Let’s say you need an Organic Chemistry tutor. There are no shortages of O-Chem tutors to be found in the local college campuses. However, it may be that the tutor in question is a Medical student, and the last time they took the dreaded O-Chem class was a few years ago. Simply taking the class is not enough. Make sure that the tutor has either majored or minored in the subject you or your student needs help with.

2. What is your schedule?

Most tutors have very active lives, whether it’s balancing a job and a family, or classes, extracurricular activities, and a job. Check to see if your scheduling needs fit with your tutor’s availability, and if the tutor’s availability is subject to frequent change. Modifications in schedule are expected every semester. However, if a tutor’s other job or activity has them on call at different times from week to week, it may not be worth the trouble trying to match up times.

3. What are your grades?

Majoring or minoring in the subject guarantees relevancy, but not mastery. It’s okay to ask for a grade report or transcripts; how can your child be expected to grasp a subject even their tutor can’t? As a guideline, Frog Tutoring policy dictates that all private tutors in their employ maintain at minimum a 3.1 cumulative GPA average and a 3.5 major GPA, as well as submitting an unofficial transcript for review upon application.

4. What is your tutoring approach?

What sort of methods will the tutor be using to teach your child? Not every student learns the same way. How would the tutor accommodate your child’s specific learning needs? How does he or she approach the material differently than the other tutors and/or your child’s teacher? Our approach at Frog Tutoring is to get the students up to speed in the subjects they need help with, keep students ahead dog the class, and reinforce key concepts. 

5. How would you handle [insert event here]?

You know better than anyone what your child is like. If there is a situation that is bound to arise, ask the potential tutor how he or she would handle the situation. Attitude is as important as content mastery when it comes to tutoring.