The right tutor can support a child’s learning, guide him through textbook content, assist with coursework, and also boost confidence. But with more tuition centres and individual tutors around than ever, the choice can be overwhelming. Where to look? Who to trust? What criteria should you use when selecting the right person with whom to entrust your precious child’s precious education? The best private tutor is one who keeps his or her student motivated and on track to achieve their goals.

These 5 tips will make the search for a tutor so much easier.

1. Mastery of the Subject

A good tutor should have excellent mastery of the subject. On top of good content knowledge, he/she should be very familiar with the IGCSE or IB syllabus and weighting of topics/components so that he can strategise for the best lesson structures. A tutor who is well versed with the coursework like the Internal Assessments (IA) and Extended Essay (EE) can help his student gain every mark possible in the exams. A good tutor should also know what the commonly tested questions are or pitfalls to avoid pertaining to different topics or components. This is something that can only be gained by years of experience in teaching whether in schools or in enrichment classes.

An experienced tutor, teacher or ex-teacher can save your child time in learning concepts properly and avoiding unnecessary mistakes in their work.

This is because he/she knows what to focus on or emphasise when teaching a new skill and instils good habits/practices in daily work.

2. Able to Teach with Flexibility

A flexible tutor knows how to level up students of different abilities by pitching learning at a suitable level before progressing to a higher level. He can pinpoint the weaknesses of a student at different stages of learning and use the right approach to help him or her. In short, the tutor has more than a “one-size-fits-all” teaching approach. A tutor who can teach well knows how his/her students learn best. He/she will use different approaches or aids (for example, visual, auditory or verbal) to teach a student.

3. Connecting with Student

Thirdly, it is important to get a tutor who can connect with your child. A tutor who can connect with your child can get your child to learn and do his work in a cooperative and willing way. Your child will be more receptive to learning from his mistakes too.

One thing to note is that connecting with a student does not mean playing or chatting with him during lessons to get the student to like the tutor. A tutor can be firm yet able to connect with his student.

4. Genuine Heart to Help

There are many types of tutors around. Some tutors do not prepare suitable materials or think beforehand what needs to be prepared to benefit a student. Some will go the extra mile to compile notes for your child or prepare lessons thoroughly so that he knows how to explain a concept during the tuition session later.

A good tutor who has a genuine heart to help his student will have a good reputation among parents who recommend him by word of mouth to other parents. Often, most of his notes will be prepared in advance, with a good mix of theory and assessments to evaluate a child’s learning progress.

5. Motivating

Lastly, a tutor who can connect with and motivate his or her student will be a bonus. IGCSE and IB students often have a very heavy workload with the regular coursework through the school year. Many of the students are already tired when they reach home or tuition centres, but they still need to attend extra hours of lessons with their tutors or coaches.

Highly effective tutors/coaches/teachers can motivate their students such that they learn with enthusiasm. Many students are able to make a breakthrough in their academic achievements when they have tutors who motivate them towards learning.

Often, it takes time for your child to interact with his or her tutor, monitor learning outcomes, to really determine the quality of your tutor. Always be patient and check in with your child after a few months to see how your child takes up to the tutor.