2nd March 2012 9:00
By Blue Tutors
11+ tutoring in high demand!
Given the age of the student who sits the 11+ exam you may be inclined to treat it more lightly than a request for, say, A level tuition. However, you do this at your peril. I have noticed recently rather a surge in requests for 11+ tutors and the parents are keen as mustard to get a fantastic tutor for their child.
The 11+ is seen by parents as the first step on the ladder to academic success and is probably the first time the child has been placed under any real pressure to achieve. As such it is really important for the tutor to be professional, confident and knowledgable about the various skills required.
If you are keen on tutoring the 11+ and are not as experienced as you might be, here is some advice. Buy some (Bond or Letts) Verbal, Non-verbal, Maths and English papers and thoroughly read through them, doing the questions yourself. Ring the schools in your area that require the 11+ and find out if you can access past papers or at least what their exam paper comprises. That way, when you speak to the parents initially you sound as though you know more than them, which is what they are really looking for.
Parents require more from a tutor than someone who just thinks they can teach a kid. They need someone who really cares about getting their child into their particular school of choice. Remember your tutoring could make the difference in a child’s academic career. Take it seriously and do your homework.