How to Find the Right Tutor: A Parent's Guide
When a test is coming up and a student is struggling, finding a tutor can feel urgent. You want help quickly, but you also want those tutoring sessions to make a difference.
As a tutor, my first piece of advice is to look for someone who knows how to teach. Being good at chemistry, math, or another subject doesn’t automatically mean someone can explain it to a new learner.
A tutor needs to understand where the student is getting stuck, organize the material, and explain it in a way the student can follow. You can learn a lot about those abilities before committing to regular sessions.
Look for Teaching Ability Along With Subject Knowledge
Someone may know a subject so well that they forget what it feels like to learn it for the first time. They might skip steps that seem obvious to them but are essential for the student.
I want a tutor to be able to put themselves in the learner’s shoes. That means listening, identifying what the student understands, and building from there.
Teaching experience is worth asking about. Is the tutor a teacher? What experience do they have helping students learn this subject? Their answers give you a starting point, but I would also ask about their approach.
Ask Why They Tutor and How They Teach
During an initial conversation, ask questions such as:
What experience do you have teaching this subject?
Why do you tutor?
How do you figure out where a student is struggling?
What is your approach when a student doesn’t understand your explanation?
Listen for how thoughtfully they answer. Can they explain their approach clearly? Do they give you room to speak? Do they seem interested in understanding the student’s needs?
Their tutoring philosophy should tell you something about what a session with them would actually look like.
Ask for a Short Teaching Example
One practical way to evaluate a tutor is to ask them to explain a question during a consultation or trial lesson.
I suggest sending the question beforehand, so they have time to prepare. Preparation is part of teaching, and this gives you a chance to see how they organize an explanation.
Choose something the student is currently struggling with. Then pay attention to whether the tutor:
Breaks the problem into manageable steps.
Explains why each step matters.
Speaks at a pace the student can follow.
Listens to the student’s questions.
Checks whether the explanation makes sense to them.
Clear communication matters. The student needs to understand the tutor comfortably, and the tutor needs to make space for the student to participate.
Find Someone Who Can Identify the Missing Step
In my chemistry tutoring, students often struggle because a problem contains so much information that they don’t know where to begin.
I teach them to organize that information first. We might list the variables, identify what the question is asking, and then work out which equation applies. Breaking the problem into its components helps the student see what they need to do—and what they still need to learn.
A Chemistry Example: Naming Compounds
One student came to me confused about naming compounds. She had questions about the naming rules, but the difficulty started before she could use those rules: she wasn’t clear on how to identify whether a compound was ionic or molecular.
We stepped back and looked at the elements in each compound. Were they metals, nonmetals, or metalloids? From there, we could identify the type of compound and apply the appropriate naming rules.
Looking at the whole worksheet and trying to remember every rule at once was overwhelming. Separating the task into steps gave us a clear way to approach it.
That is the kind of teaching I would look for in a tutor: someone who can find the missing foundation and explain it before moving ahead.
If the Exam Is Soon, Be Specific About What You Need
If you need a tutor urgently, tell them that upfront. Send the topics you need to cover before the session, along with the test date and any relevant review materials.
The tutor needs enough information to decide how to use the available time. With an exam next week, the priority may be helping the student understand selected topics and earn as many points as possible.
Be clear about:
When the exam is.
Which topics it covers.
Where the student is most confused.
How much time is available for tutoring.
How much depth the student needs.
Being organized helps the tutor prepare a focused session.
Set Realistic Expectations for the Time Available
A one-hour session has limits, especially if the student has several topics to review or gaps in their understanding.
Depending on the amount of material, a student may need to book two or three hours. Discuss that with the tutor in advance so you can agree on priorities and a realistic plan.
The tutor should be able to explain what they expect to cover and where more work may be needed.
Watch for Unrealistic Promises
A tutor who guarantees an A before even meeting the student would raise a red flag for me.
They don’t yet know what the student understands, what the exam covers, or how much preparation time is available. Promising a particular grade at that point creates expectations they may not be able to meet.
I would also pay attention to whether the tutor listens. If they talk over the student or parent during the first conversation, that is worth taking seriously. A tutor needs to hear the student’s questions to understand how to help.
Choose a Tutor Who Makes the Next Step Clear
To find the right tutor fast, focus your first conversation on how they teach. Ask about their experience, give them a question to prepare, and see whether the student can follow their explanation.
Look for someone who is organized, listens carefully, and sets realistic expectations. Share the topics and deadline early so they can make a useful plan.
From my experience, a valuable part of tutoring is helping a student take something confusing and separate it into steps they can understand. That is the teaching ability I would look for first.
Looking for Chemistry Tutoring?
At Serene Science Tutoring, I help high school and college students understand chemistry by breaking challenging concepts into manageable steps. Whether you're preparing for an upcoming exam or looking for ongoing support, I'd be happy to discuss how I can help.
