14th February 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
It is widely acknowledged that the tutoring boom was in part fueled by the recession, where people who could no longer afford to privately educate their children were turning to private tutors to supplement their education. In some cases, parents have chosen to home school their children using private tutors, a circumstance which any tutoring agency will tell you is more common than you might think. These trends suggest that parents see private tutoring as a comparable alternative to private school, hiring Oxbridge-graduates to recreate the ‘Eton-effect’ in their own living rooms at a fraction of the cost. But is private tuition that similar to private school?
Of course that depends on the tutor and the school in question, but generally speaking – no. And nor would we want it to be. The thing that is wonderful and unique about having a private tutor is that the teaching is totally tailored to the needs of that one student. The ideal private tutor will assess their students’ needs individually, and create a discursive environment in which the student has the opportunity to explore their own thoughts on a subject for the entire session. Excellent schools, both private, grammar and comprehensive will offer opportunities for students discussion and engagement with the topic at hand, but none can offer one-one engagement for the entire session.
Of course, the school environment is important in a number of ways; it provides learning opportunities not just in the classroom, but socially as well. Students learn to engage with other students and gain social skills and confidence. Hiring tutors to home-school a student does not provide students with these elements which are crucial to their development. Private tutoring is not like private schooling; it is a different sort of endeavour and one which can bring many rewards in conjunction with the school experience.