The Pros And Cons Of Private Tuition

There are many different reasons why parents decide to hire a private tutor. The child may be struggling with a difficult curriculum, or they may have simply lost the motivation to learn.

These and other reasons can have a detrimental effect on the child’s grades and spoil their chances to achieve success in the future.

Of course, grades are not the only thing that helps us measure a child’s intelligence, but when it comes to enrolling in a good university, they are essential. So to prevent bad grades and motivate their children to study harder, parents turn to private tutors.

If you have found yourself in this situation, you may want to consider the pros and cons of private tuition. Only by examining all the advantages and disadvantages of private tutoring will you be able to ascertain whether it is worth your money.

The Advantages of Private Tutoring

So let’s start by listing some of the main advantages your child will get by working with a private tutor.

1. Customized approach.

On average, classrooms contain a few dozen students. On the one hand, larger class-size helps us cut the cost of education, but on the other hand, it is far less beneficial for children to learn in such environment.

Various studies and reviews have proven that smaller class sizes are more beneficial for students. In larger classes, teachers follow a predetermined pace and are mostly focused on finishing the syllabus for the academic year. As a result, they are unable to address the individual needs of each student.

Each human being is unique; some learn quicker than others. Some students may need additional explanation. A private tutor customizes the approach according to your child’s needs. If they notice that the child hasn’t understood something, they will not move on to the next topic just because they are under time pressure.

2. There are almost no distractions.

Children have a notoriously short attention span anyway, and when they are sitting in a crowded classroom next to their best friend, they are guaranteed to get distracted from the topic.

By contrast, private tutoring usually occurs in a peaceful setting. In a quiet room where there are virtually no distractions, tutors can give their students their full attention, and students have no other choice than to focus on what their tutor is saying.

3. Working with a tutor improves confidence and self-esteem.

Shy students usually become more confident in their knowledge once they have worked with a private tutor. Teachers at school usually do not have time to offer continuous positive reinforcement to each student. By offering such reinforcement tutors help their students to come out of their shell and become more active not only during tutoring sessions but in school as well.

4. Tutoring improves performance at school.

Children who work with a private tutor are able to process information at their own pace. Tutoring also improves the child’s intrinsic motivation.

In addition, the children who work with a tutor have a higher level of self-esteem, so they are more likely to be active during class and less afraid of making mistakes in front of their peers. These and other factors may help the child to achieve better grades at school.

5. Going beyond the syllabus material.

The material offered by the syllabus is just a bare minimum your child needs to be successful and competitive in life. The tutor will not only help your child master the material contained in the syllabus, but they will also provide additional material that is related to the syllabus but may not be covered in it.

By doing this, they can increase the child’s interest in the given subject and even show them how to apply their knowledge in real-life situations.

Disadvantages of Private Tutoring

1. Cost.

When asked about the disadvantages of private tutoring, high tuition cost is the first thing that comes to mind. Hiring an experienced and highly qualified private tutor can be quite expensive, and many families may not be able to afford it.

2. A particular tutor may not be a good match for your child.

It isn’t enough for a tutor to be highly qualified; they also should be able to earn your child’s trust. Studies have shown that children achieve better results when they can relate to their tutors. If the tutor’s personality or their methodology is unacceptable to the child, it can be counterproductive.

Your child may experience a sense of protest towards the tutor, which may lead them to dislike the subject altogether. If you noticed that your child shows resentment towards the tutor, it is necessary to address this problem to prevent them from rebelling against the subject.

3. Not all tutors are good teachers.

Unfortunately, many parents believe that if they hire somebody who has a degree in a specific subject, this will automatically result in good tutoring. Teaching is a skill, and having a degree in a particular subject is not a guarantee that one possesses that skill. Tutors who lack teaching skills may further demotivate your child with their boring lessons.

4. Safety concerns.

Many parents are not comfortable with the idea of leaving their child alone with an adult they do not know well. To avoid any negative incidents from occurring, it is always recommended to look for private tutors through a professional tuition agency that thoroughly vets their tutors.

In addition, you can request a criminal background report from your potential tutor or ask them to provide recommendations from their former students. Even after all of that, you may want to keep an eye on them just to be safe.

5. Less time for other activities.

Tutoring may take up a lot of time, especially if the child works with several different tutors and has to travel to different locations. Therefore, tutoring can take up time the child could otherwise spend on doing homework or participating in some extracurricular activities. Children who work with private tutors also have far less time to engage with family and friends or simply relax.

These are some of the benefits and disadvantages of private tutoring. In the end, it is up to you to decide whether it is something that is worth your child’s time and your money. If you need advice, seek our professional coordinators or visit our tutor database to check on the availabel tutors now.

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