Tutors and academies near you

Choosing a tutor: what to check

Before the first session, whether it is a home tutor, an academy or an online class.

1. 1Decide what you actually need: homework support, one weak subject, exam preparation or the full syllabus. It changes who to look for and what it should cost.
2. 2Ask what they teach now and where. A teacher at a school on the same syllabus, a university student and a full-time academy tutor suit different children.
3. 3Match the subject to the level. O Level Chemistry and Matric Chemistry are different courses; ask which board or exam series they have taught, and for how many years.
4. 4Agree a paid trial of one or two sessions before committing to a month, and tell the tutor what you want to see by the end of it.
5. 5For home tuition, do the safety basics: see the tutor's CNIC, keep sessions in a shared room, and for younger children have an adult at home.
6. 6Fix the fee, hours and holidays in writing: per hour or per month, what happens on missed classes, exam weeks and Ramadan timings.
7. 7If you go through an agency, ask who you are paying, what their cut is, and whether the tutor can be changed if it is not working.
8. 8Watch progress, not hours. Ask for a short note each month on what was covered and a test score or two, and compare it with school results.