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Tutoring is becoming increasingly popular thanks to it becoming more affordable for all households and parents realizing that it's a great way for their child to receive personalized lessons.
When your tutoring agency starts to grow, you'll have to start taking other tutors onboard to keep up with the demand. However, finding the right tutor for your business can be difficult, especially when you have to go through hundreds of applications. In this article, I will discuss a number of things that you need to consider before hiring a tutor.
What kind of feedback does the tutor give?
The kind of feedback a tutor gives is highly important. If you have a tutor who constantly gives a student negative feedback and never praises them for their hard work then this can have a detrimental effect on the student's well being. Their confidence will plummet, they'll be afraid to ask questions, and overall they'll hate their tutoring sessions. This can cause the student's ability to worsen rather than improve. Therefore, I would highly recommend discussing this subject with the tutor before you take him/her onboard. Make sure that they understand what your business stands for, that you want your tutors to give constructive feedback, and that they shouldn't be afraid to praise the students.
Are they able to teach in more than one learning style?
Every student learns differently, some prefer interactive lessons whilst others like learning from a textbook. A good tutor is one that can adapt their teaching style to the needs of their students. Hiring a tutor who only knows one style or isn't willing to change will mean that you can only cater to a specific type of student. Also, if they are paired with a student who has a different learning style, then that student will have difficulty grasping the subject.
How long have they been teaching?
Another thing to consider is how long they have been teaching. Tutors who have a few years under their belt are likely to have an array of experiences they can put to use. They are also more likely to have several testimonials you can go through to see whether they'd be a good match for your company.
How qualified are they?
It goes without saying, but always have a look at the qualifications a tutor has on their CV to see if they align with what you're looking for. I wouldn't put much attention as to where they studied but rather the topics that were covered in their degree. Just because someone came from Oxford doesn't mean that they were taught everything they needed to know! If the tutor is invited to an interview then ask them to tell you a little about their qualifications so you can see whether they actually know their stuff.
Are they fueled by passion or money?
Sure, qualifications and experience are important. However, you should also take into account their passion. The best tutors are those who enjoy their job and get a sense of fulfillment from helping a student improve. Those who are fueled by money can be good tutors, but they are more likely to put their financial needs over those of a student. So, whenever you have a super qualified tutor compared to someone who is just starting, ask them, ‘Why did you decide to become a tutor?'.
Make sure they have a great CV
Lastly, it's important that you go through each CV as it can tell you a lot about the tutor before even meeting them - and I'm not just talking about their experience! Did they submit a CV with grammatical errors, wrong layout and aimed it at a different company? Then you can already tell they don't care much about the position and they're likely not the best candidate for the role. There are many examples of what a good CV looks like online, so you can refer to them when judging the CV.
