How to Choose a Tutoring Service

If you ask the right questions you are more likely to find the tutoring service that suits your needs.
Here are just a few key questions to ask when you are calling around…

Whose curriculum do you follow?

Do you follow the school’s curriculum or does your tutoring centre/agency follow its own curriculum?

Many agencies have their own set curriculum which doesn’t always “line up” with the curriculum being taught at the student’s school. This makes it hard for the student to address his current problem areas.

At Mostly Math, we know and follow the school’s curriculum.

Is your tutoring done one-on-one or in a group?

It is often the case that a student’s learning pace or his particular areas of difficulty get lost or sometimes ignored altogether in a group setting.

At Mostly Math our private, one-on-one sessions provide the time and the individualization to effectively help a student.

Do the student and the tutor work together in a private room?

Mostly Math provides each student and tutor with a private room where they are best able to concentrate.

Do you do in-home tutoring and what educational resources do you have?

Tutoring companies that send tutors to your home will emphasize how convenient in-home tutoring is.

Travelling tutors have few resources, if any, that they can carry from home to home.

All tutoring by Mostly Math is done here at our centre. A key reason for this is to provide our tutors and students access to our large bank of resources and shared knowledge.

Often, students are unable to concentrate with the distractions of home and they take their tutoring more seriously when it occurs in an environment specially designed for study.

Do you ask for advance payment or do you require that I sign up for a "package" or a set number of hours?

Many agencies ask for payment upfront.

It makes little sense to require advance payment or a commitment to a certain number of sessions before everyone is sure that the tutoring is going well and that the student and tutor are compatible.

At Mostly Math you schedule as many or as few hours as you find you need and you pay-as-you-go.

What is your hourly rate?

Many tutors wish they didn’t have to charge money for what they do but they have to make a living too.

A good tutor, no matter how expensive, can offer you something that is within your budget. A bad tutor is never a bargain, no matter how inexpensive, because it’s never worth paying a cent for a bad tutor.

Mostly Math’s scheduling and rates can be found here.

If you have a unique situation or unanswered questions about tutoring, we are happy to give you suggestions and advice over the phone.