When it becomes necessary to choose a tutor, often there are more questions than answers. Students or experienced teachers, young or mature, a native speaker ? Experts at Class in Session – online tutors have prepared a simple step-by-step manual for you.
Define goals
Why does your child need extra English classes? “So that he knows the language” is the wrong answer. You need to set clear and realistic goals: prepare for exams, improve grades, develop conversational skills to move abroad or deal with some particular aspect of the language – for example, grammar. The tutor will ask you this question.
Choose Format
Group lessons in courses, lesson with private tutors, online classes? Be sure to ask your child what he likes best, but consider your options, including financial ones. Keep in mind that not one, even the most “star” tutor, will be able to achieve noticeable improvements in 5 – 10 lessons. Additional lessons are a story for several months. If you feel that a private tutor will cost you too much, try online classes. Lessons will also be held one on one, you do not have to carry the child to the teacher and vice versa, and the cost of such classes is lower than ordinary tutors.
Rate the Market
See what the local educational market offers you, go to language school sites and message boards. So you can calculate the average prices and make a list of 10-12 of the most suitable teachers. If you live in a big city, there will most likely be native speakers among the candidates. Many parents want their child to learn English with a foreigner, but you should be careful with this idea. Lessons with an English-speaking teacher will be useful only to those who have already reached at least the Intermediate level, know the basic rules of grammar and can understand the explanations of the teacher. Lessons with a native speaker are an excellent option for overcoming the language barrier, improving pronunciation, preparing for entering a foreign university.
Ask
Feel free to ask questions. Ask the tutor about the teaching experience, about what aids he uses in his work, on what program he conducts classes and how often he talks with native speakers. Even a short conversation can tell a lot about the teacher. If you are looking for a tutor for a fifth grader, the institute teacher is hardly suitable for you: he is used to working with adult motivated students and giving material in an academic way. Children learn easier and faster during the game, but the professor may not know the game teaching techniques.
Look for feedback
Browse tutoring sites, ask friends and parents of your classmates. Pay attention not only to the personal characteristics of the tutor, but also to his achievements. How many students this teacher successfully prepared for the exam, how many of them were able to enter a good university? These are very specific indicators. They will say more about the tutor than any description of his methods.
Finding a tutor for a child is not an easy task. In capitals, you run the risk of getting confused in the abundance of offers, and in small cities, on the contrary, good tutors are not enough. If you are not ready to conduct a full-scale market research, try the Virtual Tutoring from class in session. Several thousand professional teachers from all over the world work here. You will be selected by a teacher who can find contact with the child and talk about the subject so that the student will look forward to each lesson with impatience and interest. You can engage directly from home and at any time convenient for you. Lessons are held on an interactive online platform. All materials are kept here and progress statistics are kept, so you yourself will see how the training goes. Between classes, the child will be able to hone their skills using applications and games developed specifically for class in session
