How to Find a Tutor for Your Child? [The Ultimate Guide]

Wondering how to find a tutor for your child?

If so, you’re not alone. Millions of parents each year turn to tutors to help their children succeed in school. For a good reason, tutoring can be an effective way to improve academic performance.

But with so many tutors out there, how to find a tutor for your child who delivers exactly what your child needs?

That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll walk you through:

• Signs your child needs a tutor
• Why to find tutors online?
• Steps to finding a good tutor for your child
• Things to consider before you find online tutors
• Questions to ask when finding an online tutor
• Where to find the best online tutors?

Whether you’re just starting to think about online tutoring or already in the process, this guide is for you.

Need help in concepts, assignments, and test-prep? Find expert 1-on-1 online tutor from Wiingy.

Signs your child needs a tutor 

Most of the time, you can tell what your child wants by observing them behave in a certain way. And you know, most of your guesses are correct! That’s precisely what you must do now. Observe. How is your child behaving lately? If you notice any of these signs, your child needs extra care.

Here are signs your child needs a tutor:

• Reluctance to go to school. This could indicate your child struggles academically and wants to avoid facing school challenges.
• Difficulty doing homework. If your child struggles to complete their homework assignments, it could be a sign that they need extra help in one or more subjects.
• Gaps in learning. If your child is missing key concepts or skills, it could signal the need for assistance.
• Poor test grades. Consistently low test scores are a red flag that your child may need personalized tutoring help.
• Hiding test scores from parents. If your child is trying to hide their test scores from you, it could be a sign that they are embarrassed about their performance and don’t want you to know how they are doing.
• The teacher reports missing assignments. If your child’s teacher constantly reports missing assignments, it could be a sign that they need help to keep up with the workload.
• Unable to keep up. If your child consistently struggles to keep up with the rest of the class, it could be a sign that they need extra help.
• Multiple wrong answers. If your child consistently gets multiple wrong answers on tests or quizzes, it could be a sign that they need extra help in one or more subjects.
• Frustration and possibly tears. If your child is frequently frustrated with their schoolwork and sometimes even tears up, it could be a sign that they are struggling and need extra help.
• Decreased self-confidence. If your child’s self-confidence has decreased in school, it could be a sign that they are struggling academically and feeling discouraged.

Tutoring can be a great way to help your child with the above signs of falling behind. If your child needs a tutor, don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Why find tutors online?

You become more conscious when it comes to your child’s education and assistance. You want the best for your child. Whether admitting them to the best school or hiring the best teacher, the parents work hard for it.

Finding the best tutors for your child is a great responsibility and challenge. Or else, not only will it hamper your child academically but also mentally. Fortunately, technological advancement opens doors for effective and flexible online tutoring. 

Quite surprisingly, 70% of students believe online classes are better than traditional classrooms (University of Potomac).

Here are some great benefits of online tutoring: 

• Flexible schedule: Students can learn from anywhere, anytime, and schedule sessions according to their comfort.
• No traveling: Students need not travel to coaching centers, saving traveling time and cost.
• Personalized learning: Students can find one-to-one online tutors for a customized learning plan.
• Access to worldwide expertise: Students can learn with the best tutors across the world, irrespective of their physical location.

Follow this think piece to understand the benefits of online tutoring in detail. 

You may search for quality tutors on online tutoring platforms like Wiingy, Wyzant, and TutorMe.

Ready to learn how to find tutors online? You can find online tutors by following these steps.

Finding the right online tutor for your child

While looking for a good tutor, you must consider multiple factors. You must observe your child’s needs and requirements. Do analyze their skills and weaknesses before hiring a teacher. 

We interviewed some parents, tutors, and children to list the crucial steps and detailed information on finding a good tutor.

The steps to finding a good online tutor for your child are as follows:

Identify your child’s needs.

How will you hire a perfect tutor if you don’t know the flaws and difficulties your child is facing academically? Therefore, it’s crucial first to know what problems your child is facing while studying.

That’s called identifying your child’s needs. Some students struggle to understand a mathematical equation, while some struggle to understand a science chapter. 

