How to choose a good tutor: what to ask and what to avoid

A good tutor combines two things that are easy to describe and harder to find
together: real knowledge of the subject, syllabus and exam, and enough
rapport to get your child actually doing the work. Expertise without
connection leaves a student switched off; warmth without expertise leaves them
liking someone who cannot lift their marks. When you are choosing, you are looking
for both, plus the honesty to tell you when tutoring is working and when it is not.

Below are the questions to ask, the red flags to walk away from, how to weigh
qualifications against fit, and how to judge whether the money is doing anything.

What makes a good tutor?

The strongest tutors share a recognisable pattern. Use it as a checklist:

• They diagnose before they teach. A good tutor's first job is to find the
  specific gap, not to launch into a generic lesson. If they teach the same thing
  to every student, they are not tutoring, they are lecturing.
• They explain at your child's pace. The whole point of one to one is
  adjusting to the individual. A good tutor checks understanding constantly and
  changes tack when something does not land.
• They set and review specific goals. "Get better at chemistry" is not a goal.
  "Be able to balance redox equations by the end of the month" is. Progress you can
  see keeps everyone honest.
• They build the student's independence. The aim is a student who needs them
  less over time, not more. Good tutors work themselves out of a job.
• They are honest about progress, including delivering the awkward message that
  tutoring is not the right tool, or is no longer needed.

What questions should I ask before hiring a tutor?

A short, direct conversation tells you most of what you need. Ask:

• How would you work out where my child is stuck? Listen for a real diagnostic
  approach, not just "we'll cover the topics".
• How do you measure progress, and how often do you review it? You want a tutor
  who tracks and reports, not one who simply fills an hour.
• What is your experience with this exact course and level? HSC, VCE, QCE and
  the other senior systems differ; current, specific exam knowledge matters.
• Do you hold a current Working with Children Check? For anyone working with
  under-18s, this is non-negotiable. Every state and territory requires the
  relevant clearance for people working with children.
• How will you keep me informed, and how do you handle homework between
  sessions? Progress comes from what happens between lessons as much as during
  them.
• What happens if it is not working? A confident, honest tutor has a clear
  answer to this.

What are the red flags?

Some warning signs are worth walking away from, however impressive the rest of the
pitch:

• Guarantees of a specific ATAR or mark. No honest tutor can promise a number.
  Results depend on the student, the cohort and the exam, none of which a tutor
  controls.
• Vagueness about method or progress. If they cannot explain how they will help
  or how you will know it is working, there is nothing to hold on to.
• Pressure to lock in long contracts or large upfront payments. Reputable
  tutors let their work earn the next booking.
• No Working with Children Check, or reluctance to provide one. A firm stop.
• Talking about themselves, not your child. The pitch should be about your
  child's needs, not the tutor's trophies.
• Dismissing the school or teacher. Good tutors complement the classroom; they
  do not set themselves against it.

Do qualifications matter more than rapport?

Both matter, and the right balance depends on the problem you are solving.

• For advanced or exam-specific work, deep subject and syllabus expertise is
  essential. Here, a registered teacher or a specialist with a strong track record
  earns their rate.
• For a student who has lost confidence or motivation, rapport and the ability
  to rebuild belief can matter just as much as credentials. A relatable recent
  high achiever who sat the same exam a few years ago can be transformative.

A registered teacher brings formal training and professional accountability. A
strong recent graduate may bring relatability and up to date exam experience.
Neither is automatically better. The combination you never want is high
qualifications with no connection, because a student who does not engage does not
do the work, and the work is where the progress lives. Match the tutor to whether
your child's real problem is knowledge or confidence, which we help you diagnose in
our honest guide to whether your child needs a tutor.

How do I tell if it is working?

Set expectations early. Marks lag; they can take a term to move even when learning
is back on track. Sooner than that, look for:

• A change in how your child talks about the subject: less dread, fewer "I
  can't do this" statements.
• Evidence they understand the specific gap that prompted the tutoring, usually
  within a handful of sessions.
• More willingness to attempt work independently between lessons.

If, after six to eight weeks, none of this has shifted, treat it as information.
Review the tutor, the format, or whether tutoring was the right tool for this
problem in the first place.

When should we stop?

Stopping well is a sign of good tutoring, not a failure of it.

• Stop when the goal is met. Once the gap is closed and your child can sustain
  the subject independently, the job is done. Ongoing lessons "just in case" create
  dependency and cost without a clear purpose.
• Stop, or change something, when it is not working. No shift after six to
  eight weeks is your cue to reassess rather than keep paying.
• Be wary of the tutor who never suggests an exit. A tutor who only ever
  recommends more sessions, and never names an endpoint, is not putting your
  child's independence first.

For the bigger picture, our
honest guide to whether your child needs a tutor helps you
decide if tutoring is the right move at all, and our guide to the
cost of tutoring helps you judge value for
money. Getting the subject choices right in the first place, covered in our
subject-selection guide, and setting up a solid study
routine with the free study planner, can reduce how much tutoring your
child needs. If you would like help finding a tutor who genuinely fits your child,
or an honest view on whether you need one at all, the ExamExplained team is one
message away.