Questions tutors should ask parents and students

Before you take any tutoring job, it’s important to have an in-depth conversation with parents about their expectations. Each family you meet will have different requirements for a tutor, and each child has unique needs. Neither you nor the student will benefit (and you will both wind up frustrated) if you can’t give them the right kind of educational assistance.

The best way to align expectations and make sure you’re on the same page is to have a thorough discussion before you start work. This can happen during the interview process, as well as once you’ve been hired. So you can get the most out of these important talks, here are some questions for tutors to ask parents and students when you first meet up.

Questions for tutors to ask parents

Find a tutoring job.

When you meet with prospective employers for the first time, meeting by phone is OK, but meeting in person is highly recommended. Additionally, you should come prepared with questions to ask about your role, hours and pay, the prospective student and the job’s basic duties and expectations.

Here are some topics and questions tutors should cover during the initial meeting with the parents:

Questions to ask about tutoring goals

• Why do you want your child to work with a tutor?
• What do you want your child to achieve during tutoring sessions?
• Have you and your child ever worked with a tutor before?
• How long do you think it should take to achieve your desired objectives?

Questions to ask about scheduling, hours and job duties

• How often would you like tutoring to occur?
• What subjects or areas of struggle would you like tutoring to focus on?
• Is your child preparing for any exams or special assessments?
• Are there any extracurricular activities that might conflict with a tutoring schedule?
• Would you like to be present during each tutoring session?

Questions to ask about the prospective student

• How does your child perform in school currently?
• What are your child’s educational strengths?
• What are your child’s interests and hobbies?
• How does your child handle stress?

Questions for tutors to ask students

While parents can provide valuable insight into their child’s needs, its often best to let the child themselves do at least some of the talking.

Spend your initial meeting with the child getting to know one another. Try to determine their learning styles, likes and dislikes. Above all, listen to them and let them know you are there to support them. Here are some common questions tutors ask students:

• What do you like to do in your free time?
• What are your favorite and least favorite subjects?
• What’s your preferred way to learn? Do you like to listen to lessons, see lessons in action or are you a hands-on learner?
• Do you study? If so, how?
• How do you hope tutoring can help you?
• Do you feel stressed when you’re at school or doing your homework?
• What areas or subjects would you like to improve in?
• What feels like the hardest part of school right now?
• Do you have any goals for the future?

Ice breakers for tutors and students

Some students may be shy during your initial meetings, so it can help to come prepared with an “ice breaker” or get-to-know-you activity to help them relax. These can be especially helpful if you’re doing work as a summer tutor and want to get into a comfortable routine more quickly. Here are some ice breaker games for tutors:

• Significant objects: Ask the student to share one or two of their favorite objects and tell you all about them. Bring your own to share as well.
• Random questions: Write down some of the questions listed above, as well as others, on strips of paper and place them into a hat or bowl. Draw questions at random to make the interview more game-like and put kids at ease.
• Special snapshots: Each of you brings two photos to your meeting that represent a fun or significant memory. Take turns talking about each photo and why you chose it.
• Five favorites: Take turns sharing five favorite things. It can be anything from a favorite song or food to a favorite vacation or memory.
• Tutoring bucket list: What does your student want to accomplish in tutoring? What do they hope they’ll get from the experience? Create a fun list to help motivate them. It could include things like studying outdoors, being able to spell a really difficult word on their own or completing math work in a certain timeframe.

The bottom line

Tutoring is much more effective when everyone — the parents, the student and the tutor — is on the same page. Taking time to get to know each prospective family and student will prevent miscommunications and lost learning time down the road. Plus, it’s a fun and rewarding process that helps connect you with your community.

Once you’ve had a chance to get to know the student and their family better, it will be up to you to craft an engaging lesson plan. This plan will be effective in large part because of the work you did to understood each student and parent — and the work they’ve done to understand you.