We have shared an expert private tutor’s advice on acing the first tutoring session and giving your tutoring career a positive boost.
The first impression matters, and to make sure your first session of tutoring, whether private, online, or at home, goes with a flow, you need to practice and plan your session like our to-do list. So don’t waste more time, take notes and start preparing for your first session from today.
Before starting your tutoring session, schedule a one-to-one introductory meeting with your student. Parents can also be a part of it. Such consultation sessions are good to conduct because they let you discover your tutee’s needs, expectations, study plans, learning styles, price rates, timings, and personality type. Moreover, you can also share your teaching method or style with them or alter it, if required.
Be very confident throughout this session because if you have an introductory session to know your tutee or decide if you want to work with them or not, keep in mind that the other side also has the same thoughts or reasons for attending the session. So, give your best.
If you plan to work with the student after the introductory session, inform them about your brief pre-test strategy, so they come prepared. While creating the student’s test, make sure the test is of 10 to 20 minutes max, and it only focuses on testing the foundation or basics of the specific subject. Taking a short pre-test is a great way to discover the strengths and weaknesses of your tutee. It also helps you decide on which areas you need to focus on.
Your students have hired you because they are unable to understand concepts with traditional teaching methods and to help them grow or solve their queries, you need to be a bit different. So, study their curriculum first and then offer them customized lesson plans. Keep the learning style and caliber of your tutee while dividing topics into chunks. Furthermore, the time of sessions should also be considered.
Do you know why some students fall behind and are later labeled as slow learners? They never get the right answers to their queries or are too shy to ask questions. The fear of being judged is crucial. Anyway, you have to ensure your student that you are always open to questions, and they can ask any question without hesitating or the fear of being yelled at. This is how you can help them grow into confident and talented beings.
Also, inform them that you can also ask questions anytime while delivering lectures, so they stay attentive.
Make a rule of repeating the whole lesson at the end of the session. Book last five or seven minutes for this. Don’t make notes again; just go over the covered material verbally and let your students ask questions if they have any. It might take up your extra time or energy, but a recap of key points is important for mastering concepts and long-term learning.
Note that a good tutor is always open to questions and repeating concepts till their tutee understands them.
Once the session is over, ask for feedback. It’s your right to know how the session was, so don’t hesitate to be mentally prepared for any type of feedback. If your student likes you or is motivated to pursue lessons with you, they will let you know. Or if they want to have a few changes, then they will let you know too. This shows how important it is to ask for feedback. Other than the reviews, this part of your first session will help you build a good rapport and strengthen your relationship with your tutee.
Be confident and follow our expert advice to ace your first tutoring session. It’s okay to feel nervous; remember, all experts were once beginners. So, prepare well and get ready to start your tutoring career. Best Of Luck!
