10 Tips on Choosing the Right Online Tutor
The tutoring industry in Australia is unregulated. This means that anyone can set up a tutoring business, without having to meet any minimum standards. When it comes to online tutoring services, this can be especially concerning, as you may not be able to meet your tutor face-to-face to get a sense of their teaching style or ability.
That’s why it’s so important to do your research before choosing an online tutor. Here are some things to look out for:
- Make sure to subscribe to a reputed online tutoring service
CrunchGrade is one of the few online tutoring services in Australia that have strict quality standards that tutors must meet to be accepted on the platform. This means you can be sure that the tutor you’re working with is qualified and experienced.
Some ways to determine whether an online tutoring platform is reliable or not are:
- Do they have a rigorous screening process for tutors? Good online tutoring platforms take great care of who they hire. They conduct personal interviews, check academic qualifications and professional experience, and test potential candidates for subject knowledge, teaching ability and communication skills.
- Do they require tutors to have a teaching qualification or experience? A good online tutoring service will only accept tutors who have teaching qualifications or experience. This is because they know good teachers are essential for providing quality tuition. Some websites do allow freelancers without a teaching qualification to apply, but they should have extensive experience in their chosen subject area.
- Do they have any positive reviews or testimonials from students? A good online tutoring service will have a page on its website where students can leave reviews and testimonials. Reading these will give you a good idea of the quality of tuition you can expect.
- Do their tutors teach subjects to students of your (or your children's) age? Make sure the online tutoring service you choose has experience teaching students of your age group. Some platforms, like CrunchGrade, focus on providing tuition to K-12 students, while others cater to university students or adults.
- Do they have a satisfaction guarantee or money-back policy? A good online tutoring service will have a satisfaction guarantee or money-back policy. This means that if you’re not happy with the tuition you receive, you can get a refund.
A good online tutoring service will also have a variety of tutor profiles so you can find one that best suits your learning style.
- Check out the tutor’s qualifications and experience
It’s important to check out the tutor’s qualifications and experience before you hire them. Make sure they have the relevant teaching qualifications and experience in the subject you need help with.
For students in kindergarten, preparatory schools, or pre-schools, you will need tutors who specialize in early-learning education. Primary school students need tutors who are familiar with the Australian curriculum. They must be qualified to teach the relevant subject/s up to Year 6.
Online tutors for secondary school and senior secondary school students must have at least a bachelor’s degree in the relevant subject/s, as well as a teaching qualification. High school tutors should be able to prepare students for NAPLAN, Selective Schools Exams, and other state-based exams.
- Read reviews
Any reputable online tutoring service will have reviews from past clients. Read these reviews to get a sense of the tutor’s teaching style and how well they match your needs.
It is also an art to spot fake reviews. Genuine reviews will have:
- Specific details about the lessons: In an authentic review, the writer will mention specific things about the tutoring sessions – for example, what they worked on and what they found challenging.
- The reviewer’s full name: A reviewer who is happy with the service will usually be happy to give his or her full name. If the review is anonymous or uses a pseudonym, it may be fake.
- A photograph: If the review includes a photograph, the review is likely genuine. Without a photo, it’s difficult to know for sure.
- The reviewer's location: If the reviewer mentions their city or country, it’s more likely that the review is real. If you are looking for an online tutor in Sydney, for example, it would make sense to focus on reviews from Sydney-based clients.
- The age group of their children: This is another way to check if the reviewer is talking about their own experience. If the review is genuine, the reviewer will mention the age group of their children.
- The level of the student: The reviewer will mention whether the tutoring service was helping their child with primary school, high school, or university-level work.
- The subject matter: The reviewer will mention the specific subject or subjects that they were being tutored in. If someone is happy with an online tutor, they will usually mention the specific subject that they found him or her most helpful.
If you can’t find any reviews for a particular online tutoring service or tutor, a trial lesson might help.
- Meet the tutor online before you hire them
Many online tutoring services allow you to meet your tutor online before you decide to hire them. A number of tutors conduct free demo classes. This is a great way to get a sense of their teaching style and personality. It’s important to determine their teaching style is compatible with your learning style. Some questions you could ask during this meeting are:
- How do you plan your lessons? An online tutor should be able to give you a brief overview of how they structure their lessons. Online lessons for preschoolers and primary school students should include lots of activities and games, whereas, for secondary school and senior secondary school students, the tutor should be more focused on teaching exam techniques.
- Can you provide me with some examples (or videos) of your work (or lectures)? Example worksheets and video lectures are a great way to get an idea of the tutor’s teaching style. By checking them out, you can get a good idea of whether the tutor is engaging and easy to understand.
- Do you use multimedia resources in your lessons? One great feature of learning online is that you can incorporate multimedia resources into your lessons. This can make learning more interesting and fun. Ask the tutor if they use multimedia resources and, if so, what kind.
- Do you provide feedback after each lesson? Tutors' feedback help students understand their strengths and weaknesses, as well as what they need to work on. Feedback should be specific, objective, and goal-oriented.
- Can you tailor your lessons to my (or my child's) individual needs? A good tutor will be able to adapt their lessons to meet the student’s needs. This could involve adjusting the teaching style, the resources used, or the amount of feedback given.
- Do you have any strategies to help me with my weaknesses? A tutor who is experienced in teaching online will have a variety of strategies to help students overcome their weaknesses. For example, they might use different resources or give more frequent feedback.
- Do you have any experience with students who have learning difficulties? Tutors who have experience teaching students with learning difficulties will be able to offer specific advice and strategies. You might also want to ask tutors you hire if they can help in identifying your child’s learning difficulties.
