Should I Hire a Tutor?
Question: What do the following students have in common?
Erica, a fourth grader who loves to read and often gets top marks in her school exams and assignments; Tony, an A'level student with "learning difficulties" but who is working exceptionally hard to achieve the requirements necessary for university entry; Robert, a grade 9 student who isn't particularly thrilled with school nor the work he does there.
Answer: They are all working with a tutor at HKETS. In fact, the mix of students you will find here is so varied it is not possible to define a typical student that requires tuition. But you may ask: why bother hiring a tutor if my son or daughter is not struggling at school? Here are a few reasons:
Erica, a fourth grader who loves to read and often gets top marks in her school exams and assignments; Tony, an A'level student with "learning difficulties" but who is working exceptionally hard to achieve the requirements necessary for university entry; Robert, a grade 9 student who isn't particularly thrilled with school nor the work he does there.
Answer: They are all working with a tutor at HKETS. In fact, the mix of students you will find here is so varied it is not possible to define a typical student that requires tuition. But you may ask: why bother hiring a tutor if my son or daughter is not struggling at school? Here are a few reasons:
- Tutoring can provide personal attention that teachers simply can't offer in a class of 30 to 40 kids. Students can often get lost in such an environment.
- Sometimes a child is gifted, but advancing her to the next grade may be inappropriate or not possible. A tutor can offer challenges and special assignments to keep her excited about learning.
- A tutor isn't Mum or Dad. Despite having wonderful relationships with their children, most students' parents say they have trouble helping their children (particularly teenagers) with school-work. Children are more willing to open their minds in one-on-one academic settings when parent-child dynamics aren't involved.
Tuition: What you should consider
TUTOR
First, ascertain the qualifications and experience of a prospective tutor. Then check to make sure his/her teaching style is right for your child. Here are some important questions to consider:
GOALS
Some families have very specific goals: "My son is especially weak on Probability for GCSE. I would like him to improve on that for next month's exam." But many families' goals are less definable: "I want my daughter to be more confident with her reading," or "My son needs more personal attention than he gets in the classroom," or "My daughter needs better study skills."
Ask yourself: What do you hope your child will accomplish and by when? How will this tutor assess your child's needs? Will he/she keep you updated about your child's progress by writing you, calling you or by meeting with you regularly?
It's okay to be unclear about your goals in the beginning. After working with your child, a tutor will be able to define how he/she can help your child reach the next level. Just make sure that you and the tutor know what each other's expectations are.
LOCATION
Ask yourself: What is the most convenient and appropriate tutoring location for you and your child? Will the tutor work with your child at your home or in our center? Would there be any distraction if it is to be held at home? Where would there be more learning resources?
DURATION
This has to be considered together with your child's defined goals. Is such a target realistic given the available time? Should we have more frequent lessons but shorter lesson time or is it better for the child to have longer sessions because he/she becomes more productive only after some warm-up time? This, however, can be adapted later once the tutor had established the student's needs.
COST
If your child requires help with many subjects or that he/she needs more than one or two lessons a week, then the tuition fees can be expensive. Significant savings can be made though, if your child has a friend or two with similar academic needs and are willing to work together in a small-group setting. Hourly rate for a shared lesson is only slightly higher than the rate for a private 1-to-1 lesson. Besides, some find the interaction more useful, especially in language subjects.
First, ascertain the qualifications and experience of a prospective tutor. Then check to make sure his/her teaching style is right for your child. Here are some important questions to consider:
- What is the tutor's educational and professional background?
- Is this tutor a specialist in one academic area?
- Has the tutor worked with kids like yours?
- How does he/she deal with unmotivated or resistant students?
- Are his/her lessons structured? Serious? Light? Flexible?
GOALS
Some families have very specific goals: "My son is especially weak on Probability for GCSE. I would like him to improve on that for next month's exam." But many families' goals are less definable: "I want my daughter to be more confident with her reading," or "My son needs more personal attention than he gets in the classroom," or "My daughter needs better study skills."
Ask yourself: What do you hope your child will accomplish and by when? How will this tutor assess your child's needs? Will he/she keep you updated about your child's progress by writing you, calling you or by meeting with you regularly?
It's okay to be unclear about your goals in the beginning. After working with your child, a tutor will be able to define how he/she can help your child reach the next level. Just make sure that you and the tutor know what each other's expectations are.
LOCATION
Ask yourself: What is the most convenient and appropriate tutoring location for you and your child? Will the tutor work with your child at your home or in our center? Would there be any distraction if it is to be held at home? Where would there be more learning resources?
DURATION
This has to be considered together with your child's defined goals. Is such a target realistic given the available time? Should we have more frequent lessons but shorter lesson time or is it better for the child to have longer sessions because he/she becomes more productive only after some warm-up time? This, however, can be adapted later once the tutor had established the student's needs.
COST
If your child requires help with many subjects or that he/she needs more than one or two lessons a week, then the tuition fees can be expensive. Significant savings can be made though, if your child has a friend or two with similar academic needs and are willing to work together in a small-group setting. Hourly rate for a shared lesson is only slightly higher than the rate for a private 1-to-1 lesson. Besides, some find the interaction more useful, especially in language subjects.
Contact Us
You are welcome to contact us to ask about our service or other education-related matters. We can arrange for an interview with our tutors to discuss how we can best help, or we can even set-up an exchange with our past and existing students or parents for you so you can make informed decisions about choosing a tutor.
