Choosing
Our service is also frequently used for full-time education. Parents increasingly choose to take a child out of school and educate him or her at home. It's not as expensive as you might imagine—one to two hours per day, supplemented by homework is often sufficient. One-to-one tuition is much more concentrated than classroom lessons, so far few hours are needed.
You may represent a business in need of a language tutor for an employee soon to go abroad, or for a visitor who needs to learn English very quickly. We will be happy to fax you the references of a corporate language specialist before the first lesson. (References are faxed or posted to all clients.)
Things to be Wary of When Choosing Private Tuition
1) Companies who appear to be advertising personal tuition but who in fact offer video courses:
Such companies tend not to give much away when you 'phone them, preferring to send a representative who then uses hard sell techniques to rope you into a long-term commitment costing upwards of a thousand pounds.
2) Agencies and teachers who refuse to provide references and screening documents, usually claiming "breach of confidence"
Genuine agencies will have no hesitation in disclosing all of these documents, as it involves no extra work to include a line in the original request asking referees to mark their references "confidential" if they don't want others to see it. It's then up to the agency to acquire additional references that can be disclosed.
3) Free assessments
Be wary of these (as opposed to a free lesson) as you can find yourself spending time with somebody who will not be your teacher but a "consultant" or "representative" whose job it is to persuade you to sign up for a long-term commitment. Quality tuition doesn't need salesmanship. Once you see how helpful the teacher is, the service sells itself.
4) Classes
Always make sure that if you're expecting individual tuition, that's what you get. If you're booking for class or group tuition, it should be clarified in advance, and the price should reflect the number of students.
5) Unqualified teachers
Some people think that having an 'A' level means that they can teach! Some agencies feel that a qualified teacher of an 'A' level subject can teach at primary level. Accept nothing less than a person qualified to teach at the level you require. In doubt? Request certificates.
