Where can I find an English tutor in my area?

Finding an English tutor should be easy – a simple online search generates countless results for agencies across the country, each offering you lists of online tutors you could hire. But for most parents, an anonymous English tutor, who may not have qualifications or experience, linked to a faceless agency is not what they want for their child – after all, you will be inviting this person into your home, either in person or online, or sending your child to the tutor’s home. You may not want to entrust your child and their education to an online face. Hiring a tutor who lives and works in your area and relies on having a sound reputation will give you the opportunity to do your research, meet the tutor and make a decision based on your instincts and knowledge rather than just an online profile.

Word of mouth

The best way of finding a suitable English tutor in your area is through a recommendation. By asking your friends, colleagues, other parents or social media network, one of them is bound to know someone who has used an English tutor. This way you will have the reassurance of knowing that the tutor you are hiring has a trustworthy reputation, a record of success and will be the best fit for your child. My business is being slowly built up through word of mouth; I started tutoring my friends’ children and then their friends’ children which has given parents the security of knowing that they are hiring a reliable and capable tutor who can develop a friendly but professional rapport with their child.

Asking at your child’s school

Another effective way to find an English tutor in your local area is asking at your child’s school. It is often at parent teacher consultation meetings at school that parents start considering finding an English tutor and English departments are often able to provide recommendations of colleagues – past or present – who are qualified and experienced. This means you will know that the tutor is being recommended by a professional and that their experience is relevant to your child’s needs. It is definitely in the interests of an English teacher to recommend the best tutor as the students’ results will ultimately reflect them and their teaching!

Local convenience

The benefit of the afore mentioned paths of enquiry, is that they are likely to generate English tutors in your area.  I am available to tutor Key Stage 3,4 and 5 (Years 7-13) students in and around Chelmsford. I can come to your home, or, for a reduced fee, your child can be tutored in my house. I live in Widford with my family and have a large table on which to teach and a waiting area if parents prefer to stay.

Face to face

You will find it easy to access online English tutors from all over the world, but this will never replace the experience of sitting down with a qualified, experienced teacher where your child can do the work in front of and with the tutor, enabling them to get instant, thorough, individual advice, feedback and help. Online tutoring has its place in many situations, but students are far more likely to engage with someone face to face and many of the activities I would do as an English tutor – reading, writing, discussion, modelling, practice, revision, active learning techniques and looking at past papers – are far more efficiently and effectively done in the same room.