15th April 2010 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Before this article is criticised for ageism, we generally mean an experienced or inexperienced tutor, although there are some important factors, which are not necessarily due to a tutor’s age, but are often closely correlated.
A student asking for an experienced tutor is a daily request. They often want a current or ex school teacher, or a tutor with a proven track record, and lots of positive feedback. The reasons for this are obvious; no parent wants their child to be an ‘experiment’. Students generally have only one opportunity to pass their GCSEs and A-levels, and it’s understandable to want to get everything right, and not take unnecessary chances with a tutor who might be great, but might not.
However, some students want a tutor who has recently gone through a similar experience, and has come through with flying colours. Qualifications change significantly over time, and it’s true that the tutors who have taken a qualification more recently will have a much better knowledge of the syllabus, and what is required in the exams.
Another factor is simply who a student best responds to. In this situation it wouldn’t be fair to say that either a younger or an older tutor is objectively better. Some students want a firm, authoritative figure who will make sure that the student is disciplined with their studies, but the other side of the coin is a tutor with whom the student can be them self, and can understand and empathise with the student’s situation.
Whatever your opinion of the tutor who you want, it’s worth considering all the different points of view. When a tutor doesn’t meet a student’s preconceived ideas, it’s not unusual for the student to be singing the same tutor’s praises within two or three lessons.