Home tutoring is the most reliable solution when students fall behind course curriculum, study for SAT/ACT exams, fill out college applications or wish to improve writing skills. Yet finding the right tutor can be perplexing. In addition to cost, parents should consider tutor-student rapport and the tutor’s willingness to recognize the student’s unique learning style.

When interviewing a home tutor, parents should examine the following issues:

• Arrange for an initial consultation to determine obstacles to the student’s absorption of the material. Alternative learning skills may need to be taught or unrecognized limitations in the student’s learning style may be at fault.
• Make sure the tutor can establish a friendly interactive learning environment, where questions may flow freely.
• Communications between tutor, parents—and sometimes the classroom teacher— are crucial to understanding student needs. Keep these communications open.
• Keep expectations for your child realistic. Tutors often bring out excellence in students, but clearing away learning obstacles and keeping the student on course with curriculum is the primary goal.

Parents should expect to pay between $60-$100 for a private session, with SAT and college application prep being at the high end of that scale.

After a few tutorials, talk to your child and ask how things are going. Often, a look of understanding or relief on your child’s face can reveal as much as a formal progress report.

Essay provided by Category Expert: Mr. Robert Baranello from At-Home English/Writing Tutorials
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