Math tutoring is usually the most common subject students and parents seek tutoring for. It’s no surprise — math concepts are tricky for young learners and advanced university students alike, and a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching the concepts rarely works. If you’re wondering how to find a math tutor for your child, we have an excellent, 4-step model that works every time. 

Understanding Your Child's Math Needs

Low scores on math tests are a blow to your child’s self-esteem. Instead of blaming or punishing, engage your child in a discussion about math and their general likes and dislikes in school. Try to find a neutral time to do this (ie: Not when you’ve just found their latest test in their backpack!) when they can respond calmly and not feel like they’re in trouble with Mom and Dad. 

Ask your child questions like:

• Which classes/activities do you like best in school?
• Which parts of math class do you like best?
• Which parts of math class do you like least?
• (For older students) What motivates you to study by yourself?

When seeking a tutor, your child’s learning style and comfort are the top priority. Remember, tutoring won't work well if it feels like a punishment. Let tutoring be an opportunity instead for them to feel good about themselves and their ability to learn. Connecting with a mentor they can look up to will make tutoring enjoyable and something they can look forward to each week. 

1. Identify the Type of Tutoring Needed

Once you understand your child’s needs and motivations, you can begin the process of looking for a tutor. The first step is to decide on the type of tutor you’d like to hire. We’ll list some examples below to give you a better sense of the help that’s available, and to help you match these types of tutors to your child’s needs.

Academic Tutor

An academic tutor is a tutor who focuses on the complete math curriculum for your child’s age and grade. They will likely review all the concepts your child needs to know, and provide alternate ways of learning them. An experienced tutor will try different techniques and methods to suit your child’s learning style. When you’re figuring out how to find a math tutor for your child, you can rely on an academic tutor to take an in-depth approach. These tutors give the most comprehensive overview of math concepts, and tailor their teaching style to your child.

Special Education Tutor

For children with learning disabilities or learning challenges, Special Education tutors can be a real advantage. These tutors have training in working with children with different abilities, and can help them develop their social skills just as much as their skills in math. If your child has a disability (or if you believe they might be showing signs of math anxiety) consider working with a Special Education tutor. Taking advantage of their unique training in this area can ensure your child’s math success. 

Homework Help Tutor

If your child’s grades just need a little boost, consider a homework help tutor. These tutors, as the name suggests, guide your child through completing their homework. They also use this time to break down tricky concepts and improve their understanding. Homework help tutors can often be older students who excel in math, though it’s also possible to find professional tutors who offer the service, too.

2. Find Potential Tutors

When you’ve evaluated your child’s needs and selected a type of tutor to fit them, it’s time to start searching! While you’re looking, it’s important to be aware of your budget for tutoring, and how often you’d like your child to meet with their tutor. While once a week may be the standard, if they need lots of help, you may consider paying for twice-weekly lessons. If they just need help with test prep, you might only engage a tutor once or twice a month. Be clear on this point to set realistic expectations with your potential tutors.

School Recommendations

When you’re figuring out how to find a math tutor for your child, you should consider speaking to your child’s teacher. Not only can the teacher give you insights about their difficulties in learning math, but they may also be able to recommend tutors to you. A referral from your child’s teacher is likely to be a success — they have the ability to judge the quality of the tutoring from their considerable experience. 

Personal Recommendations

Struggling with math is common. If you speak to other parents in your network, you’ll probably find that their kids also have trouble excelling in math. Your friends have likely used tutoring services to help their kids improve. Getting a personal recommendation from a friend or work colleague is a great way to find a math tutor. You can ask lots of questions about their experience working with the tutor, and how they received feedback from the tutor on their child’s progress. Most of all, you can understand more about how their child seemed to like working with the tutor. With this info, you’ll be able to make an informed decision before you hire them.

