Can I afford private tuition for my child?
When considering whether to get private tuition for their child, one of the questions that many parents face is: “can I afford private tuition?”
It is the case that most children, whilst going up through the education system have received some sort of private tuition at some point in their lives. It could be for extra-curricular activities such as sports, dancing or music or for academic subjects. The most popular subjects for which parents usually seek extra tuition is English, Maths and Science, particularly during teenage years. Whist deliberating if to pay for extra tuition, below are the questions a parent ought to ask themselves:
- Is there a good chance that it will benefit my child and is the tuition likely to improve their understanding of the subject and boost confidence?
- Will my son/daughter cooperate, appreciate and make the best use of the time with the teacher?
- Should I invest in a one-to-one private tuition or should I consider a tuition centre for my child?
- Should the private tuition be just for a short period of time – just to restore confidence and bring by child back on the track OR should it be consistent, prolonged support throughout the whole duration of my child’s KS3, GCSE, A-level course?
- Would I be better off to set a certain amount of money aside and just pay for it in one go or to pay in bits each week or each month?
- Should I look for the cheapest private tutor and hope it will be enough to raise my son/daughter’s performance in school?
- Should I approach the school and ask if some sort of extra support or attention can be provided for my child?
- What is the best case scenario – is there a chance that it will bring my child to the desired level or make them achieve a higher exam grade?
- What are the consequences of not getting the help or finding some sort of private teaching provision – could they miss out on the grade required go get into a good university or college or to the top set in school?
While speculating on all the above, I would like you to bear in mind that the standard of private tuition varies widely and having the subject knowledge is not good enough to made a good tutor.
Just a thought: “Good teachers are expensive but bad teacher cost you more”
Our next and last blog on this series of private tuition is on Wednesday and the title is: “Making private tuition work for your child: prevent time and money wasting.”
If you have any questions relating to the topics raised in this post or education in general please let us know. If you would like to speak to a member of our advisory team about any education-related matter, please feel free to contact us through the following mediums: Tel 020 7112 4832; Email [email protected]; Web: www.excelinkeysubjects.com