Questions for a Prospective Tutor

Elizabeth Wilcox -

You've decided you would like to hire an educator to support your child outside of school. How do you determine which educator is best suited to meet your child's educational needs?

We've asked a number of educators who offer academic support (termed as tutors and specialist educators on our site) what questions they would recommend a parent asks. Bear in mind that these questions should only be a part of your evaluation process. Before you even begin to search for someone to help your child, you will need to identify your tutoring objectives and your child's strengths and challenges.

Screen Your Tutor

You should thoroughly screen your prospective tutor or specialist educator. One free starting point for screening is available at Family Watchdog. More comprehensive background screening usually carries a fee but even these are not one hundred percent reliable. Ultimately, the decision to hire a tutor rests on your judgment based on the information you attain.

What and When to Ask

Some tutors will answer most your questions during a phone interview; others will wait until after meeting your child. Many do a combination of both.

Some tutors also have contracts which address many questions relating to policy. "I also have my guidelines regarding absences, fees, etc. in written form for parents when I meet with them at the first session," says Waltham, MA-based tutor Pamela Duncan.

In addition, some tutors - particularly those tutoring special needs children - welcome the opportunity to discuss any educational testing or neuropsychological evaluations that have been administered to your child.

South Natick,MA-based tutor Julia Borger-Green comments: "Parents might need help in understanding what the evaluations are saying about their child. As a tutor, I like to have educational and medical reports."

Some, like Borger-Green, encourage these parents to consider having the tutor meet with the child's educational team, if possible, to discuss any recommended strategies and instruction.

Once a tutor chooses a program or programs of instruction, parents also may wish to ask what research supports that choice, says Harwich Port, MA-based tutor Donna Burnham Chase.

Lastly, says Wellesley and Sudbury, MA-based tutor Christa Abbott, it is always helpful to find out how a tutor stays abreast of research in his or her field.

Questions to Ask Your Tutor

• What is your educational background?
• What type of teaching experience do you have?
• What the type of student do you best "click" with?
• Whom may I contact for references?
• How will you go about evaluating my child's needs?
• What tutoring methods might you use with my child and research base exists to support its effectiveness?
• How do you recommend I best support your tutoring and my children's learning in this area?
• How will you measure my child's needs and progress? How can I?
• How do you suggest we communicate?
• How and to what extent do you suggest we involve my child's teacher and how frequently?
• How can you and I tell if the tutoring has run its course?
• Typically, how long do your tutoring relationshipslast withstudents who haveeducational needssimiliar to those of my child?
• What hours are you available?
• Where do you do your tutoring?
• How long do you expect each tutoring session to last?
• How much do you charge for your services?
• What is your policy for cancellations and make-up sessions?

Does your child need a tutor? Read tutor Michael Delman's article, Choosing Educational Support: Assumptions and Reality