Firstly, parents should put in a lot of effort into researching potential home tutors based on qualifications. There may be tutors who do not have a degree in the subject they are teaching but are still very skilled and effective at teaching it. However, tutors who have a degree in teaching or a degree in the subject that they teach are more likely to be more familiar with what they are doing. Thus, a common guideline that parents should follow is to rank teachers with better qualifications over others.
Source: Source: Depositphotos
Secondly, when looking at individual potential tutors, it is important to read reviews given by other students or parents. It is impossible to judge how well someone teaches just based on their qualifications as a lot of times, experience is much more important than the level of understanding the teacher has in the subject.
When reading other reviews and feedback, parents can learn the experiences without needing to ‘experiment’ with their own children. If the tutor had previously tutored a student that the parent might know, there is no shame in consulting them for advice. If the reviews indicate that the tutor is excellent and skilled at teaching parents should not be sceptical of it. Even if the teacher does not seem to have much qualifications for teaching the subject, parents should not be afraid of choosing them,
Thirdly, tuition can be expensive and many families may not be well off enough to be able to afford certain tutors. Parents should not go to the length of taking loans and going into debt to find a ‘perfect’ tutor for their children as there is a high chance that it is not worth it at all.
Source: Monitor.icef
At the same time, parents should not just look at the cheapest tutors available. A not-so-good tutor who teaches for a very low cost is definitely a worse choice than a good tutor who charges a somewhat high price. It is important to take into account both the quality of teaching of a tutor and the cost of hiring them.
Fourthly, parents must be prepared to handle the situation in which a tutor is not suitable for their child even after hiring them. After following the steps above, it is still possible for the tutor to be incompatible with the student’s learning method. Thus, it is important to have a few trial sessions with the tutor to determine if the teaching style complements the student’s learning style. Tutoring services are accommodative to changes and during this trial period, parents should look out for a few things.
BOTTOM LINE
The tuition teacher must be able to solve the problems that the student is facing in an efficient manner. The communication between the student and the tutor must also be effective. Since Malaysia is a multilingual society, it is important for the student to be able to understand clearly what the tutor is saying. The tutor should also have common etiquette such as coming on time and giving undivided attention to the student.
The journey to finding the right tutor and going through an arduous learning journey may not be easy, but it’ll be worth it at the end of it all!