Tutoring helps students understand complex subject concepts, build confidence, and improve their grades. But many parents and students are often surprised when progress seems slow or when grades don’t improve even after months of regular tutoring. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why isn’t tutoring working for my child?”, you’re not alone. In the UAE, where families invest heavily in top-quality tutors, this is a common concern.
Sometimes, students attend regular lessons and complete worksheets, yet still struggle to see visible improvement. This is because tutoring only works when all learning factors like effort, mindset, consistency, and strategy align. Before doubting the value of tutoring, let’s look more closely at all possible causes.
Lack of Motivation and Independent Effort
Many students see tutoring as a substitute for studying. However, in reality, it should be a support system for their own effort. If a student relies too heavily on their tutor to explain everything, they may not build the independent learning habits needed to perform well in school.
Common student-related reasons include:
- Low motivation: The student doesn’t have a clear goal or reason to improve.
- Poor time management: They only study before tests and forget the material soon after.
- Passive learning: They listen during tutoring but don’t review notes or attempt practice questions on their own.
Tutoring works best when students are active participants. When students ask questions, take notes, and review lessons regularly, tutoring helps them progress over time.
As a parent, you should encourage your child to study independently between sessions. Even 20-30 minutes of daily review can make a huge difference.
Wrong Tutoring Approach
Every student has their own learning style and pace. Sometimes a tutor might be highly qualified, but their tutoring style won’t connect with the student’s needs.
A student who is a visual learner may struggle with a tutor who relies only on verbal explanations. Another student who needs structure might find it hard to follow a flexible discussion-based lesson. Some tutors may focus on completing homework rather than addressing deeper learning gaps.
If you notice your child isn’t engaged or doesn’t enjoy the lessons, consider switching to a tutor who is more interactive and offers personalized sessions.
At My Tutor Source (MTS), we match students with tutors based on learning styles and subject expertise. Parents are also directly involved during lectures and can discuss or provide feedback to the tutor and to our management team.
Misaligned Study Sessions with the School Curriculum
Another common reason students fail to improve is that tutoring content doesn’t fully align with what’s taught at school. Suppose a tutor is teaching general concepts or using a different curriculum. For example, the teacher focuses on IB while the student follows the British curriculum. In that case, the lessons may not directly support school exams or assignments.
In the UAE, students come from diverse educational backgrounds, including British, American, IB, Indian (CBSE/ICSE), and the UAE Ministry of Education curricula, so study sessions should be conducted accordingly.
Always share your child’s school syllabus, textbooks, and recent assessments with the tutor. This will make sure every lesson supports current academic goals. Always hire a tutor who is an expert in the educational curriculum your child is following.
MTS tutors are professional educators who specialize in all educational curricula. We connect you with the top-qualified tutor who is the best option for your child’s academic future.
Inconsistent Tutoring Sessions
Tutoring is more effective when it’s consistent and structured.
If you reschedule your child’s lessons too often, cancel them, or spread them too far apart, the student may lose momentum. It’s also common for students to take breaks during exam periods or vacations, which also leads to forgetting key material. Learning gaps widen when there’s no consistency.
It’s best to maintain a regular tutoring routine, even if it’s short revision sessions during holidays. Consistency builds confidence and long-term memory.
Unrealistic Expectations of Parents
Parents often expect quick and unrealistic results. They expect one month of tutoring to equal a full grade-level improvement. But here’s the truth:
Genuine progress takes time, especially if the student has deep learning gaps. Tutoring is a long-term process of growth. It’s not a short-term fix. It takes several weeks of consistent effort, revision, and communication before grades begin to reflect your child’s learning. How quickly your child can make progress depends on several factors, including consistency in sessions.
A more realistic way to monitor progress is through small wins. See if your child’s homework has improved, or if they are more confident in class and have strengthened their problem-solving skills.
Poor Communication Between Parents, Student, and the Tutor
Tutoring works best when there’s open communication between everyone involved.
If the tutor isn’t updated about upcoming school tests or if parents aren’t informed about study progress, the whole approach becomes unclear and will definitely not work.
MTS tutors across the UAE encourage regular communication, which helps identify issues early. Whether it’s a concept the student didn’t understand or an area that needs extra practice. The best way is to ask your child’s tutor for short progress reports or summaries after every few sessions. This keeps everyone on the same page.
The Home Environment and Study Habits
Nothing can compete with distractions at home. A noisy study environment, or a lack of a fixed study schedule, can undo the benefits of tutoring.
Parents play an essential role in creating a calm, focused learning environment. A dedicated study corner and regular revision time can go a long way. As a parent, it is your job to establish a daily routine in which your child studies at the same time each day, free from phones, games, and background noise.
Learning Difficulties
Sometimes, the reason a parent doesn’t see improvement in their child’s grades has nothing to do with effort or the quality of tutoring. It could be related to hidden learning difficulties, i.e, dyslexia or ADHD.
These conditions can affect how a student processes information. In such cases, a tutor trained in special education or adaptive learning techniques can make a huge difference. They can create a personalized study plan for the student’s unique learning style and boost the student’s confidence.
If your child might have a learning difficulty, consider speaking to a school counselor. Early support can transform learning outcomes.
Tutoring for Homework Help
Many students hire a tutor to just help them with homework. But this could be a wrong approach because it doesn’t guarantee subject understanding.
While homework help is essential, tutoring could be more than that. A tutor identifies your weak concepts, reviews past mistakes, and develops long-term learning strategies.
MTS tutors take occasional short quizzes of exam-style questions and review concepts in each lesson. This helps build in-depth subject knowledge.
Poor Progress Tracking
Without clear feedback and tracking, it’s hard to measure progress. If the tutor doesn’t set clear learning goals or regularly review results, tutoring becomes ineffective and pointless.
MTS tutors define clear goals at the beginning of tutoring sessions, i.e., “improve from 65% to 80% in Maths by next term”. They review progress every 4-6 weeks. This keeps the student motivated and gives parents clarity.
How to Make Tutoring Work For You?
Here’s how to make tutoring effective:
- Set realistic goals: Focus on consistent progress, not overnight success.
- Communicate regularly: Keep the tutor informed about school topics and exam dates.
- Review lessons: Encourage your child to spend 15-30 minutes reviewing each tutoring session.
- Choose the right tutor fit: Teaching style and subject expertise matter. Choose the right tutor for your child.
- Track improvement: Use quizzes, assignments, and school grades to monitor growth.
With the right approach, tutoring can be a game-changer for your child’s future.
Schedule a FREE One-on-One Consultation With an Expert Tutor
If you haven’t seen any grade improvement in your child’s academics despite regular tutoring, don’t be discouraged. It’s rarely about a student’s lack of ability. It’s more often about the right tutoring approach and the student’s motivation. With clear and open communication, combined with the right tutor match, and consistent effort from the student side, progress will be evident pretty soon.
My Tutor Source (MTS) is a UAE-based educational organization that connects students with top-qualified tutors. We give you access to 3500+ tutors who hold a Master’s or PhD degree in their relevant field, and are experts in all curricula taught in the UAE, including IB, GCSE, IGCSE, SABIS, CBSE and ICSE. Each tutor has 10-45 years of experience teaching.
We understand that each student has their own unique learning style. That’s why we connect learners with qualified and experienced tutors who match their learning style, academic goals, and school curricula. Our tutors don’t just teach, they mentor. They help students develop strong study habits and help them reach their full potential. You can
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