The Covid-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of life. For parents who have school-going children, the need to keep their kids engaged academically during lockdown has been real. An effective way to address this need has been to hire a tutor.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, tutors would deliver in-person lessons to kids. But things have changed. In recent months, the requirement to maintain social distance has increased the demand for virtual tutors to conduct lessons via tele-conference sites, such as Zoom. In a bid to find workable solutions, parents have flocked to social media in search of robust learning experiences for their children.

But even as innovators create online learning platforms to keep children learning during the pandemic, finding an ideal tutor remains a challenge for many parents. If you’re looking for a tutor to teach your children during lockdown, below are six interesting tips to help you find one with less hassle:

Talk To Your Child’s Teacher

When you’re searching for a tutor during lockdown, the best place to start is in your child’s school. Talk to the teacher. The advantage of doing this is that the teacher already knows your child academically, and is in a good position to determine their needs. Even if they won’t tutor your child, they can offer you the guidance you need to find someone appropriate for the job. 

You should also approach the guidance counselor in the school. In most schools, counselors maintain a register of teachers who offer tutoring services, so you’re likely to get some links. The most important thing is to find a tutor who knows the curriculum your child takes and has the ability to get the associated materials.

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Hire A Tutor From An Agency

Parents have the option of getting trained tutors from an agency. But while it may seem obvious that a tutor hired through an agency would be suitable, you still need to vet the available options. The best way to do this is to get on the phone with them and have a conversation about their experience, availability and rates. This’ll give you a better idea of their technical qualifications, overall demeanor and personality. 

Every parent wants to check whether the tutor they’re about to hire has a genuine interest in their child’s learning or not. Having a phone conversation enables you to determine this, by understanding the philosophy the tutor has regarding their profession. In addition to phone calls, parents should consider the feedback shared by friends who have experience working with the tutoring agency, or the specific tutor under consideration. 

Some tutoring agencies have a rigorous process for vetting tutors, to ensure that they only provide parents with people who are qualified to teach their kids. 

Get A High Schooler To Tutor Your Children

Getting a trained teacher to tutor your child is great. But if you can’t find one to take up the task and your child is in elementary school, consider hiring a high schooler to take up the virtual tutoring task. During lockdown, high schoolers learn from home. This makes them a great asset for parents. The only thing you need to ensure is that the high schooler you enlist to help tutor your child took the same curriculum that your child is taking, and that they’re capable of building a good relationship together.

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Hire A Tutor By Subject, Not Grade

When looking for a tutor, consider searching for one by subject, as opposed to by grade. Since most parents want to hire tutors to help their children with specific subjects, you’ll rarely find ones who handle an entire grade’s curriculum. You can easily find tutors to help your child with subjects like science and math by talking to teachers, college or high school students. Usually, such academic figures will know individual tutors who they’ve worked with previously.

Create Tutoring Groups

Another strategy that families are using to find tutors during lockdown is by creating tutoring groups. Ideally, four to five families come together to pool resources for hiring a tutor. In some instances, the families divide tutoring duties among themselves with some creating schedules to support each other with teaching duties, as well as childcare needs.

For parents who opt to share teaching duties, searching for details of learning expectations by subject or school year helps. In addition, parents have the option of working with students to remain on track or use the school’s learning resources available online to study ahead.

Get A Nanny To Help Tutor Your Kids 

Though most people hire nannies to take care of their children when they’re away, the majority of nannies have a college education and often help kids with homework as well. During lockdown, you can hire a nanny to provide childcare services as well as tutoring services to your kids. If you have children who are past elementary school age, a nanny can come in handy in supporting virtual peer tutoring.

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This kind of tutoring involves linking students in the same grade or those taking the same subject, and helping them to learn from each other. With peer tutoring, students become comfortable explaining concepts to each other. This builds their confidence and ability to learn new stuff. It serves as a great option for both virtual and in-person tutoring.

Final Thoughts

With the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting the normal school calendar, parents are increasingly faced with the challenge of sustaining their children’s learning. One of the most effective ways to do this is by hiring a tutor, but this is not as easy as it sounds. The process of finding a tutor who has relevant experience and is qualified to teach your child requires time and vetting.

But there are several ways in which parents can find the right people to tutor their children during the pandemic. From talking to the teachers in their children’s schools to working with reputable agencies, the tips discussed above can help you to find a suitable tutor for your child with as much ease and confidence as possible.