Private Tuition - Ten Most Asked Questions

Aug. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- By Nevil Chiles, founder of K C Tutors

With an increasing number of parents considering the possibility of using private tuition to assist with their child’s educational development it’s important that they have all the facts at their fingertips.
Having been involved in the provision of private tuition for thousands of families across London and the Home Counties for a decade through K&C Tutors I’ve decided to compile a list of the ten most asked questions from parents.
Here they are:
1) What subjects can you get private tuition for?
You can get private tuition for literally any subject you like. Our own database of tutors grows by about 40 a month with more than 100 subjects currently covered.

2) Does it fit in with the National Curriculum?
Good tutors will always tailor their lessons for each individual student. If the subject is mainstream then the tuition provided will invariably fit in with the National Curriculum as required.

3) Are the effects of private tuition measurable?
It is difficult to define the effects of tuition but if students are getting bespoke targeted help can it be anything but beneficial? It is important that parents have a good idea in mind as to what they want private tuition to achieve for their children.

4) How long does private tuition last on average?
How long is a piece of string however for exam-based subjects tuition tends to run throughout the academic year until the exams are taken. For subjects that are not building towards exams - languages for example - the pattern is far less uniform.

5) Is it costly and is it a price worth paying?
The costs vary but in the case of K & C we currently charge £40 per hour of single tuition for levels up to A Level. Groups and higher levels of education are dealt with individually. You will of course find tuition available for more and less. Education is paramount and is surely a price worth paying to get your child on the right track in any particular subject.

6) Are the tutors vetted in any way?
Like most private tuition providers all our tutors have recent Enhanced Disclosure, Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) background checks. We interview all our tutors in person to insure we continue to provide an excellent service through the highest calibre tutors and I’ve interviewed over 2,000 tutors personally to date.

7) What sort of backgrounds do private tutors have?
Our tutors come from a wide variety of backgrounds. They range from talented and ambitious new graduates to retired teachers and everything in between. Our ethos is to provide an excellent service so we are continually interviewing new candidates.

8) Can we change a tutor if our son/daughter does not like them?
Tutors can be changed at any time. We want people to be delighted with the tutor we provide.

9) Are there any statistics to prove that private tutored pupils perform better in exams?
There are no statistics that I know of but there’s clear evidence that there has been a considerable growth in private tuition over the past decade as parents seek to give their children the best possible educational start in life.

10) How long does each private tuition session last and how is the 'average' session structured?
Most of the lessons we provide are two hours long although one hour is often more appropriate for younger students. All lessons are tailored for the individual and there’s really no such thing as an ‘average’ lessons.

ENDS