How to Pick the Right Tutoring Company for You

Most of us parents have experienced the “homework blues” at one point or another with our children. When it’s time to crack the books, our kids will find any excuse under the sun to delay, postpone or even skip it all together. But how do you know when there’s a real problem in the classroom, and not just an aversion to homework? If your child genuinely seems to struggle in a subject, or it’s been confirmed by the school by a poor classroom grade or even a less-than-stellar report card, it may be time to get some outside help. Once you've determined that some additional help from a tutor is in order, you may need help figuring out how to pick the right tutoring company for you. You can tap the neighbor's college-aged kid, you can spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours driving to and from a center-based program, or you can find a professionally trained tutor to come to your home when it's convenient for your family. Understanding some key differences between all of the various options and settings, such as one-on-one (in-home or online) and small group tutoring, may help you determine which option is best for your child. Here we break down some key differences that may help you pick the right tutoring option.

One-on-one Tutoring

The hallmark of individualized tutoring (whether it's in-home tutoring or online tutoring) can be determined in the name alone, as instruction takes place in a one-to-one teacher-to-student ratio. The two major benefits to that feature is that tutoring sessions can take place around you and your family’s busy schedule (meaning evenings, weekends, during school breaks or intercessions, etc.) and that it allows the tutor to focus instruction on your child's specific needs, while also eliminating the often-competitive environment of the school classroom. Instead of a teacher having to split his/her time effectively among 25-35 kids in a classroom, an in-home or online tutor can focus 100% of his/her attention on your child, modifying the tutoring program as necessary to ensure that learning is continuous. That individualized attention usually leads to much faster results, better long-term retention, and a stronger bond between tutor and student.

Group Tutoring

Group tutoring, on the other hand, usually involves pairing one tutor with several students (5-10 for maximum effectiveness) for instruction. Because of the size of the group, instruction usually takes place outside of the home – often on school campus, at a community center, church, or other public location that is conducive to group tutoring. Although the tutor can’t achieve 100% individualization for each student, the ratio is still far better than a classroom setting, and so tutoring can still be effective. In fact, older students may enjoy the peer interaction they get in a group setting, and benefit from the sharing of ideas among a group of their peers.

Cari Diaz, Vice President for Club Z! Tutoring adds, "Although either option may help a child fare better in school, we've found that one-on-one tutoring can impact the greatest results in the shortest amount of time. This is especially critical for students who are experiencing significant difficulties in school."

Students can feel confident and comfortable in their home environment, ask questions of their tutor and receive immediate feedback on work, and generally excel quicker than they would in a group environment. But if your child is age 12 or older, has a strong attention span, is a committed student that thrives in peer groups, and is only experiencing a slight struggle in school, group tutoring may also prove effective.

Seeing success with tutoring.

After 20 years in the tutoring industry, we've learned a few things about what it takes to help students succeed. Club Z! is an academic solutions provider offering a customized learning program for each and every student. We have learning programs to fit any family’s needs and preferences – whether it’s in-home, on school campus, at the library, or even online tutoring! And our programs provide results. Whether it’s our K-12 academic assistance programs, our proven SAT/ACT prep programs, or one of our other proprietary curriculum programs like Learning Built to Last study skills and pre-K readiness, our students see growth in a matter of weeks! Our tutors are thoroughly screened and background checked prior to hiring. Through our proprietary “Z! Tutor Match” system, we go to great lengths to match them with students based on personality, learning preferences, and academic strengths and weaknesses. And with our “Z! Guarantee” you get the right tutor every time, guaranteed! The Z! Tutor Match Our proprietary Z! Tutor Match process ensures that we match the right tutor to your child every time! In fact, we’re so confident that you’ll love our tutors, we guarantee the match. Through our Z! Guarantee program, if you are unsatisfied with the tutor selected for your child, simply let us know and we’ll make a more suitable match ASAP. It’s that simple! How can we be this confident? Our Z! Tutor Match is made based on the following 4 criteria:

• Academic Strengths: Our tutors are experts in their subject area(s) and are matched with your student based on his/her academic weaknesses. Many of our tutors are certified teachers, and all possess an educational degree and relevant tutoring experience. In addition, all are thoroughly screened and background checked prior to receiving a student assignment.
• Availability: Our tutors are matched with your student based on your scheduling preferences. Whether it’s after school, weekends, evenings, or during academic breaks, our tutors can accommodate even the busiest academic or athletic schedules.
• Personality: We match our tutors with your student based on complementary personality traits.  The introduction of an encouraging third party with whom your student can relate can often restart a fresh flow of learning.  Plus, the same tutor will teach the child every time so that rapport can develop.
• Teaching Style: Our tutors are matched with your student based on his/her preferred learning style.  Our tutors are effective because they understand the personality, interests, and learning style of their students.  We believe that when a student is seen as a whole, both learning and self-esteem can flourish.

The most important thing in finding a tutoring company that is right for you is to ask a lot of questions and engage help for your student quickly. Most students only need the extra assistance for a short amount of time, and can gain valuable learning and study skills that help for a lifetime! If you’re interested in learning more about how tutoring might help your child, now is the best time to call Club Z! at 800-434-2582.