You definitely can’t hire a science tutor if your child is facing difficulty in math. Therefore, firstly, know the problem and then look for the solution.

Understand your child’s learning style.

The five fingers of a hand aren’t equal. Similarly, all children’s learning and understanding abilities may be different. Some children easily understand the chapter by following the lecture. While some find it difficult to grasp the lecture at once, they make notes to remember it easily. 

Different children have different learning styles. You need to observe how your child learns or understands the topic. Do they learn by watching videos, or they take notes?

Afterward, hire a tutor to fulfill your child’s requirements and teach them accordingly.

Set a specific goal.

After analyzing your child’s struggle points and learning styles, it’s time to recognize your goals. Think about your motive for finding the perfect tutor for your child. 

Decide why you want a tutor for your child. Do you want your child to adapt to new skills, or do you want them to improve their knowledge in particular subjects? After acknowledging your goal, finding a good online tutor for your child will get easier.

Know your options.

It’s crucial to consider the comfort of your child. Know what kind of tutoring they are comfortable with. For example, 

Does your child need one-to-one tutoring, or will learning with a small group do? Do they need in-person or online tutoring? 

Some children like to study in the center with their batch mates, while some find learning easier at home. Consider all these options and come up with what best suits your child.

Have reasonable expectations.

Encourage your children by setting reasonable expectations. Please do not burden them with expectations that are hard to fulfill. Some unrealistic expectations can be: 

❌To score 90/100 just after a few months of tutoring.

❌To understand a topic or lesson at once or in a limited time.

❌To be able to answer very intricate or tough questions regarding a topic.

No matter how good a teacher is, a child will not learn or acquire knowledge under excess pressure or tension. Sooner or later, the pressure might lead to a complete collapse.

Your child needs encouragement and praise to make a gradual yet steady growth.

Consider your child’s academic level.

Teaching procedures vary for students of different classes. An elementary school teacher can’t teach and handle high school students.

The expertise of the elementary school tutor differs from that of the high school teachers. 

For elementary kids, you must look for a teacher experienced in handling kindergarten children. The tutors need to behave patiently and handle the kids politely. 

In the case of high-school students, the tutors need to put effort into making them understand each chapter patiently, as this is the important base for their career. Find a tutor who fits your child’s academic level.

Ask your friends and family.

Spread the word to other parents and students. Ask your child’s classmates where they study and consider their recommendations.

You can also search on Google or LinkedIn, where you will get top-notch tutors or tutoring platform recommendations. 

Go through the reviews and ratings of these platforms. After finalizing the tutor of your choice, conversate with them. Inquire to them regarding their study faculties.

Test some options.

Nowadays, some online tutoring institutes have come up with session plans. They tell you to admit your child in a batch lasting 10-12 sessions. However, don’t immediately book the session.

If possible, ask the institute to provide your child with a free demo class so that you can observe whether it’s profitable for your child or not. 

Things to consider before you find online tutors

Now that you know the signs your child needs a tutor and the steps to find the best tutor, you must know what factors to consider when fixing a tutor for your child.

The tutor’s qualifications, expertise, experience, and soft skills count as most essential. Let’s see how:

Qualification

While looking for a good tutor, go through their CVs. Learn about their qualifications and further skills.

Verify whether they have the required educational degrees or certifications in their tutoring subjects. Have they graduated in the chosen subject? Do they have relevant certificates?

This way, you will know whether your child will be in the right hands. On the other hand, not only the qualifications matter.

Sometimes, the experience and tutoring skills of the tutor count as the most important. Consider that as well.

Experience and expertise

As mentioned above, experience and expertise matter in teaching. Especially when you want the best for your child, it’s important to find an experienced and expert tutor. 

What’s their experience in tutoring the subject of your choice? How do they plan to structure the study plan for your child? Have they taught students having similar issues to your child before?

An expert tutor will know how to face specific challenges of that particular subject. An experienced teacher will have the expertise of teaching different students accordingly. Due to their years of working experience, they know how to enhance the learning skills as well as other abilities of the children. 

