What to Look For in a Tutor and What To Avoid At All Costs

If you’ve gone looking for a tutor lately, you likely feel that the landscape is quite crowded. In fact, most parents who I have worked with have come to me already having gone through 3+ tutors because none of them moved the needle. And so the question begs: How do you know what to avoid? What’s a green flag? What’s a red flag? What makes a tutor too good to be true, and how do you know they’re actually doing their job?

Let me be honest with you — a lot of tutors don’t. And it would be a shame to spend your money, your energy and your effort on someone who isn’t making an impact!

I write this as someone who manages 13 tutors, I’ve been in this game a while, and I’ve seen what actually produces results. Here’s what to look for, what to avoid, and how we try to do things differently.

First, let’s put results to one side

Obviously, if your child isn’t getting results, something’s wrong. That part is obvious.

But here’s the mistake I see parents make: assuming there’s a direct line between the tutoring and the marks. There isn’t. There are so many variables in between. Your child’s work ethic, their mood in and out of class, their school, their own teacher, whether they’re communicating honestly about where they’re struggling. Tutoring is a two-way road: the tutor and the student both have to show up for the results to come.

So instead of judging purely on the final number, here’s what actually tells you whether the tutoring is good.

1. Constant communication — not just when it’s good news

The tutor should be in touch with you regularly, telling you honestly what’s going on. If your child needs to lift their work ethic, you should hear it. If they’re not doing the practice, you should hear that too. A good tutor keeps you in the loop at all times. Not when there’s something nice to report, and definitely not constantly trying to sell you something either.

If a tutor goes quiet, or only surfaces when it suits them, that’s a massive red flag.

2. A tutor who’s humble enough to ask questions

Look for someone willing to say “I don’t know” when they don’t, and someone curious about how your child learns. A tutor who wants to understand the way your kid thinks and who’s honest rather than performative is someone who’s genuinely there to deliver a good service, not just collect a fee.

3. Resources — your child should never be idle between sessions

Your child should be walking away with practice questions, exemplars, tips, resource - steps they can actually take. If nothing is being handed over, then there’s nothing to work on between sessions, and no student can progress on one hour a week alone. No resources is a quiet red flag that’s easy to miss.

4. Clarity — your child should always know exactly where they’re going

Ask your child a simple question after a session: “What did you do today, and what’s the plan for this week?” They should be able to tell you clearly what they covered, where they went wrong, what they need to do before next time, and how it fits the bigger timeline toward their goal.

If they can’t tell you any of that, the tutor isn’t building a real plan. Every student should leave a session knowing exactly what they did, where they slipped up, and what comes next. That clarity is one of the biggest signs a tutor actually knows what they’re doing.

5. Does your child actually resonate with them?

In my opinion, good tutoring doesn’t come down purely to knowledge. It comes down to whether the tutor can engage with your child and make them enjoy the subject and actually want to study. And that’s honestly half the job, because once a student starts studying, the results follow naturally.

So watch how your child comes out of a session. If they look flat, unmotivated, drained that’s often a sign the tutor isn’t the right fit, and your child is just burning out rather than learning. But if they come out with a smile, a laugh, a good experience, and actually want to do it again next week, paired with everything above — congratualtions you’ve found a winner!!

The quick checklist

When you’re choosing a tutor, look for these five signs:

1. Constant communication — and not just when things are going well.

2. Resources and results — real materials to work on, plus progress over time.

3. Motivation — your child comes out happy, engaged and excited about the subject.

4. Clarity — your child knows where they’re going, how they’ll get there, and what to do this week.

5. Honesty — a tutor who tells you the truth, even when it’s not what you want to hear.

Get those five right, and you’re not gambling anymore. You’re investing in someone who’s genuinely going to move the needle for your child.

With Love as always,

Yahav