Tutor agencies, which one?

[Akiko]

I have been looking to find a 11+ tutor for my y4 Dd and it appears that I am late as the ones that have been recomended by word of mouth are fully booked for years in advance.
I am now looking at the option of finding a tutor throught an agency and spent all day reading and researching the list of agents in the Good Schools Guide and on the internet.
To make the choice easier, the GSGuide compares the service some agents provide to a lunch in Dorchester and others to a Marks&Spencer or an Asda meal.
The prices these tutors charge start from £25 and goes up to £40, £45 for an hour.
The "Asda" tutors are not been checked by the agency, they just list their services on the website. And then there are the "Dorchester" tutors that have all the relevant qualifications, track record, experience and references checked.The agents also assess, tailor your child's needs and monitor the progress.
Some of you may have used agents and may be able to give me advise. How far have you gone in order to help prepare your child for those exams?
Is it madness to spend £45 ph on a tutor?

HAs anyone here used British Home Tutors? I am overseas and believe their expertise might be suitable for us.
thanks

Haven't heard of British Home Tutors, but you can find a Cambridge-educated tutor from this group: twute.com/home/. I'd imagine lots of their international people would have experience with foreign school systems if that's what you're looking for. They have an online platform for tutoring, so shouldn't matter where in the world you are! :)

Hi all

Currently looking for a tutor for my two boys in the Kingston/Morden area.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I am using British Home Tutors now for my DS GCSE preparation. Fantastic tutors, they all work in top private schools in London and we are so happy with them!

If you can find one, I'd go with an experienced, qualified teacher as they are likely to be the best at teaching. it is likely to be a bit more expensive but I'd imagine that 1h with them will get you further that 1.5h with a student or someone who just decided they would offer tuition.

I feel as though I should update this thread and share my experience/input as it has been a long time. I was looking for an 11+ tutor and I was recommended from a friend to an agency called Bridge Tutors (never heard of them). Although her child was doing online tuition for GCSE and I needed someone to come to my home as online wouldn't have suited my primary child, so I was hesitant but I gave it a go because I trust her judgement. And I'm glad I did and I can only speak so highly of them and my tutor. They were so friendly and I sensed that they actually cared about my son's education. They were so honest with me that they actually informed me at one point that if they were unable to confirm the tutor they would not be able to help as they only felt comfortable knowing I got an experienced tutor that could help and even advised me that I could possibly trial other tutors from other sources and gave me advice on what I should look out for before doing so. First Time, someone wasn't just trying to consistently sell me and actually cared to help! Thankfully they were able to confirm him for my son. The tutor was amazing and had a clear understanding of how to identify my son's weaknesses and that was also down to the fact that they inform the tutors that they must first assess my child based on the curriculum, which I was told during our initial conversation. I think there are a lot of agencies big and small but its weeding out the one's that don't meet your criteria. You should ask: do they interview their tutors, has the tutor got a valid DBS and are they knowledgeable and experienced. The big agencies are generally a safe bet but the prices can be on the higher end and as said already high price does not always equate to quality. It can come down to trial and error as you want to make sure that tutor suits your child. This thread was made to help us parents make an informed decision on an agency/tutor that can help our children. And I realise as soon as you mention an agency you are accused of advertising that agency (as sadly seen from previous responses) even though the thread clearly asks "which one". However, the answer is that there isn't a specific agency that can help us just a variety of agencies that we have to make sure meet our criteria and then judge the tutor's effectiveness for ourselves. I just had a really good experience I feel they deserve some recognition. The good schools guide is a good place to start of what should be required of agencies and you investigate whether they meet these. I just thought I should update this thread as it has been long and its worth noting that although it has been a while since the question was posed certain things could have changed and certain principles still remain. I think its important people share there experiences/ review as it helps us that little more to make an informed decision.

Yara L

I would like to make the point that agencies charge a fee.
Find an independent tutor through a trusted source.
I had an experience where I was teaching a tutee and discovered the child was receiving facebook messages from the maths tutor. This obviously shouldn't happen but can with either route if precautions are not taken. Do not wait for an agency to do the checks. Look online yourself as well. Surely your main concern is safety and successful help with the important subject(s). Agencies do not necessarily provide the best service.

For maths, english, sciences, languages, geography a teaching qualification is important. I found her on a leaflet stuck on a local spar wall.
My daughter had an excellent maths teacher who was head hunted to the City after she helped her lift a couple of grades.

It really depends on the teacher. IF they are good and experienced then £45 is worth it considering the difference they can make in your child performance. However high fees and lots of experience do not mean it definitely works for your child too. The relationship tutor builds with your child is the most important one; I’ve worked for many agencies and now am working with one of them only. The disadvantage of using an agency is the extra money you should pay because the usually get a commission. The advantage is the safeguarding; They check the teacher’s qualifications, DBS and ID and some keep in touch with parents updating them which is very comforting.

We use Tutora, and both the tutor and the company seem great

I'm also looking to find a tutor for my DD.

I've heard of Tutora and My Tutor.

Recently, I saw an advert for Tutorean on Facebook.

I reckon it's new. Has anyone used this service?

If so, how does it compare to the alternatives?

p.s. I've never used any of these services but now my DD needs some extra support with Maths and I am thinking of giving these services a try.

Thanks. :)

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