6th April 2018 9:00
By Blue Tutors
It might seem like a ‘no brainer’; students who have a tutor are more likely to do well in exams and more likely to attend better schools and universities. The statistics show that there is definitely a correlation, and obviously we believe that tutoring can help students in an incredible way. However, there is an argument that there is something else influencing these students’ successes.
It has been said that a private tutor can be something of a placebo. If a student is tutored for an hour once a week, that’s potentially an hour longer of being exposed to the material than they would have been. Moreover, if a student has asked for a tutor (or has been asked to attend lessons with one) then they are likely to feel an added responsibility to work hard and do well.
The above argument really assumes that all students are equal, and before requesting a tutor, anyone is as likely to succeed as everyone else. Of course, this isn’t true. There is a correlation between academic success and earning potential, as there is between a family’s income and the likelihood they will hire a tutor. It doesn’t take a great leap to realise that the students who are tutored regularly are also those who have academic parents. While it’s definitely not true that non-academics dismiss the value of a good education, it is true that academics have first hand experience of the difference education can make, and are well equipped to tutor their children themselves, certainly up to a moderate level.
In our experience, parents who request a tutor do so because they care about education. They realise the doors it can open for students, and they want to give their children the best start in life possible. This isn’t exclusive to affluent families, or past academics, but there is definitely a correlation, and a child’s formative years being ‘tutored’ by their parents (as we all are) plays a huge part in their future academic success.