How to find a tutor...

[wornoutparent]

I was wondering if anyone has any guidance on how best to find a tutor other than personal recommendations. I'm looking for a face to face tutor for a young teen.

The reason for not using recommendations is my friends/colleagues in my area don't have any and my kids school won't recommend specific tutors or tutoring organisations.

I've obviously googled tutors in my area but I'm struggling to work out which ones are really worthwhile.

Hi @wornoutparent !

Which area are you in?

Might you consider an online Tutor? Surprised us that it worked really well for us.

Thanks for the responses. I'm in Merseyside. My DC probably needs someone sitting with them otherwise they'll end up messing about online.

The people I know with tutors are generally saying they don't recommend theirs, which is pretty frustrating.

I might need to try some random tutors and see how it goes.

Hi OP, are you Southport end or Liverpool end of Merseyside? I know various tutors across the region so may be able to help you find someone. I only tutor English so I am not what you are looking for.

Seconded! Mytutor.co.uk 😊

I tutor and most of my learners have come via word of mouth. If you haven't got word of mouth then I would speak to quite a few and (your son) and see how you gel.

Most of mine is face to face - I am not in Merseyside but my last learner was via Zoom. It worked really well. He had an SEN but the online aspect - being in his own room being able to fiddle with his stuff was fine. It may depend on how old your child is but for secondary school age - it was fine.

I offered a free consultation and chatted to the parents and learner and discussed what they were wanting from the sessions - did a short task and said to let me know if they wanted to go ahead.

Hi @wornoutparent,

I am a qualified and experienced teacher, now working as a private tutor specialising in preparing pupils taking entrance assessments to selective, independent schools in Cambridgeshire, so unfortunately not what you need for your son. In the absence of personal recommendations, I would advise you to have a look on the First Tutors website. First Tutors is an introductory service for parents; they offer a searchable database of independent tutors who they have checked and taken up references for.

It is free to search their database by subject, pupil’s age and/or location so you can see if there are any suitable tutors in your area and read their bios, including their qualifications, experience, fees, and verified reviews. If you find a tutor who sounds promising, you can message them through the First Tutors website to ask any questions you may have and check their availability. You then pay First Tutors a one-off introductory fee (around £20 - £30) to release your chosen tutor’s full contact details. This means you get to choose a tutor you like the sound of and usually works out a lot cheaper than using an agency who add commission to every lesson.

Childcare UK offer a similar service although their tutor database is a lot smaller. I hope this helps - good luck!

I'm an experienced tutor and also recommended First Tutors. It's the only listing site I'm willing to use as a tutor. As a parent, I'm reassured that they check every tutor and take references before listing them. They also don't take a cut of lessons, meaning you simply pay the tutor their hourly rate and make any arrangements direct rather than through an agency.

@rosesinmygarden

What is the going hourly rate for a GCSE maths tutor and does that rate include marking?

Thanks ☺️

You'd have to ask a GCSE maths tutor those questions... 😉

But honestly, rates and services vary wildly. There's not a set rate or list of what's included. Try first tutors and type in your postcode, that'll give you a price guide and take you literally minutes!

Thanks. The rates seem to vary wildly on the sites I've looked at, but I'll try First tutor

It's to reflect the experience, qualifications and services provided.

We've had really good luck with Teachers to your Home. So far every tutor we've had from them for various subjects has been very good.

Hi @aliceinanwonderland ! I have sent you a Private Message.

I just typed in google tutor and my location and went through each website till I found one in my price range and who was the most qualified. We’ve ended up with a lovely young guy who’s a teacher in a local school my son adores him and I trust him. He’s £35 per 45mins and switches from maths to English.