students.

Tutorhunt website allows you to filter by degree qualified and qualified teacher. I’ve mostly chosen qualified teachers and it has worked well. I also looked at reviews.

Ask other parents (or get your child to ask others in his group)

google for local tutors in person. Most ex teachers that do it have a website.

local Facebook group and ask for recommendations.

Yes, Facebook groups are good. Although one post will result in your being swamped with replies. So hone EXACTLY what you want.

E.g.Only individuals with the following should apply.
Experienced teacher of AQA Chemistry (give course code).
QTS
Examiner
In person - York.
No agencies.

You'll STILL get spammed but a little less.

I’d look for an online tutor if DS prefers online. It gives you more chance of getting your preferred tutor.

Titanium Tutors allow you to filter by online/face to face and exam board. Most tutors will have an enhanced DBS on the update service that you can check when they send you a photo of their DBS certificate. Go with an agency like TutorHunt or tutorstoyourhome if money is no concern, because they are strict on compliance checks and often have reviews.

Agree that word of mouth is best and after that, Facebook groups. There are several Facebook groups that match tutors with tutees - there might be one specifically for Chemistry tuition.

Agree that TutorHunt is good. That allows you to filter to see if they have QTS.
I wouldn’t pay to have someone who isn’t a teacher, and who hasn’t taught the exam board that my child is studying. A teacher will have taught hundreds of students so will be aware of the common pitfalls and misconceptions, and have strategies in place to mitigate these. More so than someone who is highly qualified in that subject area, but never taught a class.

I ask around locally, usually on local Facebook sites or I ask other mum's, my daughter and I then meet them for a trial run to see how they get on. My daughter prefers face to face but it might be easier to find someone who does online tutoring. She has a maths and science tutor and is looking at 8/9's for her results, the tutoring really helps with her confidence as she likes being a step ahead and then going over things again in school.

You are often paying between 15-52% more for the same tutors on these platforms than you can find on commission free tutoring directories. The commission free platform also has all the trust signals checking ID, validating safeguarding and even go one step further than Tutorful - checking teaching qualifications - on Tutorful you can just self declare! That's the 'Finders Fee Tutor Platform' model where you find a tutor and pay them directly!
My Tutor -40% commission plus VAT = 52%
Tutorful 35% 'service fee'
Tutorhunt 32% commission
Sherpa 28% commission

Some advice -
Use a website with lots of filters to narrow it down - you want a website that checks for Qualified Teacher qualifications and DBS - some allow tutors to self declare!
Message lots of tutors
First message to a tutor should 4-6 sentences covering level, exam board, specific goal, your child's current attainment, and your timeline
Three things to verify with them: Subject expertise, level and board currency, and safeguarding verification (DBS, PVG, or AccessNI)
Organise a Trial session - before committing; most tutors offer it free or half-price
Strong fit signals - Asks diagnostic questions, proposes a structure, and explains the why behind methods
Red flags - Pushy on package deals, vague about specs, no structured first session, or no safeguarding check
Don't over-optimise - A 90% match starting next week beats a 100% match in three months

I've got plenty more advice if you need it, just drop me a DM I'm a HOD/HOY experienced, teacher, tutor, examiner, academic materials author so seen lots of angles to this!

Here's an article on this if you'd like to read more , there's a few different guides on there https://tutorperch.com/guides/how-to-choose-a-tutor

Have you asked the school? Two of our tutors are teachers at my children's school, which means they know the curriculum well and also can access test marks etc and even chat to the relevant subject teacher find out what to focus on

The other teacher used to teach at the school and is now a full time tutor and tutors a decent percentage of the children at the school (she does small group tuition)

It really helps to have a tutor who knows the exact syllabus and order of teaching at the school

Many schools would not usually allow teachers to tutor pupils from their own school, as it would be a conflict of interest if your child's teacher is giving them extra paid tuition .

That is not to say that some may be okay with it as in ithinkhesamerdog's case, it could be worth asking.

Word of mouth

Totally agree with you! My route in to tutoring wasn’t traditional either but my results, my word of mouth recommendations and my 2 year waiting list speak for themselves! QTS is no guarantee of an excellent tutor.