Tutoring Trial Sessions: Why I don’t Offer them!
Tutoring trial sessions are common practice amongst parents and tutors. However I believe that one off trial sessions are not effective and I will explain why.
Firstly, however I want to start with what the tutoring role is really about. The primary reason for hiring a tutor is to help children improve their academic abilities and prepare them for exams. However there is more to tutoring than meets the eye. I believe that tutoring is about understanding children’s learning needs, their learning styles, boosting confidence, raising self-esteem, addressing any anxiety issues, and developing autonomy and independence around learning.
We therefore do not offer tutoring trial sessions as:
- Tutors, parents and children need to build consistent, reliable, trusting relationships with one another in order to work well successfully. We therefore recommend committing to at least one month’s tuition with the opportunity to review how things are going.
- Very little teaching if any takes place in a trial session. For tutoring to be successful a tutor needs to get to know the child. They need to know where they are at in their learning and what their strengths and areas for development are. We therefore start by spending time with the child and doing some informal assessments and use these to plan accordingly.
- Committing to at least one month’s tutoring will allow you to see any progress made. You will see improvements in confidence and self-esteem and decide whether the tutor really is the right fit. You will then be able to decide on the next steps more effectively.
Whilst for parents, a trial session means they don’t have to commit and pay the tutor more than necessary. Understandably It is a more flexible approach to hiring the right tutor however It is simply not possible to make an informed confident decision. It takes time to build a rapport, for any progress to be made and to see results. A builder for example will show photos of their finished work. After a visit to the hairdresser you will see instant results and having a massage will also give you instant results. Tutoring and learning on the other hand is a process that takes time.
I am therefore asking you, as parents, to please respect your tutors. Give them a chance, be open minded, make sure your children are happy and comfortable with them and don’t be too quick to judge.
That said, if you really would like a trial session, depending on circumstances, I will offer it at the going rate of a regular tutoring session.
You can find more information about my Private Tutoring services and Learn Happy London on my website, along with reviews. https://learnhappylondon.co.uk/private-tutoring
You can also find information about our 7+ and 11+ Preparation Classes and Academic Assessments
I am also on Instagram https://www.
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Contact us if you would like further information. Alternatively you can email us.