Have you ever considered using a tutor? If your answer is no, there are a few things you should know about the benefits of a tutor that may help sway your decision. This article will explore how hiring a tutor can help students gain confidence in their own academic ability in addition to giving them a new outlook on course material. A good tutor will be willing to help their pupil become a stronger student, which will reflect in their assessments. I will also advise those hiring a tutor on what to look for when choosing a tutor to insure they are suited for your needs.

Even those students that are satisfied with their academic achievements can obtain value from the guidance of a tutor. If you have ever studied for a test and skipped over a lesson or two because you did not fully understand it, all the while convincing yourself that one lesson would not affect your grade, you are not alone. Many students feel this way when studying for tests. What you need to consider is that one lesson in a grade 10 class may grow into an entire unit in grade 11 and you may regret not taking the time to get extra help to understand the material more fully. Tutors act as private teachers – to answer tough questions that you might not feel comfortable to ask in class and to help you understand difficult course material. By using a tutor to answer those questions, you will soon learn that no question is a “dumb” question and you will feel more comfortable speaking up in class (and trust me – there is always at least one other student wondering the same thing). Before you know it, your peers will be asking you for help!

Understanding tough concepts is another place tutors can help. Sometimes it takes someone to explain a concept differently in order for you to understand it. Tutors can be great for this. They are there to help you understand and they can spend as long as you need – using examples until you feel comfortable with the material. For example, when being taught about optics in science class, understanding the specifics about near and farsightedness is lost on many students but few will ask for clarification. A tutor could take this concept of sight and compare it to the clarity of the words on an overhead screen as you adjust the focus to give the student a concrete example they can draw on when discussing or during tests.

The examples above are determined by quality of tutor you hire. When hiring a tutor you should consider their education (a teacher, university student or senior high school student), their experience with the subject matter/course (they have already taken or taught the course and been extremely successful, or they have tutored this course in the past) and their philosophy on learning. I suggest meeting your potential tutor in person before hiring them and explain your needs and goals. When possible, consider tutors that have been recommended to you by family or friends. If that is not an option, try asking a teacher, professor, teaching assistant or guidance counselor for suggestions. Good luck!