Be sure to communicate your expectations clearly. Before you start working with a tutor, make sure you have a clear idea of what you want them to help you with. It is also important that your online tutor is available when you need them. You don’t want to be waiting for weeks on end for a reply to your email or message.
- Ask questions
Don’t be afraid to ask the tutor questions about their qualifications, experience or teaching style. This will help you determine if they’re the right fit for you. Some of the questions you should ask an online tutor are:
- What are your qualifications? We have mentioned above what the qualifications of a good online tutor should be. However, it is still important that you ask the tutor about their qualifications to make sure they are indeed qualified.
- Do you have experience teaching students from my country/background? It can be helpful to hire a tutor who has experience teaching students from your country or background. They will be familiar with your culture and be able to better understand your needs.
- What is your experience in teaching this subject? Make sure the tutor you hire has experience teaching the subject you need help with. For example, if you need help with mathematics, you would want to hire a tutor who has experience teaching mathematics.
- What is your teaching style? Every tutor has his or her own teaching style. Some might be more interactive while others might prefer to give more feedback. Other popular online teaching styles include live online classes, flipped classrooms, and gamified learning. Ask the tutor about their teaching style so you can determine if it is a good fit for you or your child.
- How do you plan to help me (or my child) achieve my (or his/her) learning goals? A good tutor will have a plan for how they can help the student achieve their learning goals. Ask the tutor about their teaching methods and resources so you can get an idea of what to expect.
- What resources do you use in your lessons? As we mentioned above, multimedia resources can be very helpful in online learning. Check whether the online tutor uses online whiteboards, Australian curriculum lessons, or quizzes in their lessons.
- Get a trial lesson
Most online tutoring services offer a free trial lesson, so you can try out the tutor before committing to a longer lesson plan. This is a great way to see if the tutor’s teaching style is a good fit for you.
Some of the things you should note during the free online tutoring session are:
- Did the tutor explain concepts clearly? If your child found it difficult to understand the tutor’s explanations, it might be a sign that the tutor is not a good fit.
- Was the lesson engaging? A good online lesson should be engaging and interactive. If the tutor was able to keep your child’s attention throughout the lesson, it is a good sign.
- Did the tutor use a variety of teaching methods? If the tutor only used one teaching method, it might not be a good fit for your child. A good online tutor should use a variety of teaching methods, such as video lessons, quizzes, and games, to keep the child engaged.
- Did the tutor answer your questions? If you had any questions during the lesson, was the tutor able to answer them satisfactorily? If not, it might be a sign that you should probably interview more tutors before making a decision.
- Did the tutor make use of technology in the lesson? Technology can be a great asset in online learning. If the tutor made use of technology like videos, online whiteboards, or quizzes in the lesson, it is a good sign.
- Do you feel like you (or your child) learned anything during the lesson? The most important thing is that you (or your child) should learn something from the lesson. If you feel like the tutor helped you understand the concepts better, it is a good sign.
- Compare prices
The price of online tutoring services can vary depending on the service, the tutor’s qualifications and experience, location and the number of hours you need. Be sure to compare prices before you decide on a tutor.
Tutoring services like CrunchGrade offer affordable, pay-as-you-go online tutoring services. This means you only pay for the lessons you need, and you can cancel or change your lesson plan at any time.
The thumb rule is that if the price is too good to be true, it probably is! When deciding on an online tutor, it’s important to focus on quality over price.
- Check the cancellation and refund policy
Before you commit to an online tutoring service, make sure you understand the company’s cancellation and refund policy. This will help avoid any misunderstanding if you need to cancel or reschedule lessons.
Make sure that the online tutoring website you subscribe to allows you to cancel or reschedule lessons without any penalties.
- Be cautious of scams
Many scams target people looking for online tutoring services. Be wary of any online tutoring service that asks for personal information such as your home address or bank account details.
Some of the indicators that a tutoring platform can be a scam are:
- The tutor is asking for money upfront: A good tutor will not ask for money upfront. If the tutor asks for money before you have even had a trial lesson, it is probably a scam.
- Tutors do not respond to your queries: If you try to contact the tutor and they do not respond to your queries, it is probably a scam. A good online tutoring platform will always have a customer support system in place.
- The website is poorly designed and looks unprofessional: A good online tutoring platform will have a professional-looking website. If the website looks like it was made in a hurry, it is probably a scam. Scamsters do not invest in good design because they are there for quick money.
- The contact information on the website is fake: If the contact information on the website is fake, it is probably a scam. A good online tutoring platform will always list their contact information on the website. You might want to cross-check the contact information using a search engine to see if it is a scam.
- The company does not have any reviews online: If you cannot find any reviews about the company online, it is probably a scam. A good online tutoring platform will always have positive reviews from parents and students. But if it is a new platform, there might not be many reviews yet.
- The company is asking for personal information such as your home address or bank account details: No genuine website which considers security as a priority will ever ask for your personal information such as your home address or bank account details. If a website asks for such information, it is probably a scam. In such cases, it is best to err on the side of caution and not provide any personal information.
If you encounter any of these warning signs, it’s best to stay away from that online tutoring service.
- Choose an online tutoring service that offers customer support
Choose an online tutoring service that offers customer support in case you have any problems with the lessons or the tutor. This will help ensure that you have a good experience with online tutoring.
Without good customer service, online tutoring can be a stressful experience. In case of any tech issues or help with tutoring problems, you want to be able to reach out to someone who can help.
CrunchGrade understands that as an online tutoring service provider, customer satisfaction is the top priority. It offers 24/7 customer support to help with any issues you may have.
Choosing the right online tutor can be daunting, but if you follow these tips, you’re sure to find the perfect tutor for you or your child.
