You’re either falling behind (or have fallen behind) in a course (or several courses), you want to avoid falling behind, you want to be ahead of the class, failing important exams is a norm you want to escape, or you want to make sure you actually pass a test. Hiring a tutor is something that’s crossed your mind, but you’re still thinking about it because of potential unknowns. The choice can be a daunting one, especially if you’ve never hired a tutor before. Whether you’re a tutoring virgin or are a bit more seasoned, these six factors’ll give you clarity about what to consider when trying to figure out if hiring a tutor may be for you.
1. Goals
Are you really trying to learn, or do you just want to know enough to finish a homework assignment? Are you just trying to figure out how to pass a class? Are you trying to catch up with a bunch of assignments you’ve failed to submit because of late registration, illness (physical or mental), drastic life events, or just plain ol’ slackin’.
Let’s get busy getting you over your academic, professional, or personal hurdles.
2. Tutor Types
Know what type of tutor you want. You may want:
a) Homework help
b) Specialized tutoring (for a specific subject you have trouble understanding)
c) Test prep coach
d) Accountability coach
These’ll be clearly defined in another post. For now, though, think about choosing your tutor type based on the goals established in Point 1. You might need a combination of homework help, specialized tutoring, test preparation coaching, or accountability coaching. You may be able to find a coach who offers all four.
Additionally, consider how you want the tutor to operate. Do you want a consultant (someone to advise you about what to do), or do you want a coach (someone who advises you and builds mechanisms to get you to meet your goal)? The first will, pretty much, let you do whatever you want. The second, however, becomes more invested in your success.
3. Budget
For some tutees, money is no object, or they’re willing and able to spend as much as possible to improve. Many people seeking learning enrichment aren’t fortunate enough to operate this way and will need to figure out how much tutoring they can afford.
Some folks dislike establishing a budget because worrying about potential financial limitations may be a reason they’ve taken so long to take the plunge and hire a tutor. Thinking about and establishing a budget may force the financial issue back to the front of their minds, causing enough discomfort to encourage them to, once again, put hiring a tutor on the back burner, which’ll keep them stagnant.
If you can bear to think about it, consider how much you’re willing to invest in getting the help you need. Next, determine how improving your situation (after hiring the tutor) will help you benefit, financially. Even if the financial benefit may not materialize until years down the road, make necessary calculations. This may help ease some of the anxiety parting with what may be a lofty amount of money. Even if your budget is big enough to accommodate your tutoring needs, at least you’ll know how much money you can spend and how much time you’ll be able to spend working with your tutor.
4. Dedication
Be sure about how dedicated you are to this process. Some folks show up and expect the tutor to wave a magic wand or show them how to read this or solve that a few times, and “poof”, the tutee is a learned person.
It doesn’t work that way.
Be ready to work. Be ready to re-arrange your schedule. Be ready to buy new supplies. Be ready to try new techniques. Be ready to understand that you may know almost nothing about learning and that you’ll have to work hard–haaaaaaaard–to get the results you want. The experience may be fun, but there may be tears and cussin’–though not, necessarily, at the tutor.
If you’re willing to experience serious inconvenience and discomfort in order to improve in a specific area, then you’re probably not genuinely interested in learning. Be sure you can identify and understand your goal. If your dedication stops, for example, at learning how to solve specific math problems, complete other knowledge-level tasks, or pass a test, be clear with yourself and prospective tutors so that you can both determine if you’re good fits for each other.
5. Scheduling
Regarding time, some people rearrange their schedules to the point where they become sleep deprived. They’ve done their very best, but they still don’t have the time they need to attend as many tutoring sessions as they need or to study as often as they need to study.
This is understandable. Other folks, however, are inundated by activities and think of tutoring as just another activity. They don’t realize it, but they’re not as dedicated as they may need to be.
To get the most out of your tutoring sessions, make tutoring a priority in your schedule.
6. Potential Impediments
If you have definite knowledge or a feeling that you’re grappling with issues that might require a tutor to take special steps to help you understand information or deal with you as a person, get tested by relevant professionals and share their findings with prospective tutors.
Some examples of impediments are:
- Taking medication that affects your performance
- Being a gifted student
- Struggling with dyslexia
- Grappling with social disorders
Consider how your circumstances might affect your tutoring experience; be ready to help your tutor adjust, if necessary. Some folks delay or avoid sharing information about potential impediments, such as learning differences or mental health issues, for fear that having this knowledge might blind tutors to the idea that a tutee is capable of achieving at high levels, which might leave the tutee in the sore spot in which he or she began.
Now, taking budgets, schedules, dedication, and all that other jazz into consideration doesn’t guarantee a perfect scouting experience. As is the case with anything else, there may be some unknowns you encounter. Still, this six-item list will help you decide if you’re ready to hire a tutor.