Most tutoring goes well. A few sensible habits make it safer and also help you spot early if a tutor is not the right fit. No platform, including ours, can remove all risk, so these steps are for you to use whoever you choose.
Before the first lesson
- Speak to the tutor first. Ask about their experience, what they will cover and how they will report progress.
- Check what you can. Ask to see qualifications and, if relevant, evidence of previous teaching. A profile on a website shows what a tutor has said, and may say whether our team has verified a qualification. Read what that means on our trust page.
- Agree the practical details in writing: the day, time, length, fee, how payment works and what happens if a lesson is cancelled.
- Agree how you will communicate. Keep contact for lesson matters on channels you can see, rather than private chats with a young student.
For home lessons
- A parent or another adult should be at home for the lesson, particularly for younger students.
- Choose a shared room with the door open, such as a dining or living room.
- Tell someone the time and place of the first lesson, and arrange who will greet the tutor.
For online lessons
- Join from a shared space, not a bedroom, and keep the camera on if the lesson uses video.
- Use the video service you trust, with a link you control.
- Sit in on, or stay nearby during, the first lessons so you can hear how the tutor teaches.
During the lessons
- Ask your child how the lesson went, in their own words, and check their notes and work.
- Watch for pressure to keep things secret, gifts, requests to meet outside lessons, or changes to the agreed arrangements. Any of these is a reason to pause the lessons and talk to your child.
- Expect the tutor to be punctual, prepared and respectful of your family's rules.
If something worries you
Stop the lessons, talk to your child, and keep any messages. If a tutor was introduced through us, tell us straight away through the contact page. If you think a child is at risk of harm, contact your local child protection services or the police in your country.