10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Tutor
Most students hire the first tutor they talk to. Spend ten minutes asking these ten questions and you'll save weeks of wrong-fit lessons.
Hiring a tutor is hiring a part-time employee. You wouldn't hire one without an interview. Here are the ten questions that actually reveal whether a tutor is worth your money.
About their experience
1. How many students have you taught at my specific level/exam? "I tutor math" is not the same as "I've coached 30 students through AP Calculus BC." 2. What's your highest and lowest student outcome? Real tutors have both. Avoid anyone who only talks about wins. 3. How long do students typically work with you? Three months and up = students are seeing progress. Two weeks and gone = something's off.
About how they teach
4. How would you structure my first month? Listen for a plan, not vibes. 5. What do you expect from me between sessions? A good tutor assigns work and reviews it. A weak one only teaches inside the hour you're paying for. 6. How do you handle topics I'm completely lost on? The answer should involve breaking it down to prerequisites, not pushing through.
About logistics
7. What's your cancellation and reschedule policy? Get this in writing before session one. 8. Do you offer a trial or short intro session? Most good tutors do. If they refuse, ask why. 9. How quickly do you respond to messages? TutorSite shows response time on every profile, but ask anyway.
The most underrated question
10. *What kind of student is not a good fit for you?* A tutor who says "I work with everyone" is a tutor who hasn't reflected on their own teaching. A tutor who says "honestly, I'm not great with very young kids" or "I struggle with students who need a lot of hand-holding" is being honest — and you now have real information.
Next step
Browse tutors and message 2–3 with these questions. You'll see who's serious within the first reply.