At WISE tutors, we provide parents and other clients with private tutors that are suitably qualified, experienced and able to assist students in the subjects required and at the level that is required.
We understand that it is important for the student to get along with the private tutor and enjoy the private tuition sessions. It is for this precise reason that we designed tutor profiles for each private tutor with WISE tutors.
Our tutor profiles provide information on each private tutor’s qualifications, skills, knowledge, area of expertise and private tuition experience. Parents and other clients have the opportunity to read through these tutor profiles before selecting and interviewing a private tutor.
It is important when looking through the tutor profile, that parents and clients appreciate that many of our private tutors are multi-skilled and have worked in a range of academic and professional fields before moving into professional private tutoring. Many private tutors still work in schools in the UK and others are retired. Therefore it is essential that parents consider all parts of the tutor profile when selecting a private tutor for their child.
In this section we will look at how you can use the information provided on the tutor profile to assist you with selecting a specialist private tutor for your child.
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[accordion-item title=”Qualifications”] All tutor profiles with WISE tutors include details of their qualifications and certificates on their profiles, these certificates and qualifications checked by a member of our team and CRB checks are always conducted.
When looking through tutor qualifications, some clients will prefer to work with the private tutor with the highest qualifications. Some clients, on the other hand, may feel that an advanced level of knowledge will mean that the tutor will only be good at teaching the subject at an advanced level and will therefore not be able to support a student that is struggling with the subject. Some clients prefer to only work with private tutors that have gained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) by training in a state or independent school, other clients may feel that that experience, feedback and pass rates are more important that having the QTS qualification.
It is important to note that many of our private tutors have Masters degrees and a few of our tutors have PhDs. This advanced knowledge has not had a negative impact on their teaching or tutoring ability. Most tutors choose to enter the profession of private tutoring because they have a passion for their specialist subject(s) and a passion to help students fully understand this subject and achieve their best. Our private tutors have therefore built their reputation in having the ability to explain concepts to students from a range of abilities.
Some private tutors will explain that one of their motivations for becoming a private tutor was the fact that they initially struggled with a subject in school and with the right teacher or private tutor, they were able to fully understand that subject and move on to study this subject at degree level or higher.
A number of private tutors with WISE tutors have an entirely different career background from teaching, often coming from a technical or professional services background. However, they have always maintained a strong interest in teaching and while they have chosen not to work in the classroom as a full time teacher, they have developed their skills in helping young people through volunteering, mentoring and private tutoring.
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[accordion-item title=”Experience”]
Each tutor profile provides the private tutor with the opportunity to provide further information about his or her background, experience and teaching style.
We have a large number of excellent private tutors that are extremely passionate about helping their students, they have impressive qualifications and subject knowledge and they have gained outstanding feedback from clients. These private tutors sometimes have less than three years, others have over thirty years of experience.
Some parents express concern that the private tutor may be too old and may therefore lack the energy and enthusiasm that a younger private tutor may offer. However, it is important to note that many professional tutors and even retired teachers have a great deal of passion, energy and enthusiasm for teaching and private tutoring.
Other parents express concern that the private tutor has not gained enough experience to guarantee their child success in the exam. It is therefore important to note that no private tutor can guarantee success in any exam as it is always down to the student.
It can be very difficult for parents to decide on the best professional tutor especially if the decision is based solely on the number of years of experience. We therefore recommend that parents consider the private tutor’s qualifications, experience and feedback before deciding on the private tutor that will be the best fit for their child.[/accordion-item]
[accordion-item title=”Specialist subjects and levels”]
All private tutors with WISE tutors are required to state their specialist subjects and levels on their profiles. This helps parents and other clients recognise if the private tutor is potentially suited to working with their child.
Some parents or clients may feel that a private tutor should only be able to tutor one subject, preferably the subject that the tutor studied at degree level.
However, it is quite common for private tutors to be specialists in more than one subject. It is also common for a private tutor not to provide tuition in the subject studied at degree level as his or her specialism may have changed over the years.
It is often this interest in multiple subjects and the flexibility for changing and finding new specialism that draws many high calibre individuals into the profession of private tutoring.
It is possible to have an 11+ specialist private tutor that studied Engineering at degree level or a private tutor that is multilingual in French, English and German and also provides piano tuition up to ABRSM grade 8. It is possible to have a private tutor that is a Science specialist but is also fluent in Mandarin and it is possible for a private tutor that studied Biochemistry at degree level to specialise in tutoring students with special needs such as dyslexia or dyscalculia.
Many private tutors will their own personal motivations for becoming a professional private tutor and reading through the private tutor’s profile should give an idea of why the private tutor has chosen a specialism especially if the specialism is different from the subject(s) that he or she studied at degree level.
It is therefore essential that parents and clients try read through all sections of the tutor’s profile to gain a full picture of the tutor’s skills and abilities.[/accordion-item]
[accordion-item title=”Reviews and feedback from other clients”]
We conduct reference checks before working with any private tutors. In addition to this, all private tutors with WISE tutors have an online profile which includes reviews and feedback from parents and other clients.
At WISE tutors, we believe that the reviews and feedback from other clients is the strongest indicator of the private tutor’s strengths and abilities as a private tutor.
Selecting a tutor based solely on their qualifications and experience can be extremely difficult and this is why we recommend that parents and other clients take a holistic view and always look at the reviews and feedback from other clients.
We collect feedback from parents and other clients after a few weeks of private tuition and again after a few months of private tuition. Following this, we continue to request that parents and other client’s give feedback at the end of each academic term and at the end of the academic year.
All feedback on the tutor’s profile is verified by a member of our team before being published. Some parents or clients may choose to publish a review anonymously.
However, it is important to note that that if the tutor’s name is written in the review, he or she may be able to search through the website and read this review. The review may also be forwarded to the private tutor via another parents or client. It is therefore essential that your review is written in a professional manner, providing your professional opinion of the tutor’s ability.
At WISE tutors, we aim for all our private tutors to consistently achieve 5* ratings from parents and other clients. For reviews rated with less than 4*, we will usually follow up to find out if you require a replacement private tutor.
All reviews appear on the private tutor’s profile and this is available for all registered parents and clients to view but the name of the private tutor will not be viewable on the main website for all website visitors to read.
If you need further assistance with finding a suitable private tutor for your child, we recommend that you contact a member of the WISE tutors team on 020 88168066[/accordion-item]
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