Communication

Proper communication skill is the primary quality we look for in a tutor. The tutor should have optimum patience, enthusiasm, and flexibility to make the tutoring session engaging for your child.

Therefore, observe whether the tutor you have hired for your child can communicate well. Is the tutor approachable, or do they make you anxious? The tutor should know how to converse appropriately, whether with a student or their parents. 

Flexibility, convenience, and pricing

Lastly, it’s important to consider the price while hiring a good tutor for your child. Look for affordable tutoring plans to ensure you can sustain it in the long run.

Secondly, look for online tutoring platforms that don’t force you to purchase monthly or yearly packages. That way, you’ll have the flexibility to drop whenever you want without paying for unwanted classes.

Wiingy offers top-notch one-on-one online tutoring to students starting at $28 per hour. You get a free demo session and the convenience of booking sessions for as few or as many hours as you want. You need not purchase monthly or yearly session plans. You can find private tutors for online tutoring, homework help, test prep, assignment help, language learning, and homeschool tutoring on the Wiingy platform.

Questions to ask a potential tutor for your child

Finding the best tutor for your child requires no guesswork. You must have a clear conversation with the tutor and know their qualification, expertise, and tutoring skills. 

You should also inform the tutor about your child’s specific challenges and discuss how they plan to sort it out. Besides, here are the important questions to ask an online tutor before hiring them:

• Experience: How long have you been tutoring online?
• Qualifications: What are your qualifications or certifications?
• Expertise: What’s your expertise in the subject my child is studying?
• Experience: Have you worked before with kids or adults who have trouble with the same skills as my child?
• Assessment: How will you get a sense of my child’s requirements?
• Strategies: What tutoring strategies do you use?
• Teaching philosophy: What’s your teaching philosophy?
• Results: What kind of results can I expect to see?
• Specific challenge: How would you help my child deal with [specific challenge your child has had]?
• Support: What can I do to support the tutoring process?
• Communication: How will you communicate with me, and how often?
• Progress: How do you measure progress?
• Availability: What’s your availability?
• Session length: How long is each tutoring session?
• Charge: How much do you charge per session?
• Other fees: Are there additional fees (for materials or assessments, for example)?
• Cancellations: What’s your policy for cancellations and make-up sessions?

You can form a more clear and confident decision once you have answers to these questions.

Where to find the best online tutors?

Many great online tutoring platforms are available, so deciding which is right for your child can take time and effort. Here are a few of the best options:

• Wyzant is a marketplace where tutors are available in various subjects and locations. You can search for tutors by subject, location, and price.

• Wiingy is an excellent option for students who need one-to-one top-quality tutoring at an affordable price. There’s no minimum commitment, so you can book as few or as many sessions as you want.

• Skooli is another popular option that offers one-on-one tutoring, group tutoring, and self-paced learning. 

• TutorMe is a good option for students who need personalized help with specific subjects or topics. 

When choosing an online tutoring platform, it is important to consider your child’s needs and preferences. Some factors to consider are the subjects your child needs help with, the teaching style your child prefers, and the tutoring price.

To conclude, 

When searching for a tutor for your child, it is important to find someone knowledgeable in the subject matter, patient, and good with kids. You can get to the bottom of these qualities by scheduling interviews with potential tutors and asking them specific questions about their teaching style.

In addition to the tutor’s qualifications and teaching style, it is important to consider your child’s personality and learning style when choosing a tutor. Some children prefer a strict and structured tutor, while others prefer a more relaxed and patient tutor. It is important to find a tutor who is a good match for your child’s individual needs.

Finally, Erica Warren discusses some great tips for finding the best online tutor for your child in this video that might be noteworthy for you.

Looking for private tutors? Book a Free Trial Lesson and match with top tutors for concepts, homework help and grade improvement on Wiingy today!

Other Useful Resources

Benefits of Summer School

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

References

Apart from our own research, these resources helped us frame this think piece. 

• https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/articles/how-to-find-a-tutor-for-your-child 
• https://youtu.be/GZhAuwSJzqM 
• https://www.zippia.com/tutor-jobs/interview-questions/
• https://upjourney.com/qualities-of-a-good-teacher