There are more options for tutoring services available now than ever before, from in home tutoring, tutoring centers and even online tutoring. Having so many options can make it difficult to determine which direction to go in when a child needs tutoring help. The best way to find the right tutoring service for a student is to match the tutoring service to the child's needs.
Determine Why the Student Needs Tutoring
While most people may think of tutoring as something kids get when they are struggling in school, tutoring can be used to help students in a variety of ways.
The most classic tutoring model is subject-based tutoring – such as math, English, history or science – where a student struggling in a particular class gets outside help with homework and test preparation. However, students can also be tutored in skill sets, such as reading comprehension, study skills, and general math skills. More and more parents are having their kids tutored to help them get ahead of the class curve, rather than waiting for their children to fall behind.
When it comes to homework help and subject-based tutoring, private tutors are a good choice because they tend to be cheaper, more convenient, and tend to know their specific subjects very well. However, without an independent vetting system, it is difficult to properly determine a private tutor's experience and skill level.
Tutoring centers have strict hiring and monitoring guidelines for their tutors, ensuring a higher quality tutor. Tutoring centers don't just look for subject expertise, but also actual teaching experience, and in fact many tutoring centers hire teachers as their tutors. And while some private tutors may have a lot of resources to bring with them to their sessions, tutoring centers often are better stocked with supplies and workbooks, which often makes them the better choice for skill building. Many centers also provide enrichment courses and day camps over vacations to help students get ahead or maintain sharp skills.
Another common tutoring need is test preparation for standardized tests such as the ISEE, ERB, SSAT and SAT tests. Again, centers tend to have the more resources when it comes to test prep, and often offer test prep courses. However, if the student only needs limited guidance or help going over test preparation materials, a private tutor and a good work book maybe all that's required.
Determine What Tutoring Environment Works Best
Picking the best tutoring service for a child means picking the best tutoring environment for the child as well. Distraction is the enemy of every tutor – a distracted child isn't taking in the lesson the tutor is trying to impart. And while most every child can be distracted to a certain extent, some struggle with focus more than others. Finding a tutoring service that works best with a child's distraction level is ideal.
Working in-home is great for some students, but very difficult for others. If there isn't a quiet place for the student to work with the tutor, either on-line or in person, then tutoring at home can become an aggravating experience for both the tutor and the child. Meeting at a library or other public location can help, but access to supplies may be limited since everything has to be brought with the tutor and student to the location.
Not all tutoring centers are set up the same. The best should have private rooms available for students and tutors to work in. Large open spaces with a lot of tables and small groups working together may work for some students but prove to be too much to zone out for others.
Determine the Cost of Tutoring
Private and online tutors usually cost the least amount of money. Both online and private tutors set their own rates and hours and have little-to-no overhead, and therefore can keep their rates lower. However, in tutoring as in everything else, cheaper isn't always better. A high school student willing to work for $10 an hour may seem like a great deal, but the student may not have much experience and not be able to help a student absorb new information, wasting the time of the child and the tutor. Supplies are usually paid for by the client, which can also add to the cost of private tutoring. And online tutoring has a built-in cost of the computer equipment needed to make online tutoring possible.
Tutoring centers, because of their overhead, are often the most expensive options for one-on-one tutoring. To compensate, many offer group tutoring sessions or even small classes (especially for skill building) to help keep costs down for their clients. But the added travel time, parking and other miscellaneous added expenses (registration fees, strict cancellation policies) make many tutoring centers cost-prohibitive.
Determine the Best Tutoring Service for the Child
It may take trial and error to determine the best tutoring situation for a child based on his or her tutoring needs, ideal tutoring environment, and the cost of tutoring. But finding the right tutoring service can make the difference between a successful child and one that continues to struggle.
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