The basics
Booking sessions: Parents and students who have seen your profile on the website (and have a reasonable impression of how friendly and enthusiastic you are) then click “Free meet the tutor request” to arrange to meet with you.
Notifications: You’ll receive an email notification and please reply as soon as possible. Letting a customer know even when you aren’t available helps other tutors get a look-in. They’ll do the same for you.
Launch: Sessions are launched from here: https://www.mytutor.co.uk/tutors/secure/meet-tutor-sessions.html
Timing: The session should take as long as the parents/students requires up to 15 minutes. If you do not need the 15 minutes, you do not have to use it as long as you have covered their questions.
Top tips (from our experienced tutors):
- Show your enthusiasm! Express your excitement to have the opportunity to help the student with their studies.
- Be friendly, but ultimately be polite and clear when you talk – you don’t know the people you’re talking to well yet.
- Do your best to build a rapport (although this should hopefully come naturally).
- Don’t direct all your attention to the parent, as after all it’s the student who you’ll be tutoring.
- Be prepared to listen to the parents and students – do not interrupt
- Give them confidence that you know your subject without being over technical or speaking too long and boring them
- Try and consider points unique to you that the student/ parent might be interested in and want to ask you questions about, so you can prepare some answers.
- Try to relate your personal experience to their situation
- Have a pen and paper to hand so you can jot down any information you might need if they do decide to book any tutorials with you (their names, ideal tutorial times, exam board).
How it might go…
Welcome them:
- The classic ‘hello, nice to meet you, how are you?’ Ask (and remember) their names.
- Ask if they have any burning questions they wanted answered before you start (based on your written and video resume).
About you:
- Reintroduce yourself in brief – name, degree course, university, background.
- Describe why you enjoy/ want to work as a tutor and mention any experience you might have.
About the student:
Ask what subject(s) and level the student would want help with.
- Be reassuring, don’t make them feel like there’s anything wrong with needing a bit of tutoring – everybody does at some point in life.
- Ask them where they think their current strengths and weaknesses lie within the subject (so you know how best to help them). If they’re not sure, ask them what their teachers have said are the points they can improve on most.
- What are they trying to get out of the tutorials?
How you can help:
- Based what they’ve told you, suggest the way you think would be best to help the student.
- For example if a student is having trouble applying complex mathematic/ scientific theories, it would probably be best to draw up model questions and work through them together. Or, if a student’s weakness is drawing meanings from stories or poems, it would be best to organise a list of points to discuss together with them, etc.
- Ask them if this proposed course of action sounds okay to them – or as though it would help. If not, ask them what they think would be most helpful.
- Reassure them that even if it doesn’t work, you will persevere until you find the right technique.
The details:
- Ask if they’re looking for the occasional one off tutorials or a regular slot. If the latter ask them their ideal time of day and day(s) of the week. Be as flexible as possible but know your own availability thoroughly (have a timetable on hand if necessary), and don’t promise availability for times you can’t make.
- Ask for the exam board they’re currently studying.
- Double check they’re aware of how much each tutorial costs and how the system works.
Goodbye:
- Ask if they have any final questions or concerns
- Say it was a great pleasure to meet them, and you look forward to (hopefully) working with them soon.