Online Tutoring Platforms

If you’re not able to find a tutor through your child’s school or your network, consider online tutoring. This is a great option for parents looking for the convenience of flexible scheduling. Plus, your child can access their tutor from home — which means less commuting time for you!  Choosing an online tutoring service allows you to access dozens of tutors at once, and make informed decisions about their qualifications. You can compare profiles and their hourly tutoring rates at a glance.

Online tutoring services like TutorLyft make it easy to find tutors located all over Canada. Match with a tutor who fits your schedule and your child’s needs in just a few minutes! With our tutor video introductions and comprehensive profiles, you’ll find it easy to get a feel for each tutor’s personality and teaching style before you connect with them. Plus, our program is pay-as-you-go, so you can test out a number of different tutors with no commitment. A growing number of our tutors also offer in-person sessions, so you can decide which style of learning suits your child’s needs best.

3. Evaluate Potential Tutors

When you’ve narrowed down your list of potential math tutors for your child, there are a few criteria to help you make your decision. You might feel nervous to assess a tutor’s skill (especially if math wasn’t your strong subject in school, either!) but we’ve got a helpful list of questions you can use while you interview candidates. 

Credentials and Experience

The most important questions to ask at the beginning of an interview. Finding out about your tutor’s education background will ensure they have the skills to teach your child math effectively.

• What is your educational background?
• How many years of tutoring experience do you have?
• Have you taken any training in tutoring children?
• Do you have any specialized training in working with children with special needs? (if this applies to your child)

Teaching Style

Once you feel certain the tutor is qualified to teach math at your child’s level, making sure they can teach in a way that suits your child’s learning style is next. Some questions to ask at the stage include:

• How do you typically work with students?
• What do you do to build rapport with children/make them feel comfortable?
• Do you use different approaches with different students?
• Do you have different techniques for teaching difficult math concepts?

Availability and Flexibility

Finally, it’s time to talk about logistics. Popular tutors may not have flexible schedules as their time is booked up with other students and parents, so it’s important to know how often they’re available. Also be clear about when you, as the parent, will be kept up-to-date on your child’s performance in their tutoring sessions.

• How often are you available to meet with my child?
• What is your hourly rate?
• Do you prefer to meet online or in-person? If online, what software do I need? If in-person, do we meet at your home/office, or will you come to my home?
• Do you have a cancellation policy?
• If you are unavailable, will you cancel the tutoring session or send a substitute?
• How will you keep me informed of my child’s progress in tutoring? 
• How would you prefer that we communicate? (Email, text, phone calls, etc.)

For affordable tutoring options, it's advisable to monitor community bulletins or tutors’ social media profiles. Public libraries and community centers often provide complimentary math or general homework assistance. Furthermore, some colleges offer tutoring services to younger students at no cost.

4. Set Goals and Expectations

Once you’ve selected a tutor for your child, set aside some time to have a quick meeting (online or on the phone works!) to level-set with your tutor and ensure you each have answers to your questions before the sessions begin. 

Don’t forget to have a similar talk with your child. Make sure you have a distraction-free conversation about their upcoming tutoring, and their feelings about extra time spent on math. Take time to soothe any anxieties they might feel about needing a tutor, like feeling “dumb” or behind the other kids. They may also fear the tutor will be harsh or disciplinarian. Remind them the tutor is there to help and support them, and that you support them, too. Most of all, be sure to listen to them and give them plenty of space to ask questions. 

Monitoring Progress

When you first hire your child's tutor, you may want to schedule formal or informal check-ins with them. How frequently you hold these meetings is up to you, based on your level of concern about your child’s progress. Your tutor may also provide written reports on progress. These will detail improvement in grades and improvement in your child’s attitude towards learning math. If you feel like you need more information in between these check-ins, never hesitate to ask. Your tutor works for both you and your child, and you want to be sure you’re making a good investment. 

Finding the right math tutor for your child can be tricky. Math is such a common subject for tutoring, and so the options for tutors are numerous. Figuring out how to find a math tutor for your child involves asking the right questions and making the best decisions you can. Rely on your knowledge of your child and their skills and preferences. With the right tutor, they can become an enthusiastic math student!