Finding a qualified independent math tutor for your daughter

[jonweb20]

My daughter is looking for a Math tutor. We checked out Sylvan and Kuman and were impressed with what they offer, though the price seemed high. I’d like to be able to hire a tutor directly not hire a big company, if I can figure out how. What’s the best way to find a qualified tutor?



Thanks



Jon.

 

[Gokul43201]

A real world tutor will be a whole lot more efficient and better able to judge and interact with the student than an online tutor (I've done both and speak from experience). If you've got a university in your town you will be able to find grad students in the math and physics departments that will tutor your daughter for a fee of about $20/hour (varies a lot from place to place; can be as low as $10/hour or as high as $50/hour). The person to approach is the graduate secretary of the relevant department.

 

[donandy81]

Try Tutorswithoutlimits.com and Tutorsteach.com. Both sites allow you to hire the tutor you think would work best for your daughter directly. My son and my daughter both work with a tutor we found through the twl site. The scheduling is much more flexible when you work directly with the tutor. Most of my kid’s sessions are after 8pm because that’s when they are doing their homework and need the help.

 

[Chronos]

What subject and level is your daughter studying?

 

[Moonbear]

I agree with Gokul, that you can find college or graduate students (depending on the level your daughter is at) who can tutor. If she's in secondary school, sometimes the teachers know who is available as a good tutor. In colleges, there is usually some sort of learning resource center on campus that can refer students to tutors, and sometimes can even find some limited free tutoring from students paid to hold office hours at the center (that's really variable from school to school). Some tutors also just advertise their services in newspapers or on bulletin boards in places like laundromats near campus. Just like anything else, ask for references if you hire someone that way, and if it's their first time tutoring, perhaps you can arrange one free or half-price session to see if they're any good before scheduling regular full-price sessions.

I wouldn't recommend the big "companies" for tutoring. They have a more rigid, one-size-fits-all approach, and I don't think that's what most students need when they need tutoring.