What to look for when choosing your A-Level tutor?

Alamin Ali
Aug 23, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Oct 4, 2022

Do you need help in your A-Levels? Are you looking to secure a place at the top universities? This may be the right time to find a tutor and avoid the last-minute mad scramble for less qualified and able tutors near exam time.

But when looking for a tutor for A-Level, what do you look for? How do you know that this tutor will give you the success you deserve? Below are the top 7 tips to ensure you get the right person for you!

1. Ask for the tutor's success rate.

Most serious tutors will be happy to tell you how many A and A* grades they have achieved at A-Level as well as the student’s starting grades. If you do not feel that they are getting enough of the grades you want, it may be a good idea to explore other tutors also.

2. Do they provide their own resources?

Tutors who ask to use your textbook to give you help or aim to simply help you with any questions you are having are no better than having a student who is a year older than you. Certainly not worth paying high rates. Good tutors have their own resources and will give homework. In addition, good tutors will provide you with all the examination papers for your course.

3. Ask for their academic strategy

Perhaps the best tip, asking a prospective tutor what they think is the best way forward given your situation is a clear way to figure out who is serious and who is not. Simple vague approaches like “Cover areas you’re weak at.” or “Get extra practise on homework.” is a sign that you’re dealing with an amateur. A good tutor will tell you something specific with time deadlines such as “We would cover all of Core 1 by mid-December and have time to look at past papers for 2 complete weeks.” ELITE tutors would have given you an entire report on their academic strategy and we have 100% A / A* at A-Level Mathematics.

4. Ask for their teaching qualifications

Sadly, not all tutors are qualified teachers and although some unqualified teachers are amazing, you should not take a risk. We have yet to encounter a single qualified teacher who made a poor tutor. If you care about your academic success, don’t waste time with unqualified tutors.

5. Try before you buy

The best tutors in the UK will offer a trial lesson at the least. Some may not do this so at least ask for a discounted lesson as a first. Pick a topic you are feeling weak in and go through that. If you feel satisfied that you’ve achieved a lot, then you have found the right person. To give you a comparison, ELITE Tuition would offer a learning assessment AND a trial lesson – that is how confident we are that you will continue with us.

6. Ask for some testimonials

If a tutor has a strong proven record, chances are there are some grateful students who want to tell you about it. They may have some on their website / social media pages. If they don’t, simply ask for some. Most tutors will be able to provide testimonials from happy former students. If they seem hesitant, look elsewhere.

Here are a few of our testimonials below, for more find them here.

7. Consider the price of the sessions

A professional’s time is very valuable. When they are not marking books or spending time with family, they have limited time to offer tuition. If you think your tutor is charging a cheap price, chances are they are not taking their time seriously and will not take your education seriously. Tuition prices will vary depending on your location. But a good A-Level teacher should charge £30+ per hour. Apex Tuition charges £50 per hour and we have the absolute highest success rate in A-Level Mathematics.

For more information or to have an initial consultation, get in touch here.