Whether you are choosing a language tutor for a child, for an adult or for a group, there are several considerations that you may want to bear in mind when it comes to finding the right person for you. Here are some ideas for you if you are looking for someone to tutor a student under the age of 18:
1. Be timely. If your student is finding the subject hard at school then consider getting a short burst of tuition as soon as possible, to get them back on the right track. Please do not leave it until just a few weeks before the exams and expect the tutor to unpick years of misunderstandings and lack of confidence.
2. Ask for their DBS check. It is not compulsory for someone to have a DBS check in order to tutor, but it is definitely good practice to do so.
3. Consider carefully whether you would be better to have tuition at your home or at the tutor’s premises. Some students work better in unfamiliar surroundings, away from familiar distractions – others do better when they feel comfortable. Do note that most professional tutors will be unwilling to be left alone with a child in the child’s own home due to safeguarding reasons.
4. Match your tutor to your needs. If you would like your 8-year-old to have a little booster then you may be fine with a University student. However, if your child has specific additional learning needs or is studying for an exam then it may be a good idea to pay extra for someone with relevant experience!
5. The GCSE curriculum and exam methods have changed in the last two years – so University students DID NOT sit the same exam that your child will be taking. If you need to be boosting grades then ask your tutor questions about how they have kept their knowledge of the curriculum up-to-date.
6. Have reasonable expectations of what you will be paying. Remember that the minimum wage for someone aged 21 or over will be £12.71 per hour from April 2026. So, if you are expecting to pay just £10 per hour you can only legally employ those aged 20 or under! With a good tutor you are not just paying for the one hour of the class, but also for the time they spend planning and marking homework. It can take quite some time to plan a student-specific scheme of work to boost that particular student’s grades in the time available. As a rough guide, prepare for the cost of the tutor to be similar to the cost of a 1:1 session with a physiotherapist or personal trainer at the gym.
7. If your tutor is just going over the same material that was covered in school, using the same books and worksheets, then it is time for another tutor. They should be adding value by bringing different/more resources. Not that you
necessarily want lots of different explanations (that’s confusing) but a range of new exercises and challenges will really help to consolidate the information.
8. Personality. Ensuring that your child gets on well with the tutor and will work nicely for them is a key element. Sometimes two people just don’t get on well, without it being anyone’s fault – so be prepared to review the situation after two or three classes to make sure that both sides are happy.
Teri Fleetwood has been providing French and German tutoring for 20 years. Her students consistently exceed expectations at GCSE and A Level through a careful mixture of topic and grammar work as well as a keen attention to exam technique.