Before getting a tutoring service for your child, you need to get into the depth of the matter and find out why your child is not progressing in school. Some children are late bloomers. They do not progress as well or as fast as the other kids in their class, but they do catch up later on. Then there are those children who are of average intelligence but find exam conditions difficult. Other reasons for kids not progressing could be that either they have missed school for long periods of time, or they have had some kind of family crisis like divorce or death which can cause severe anxiety and emotional trouble for the child. This can seriously affect the performance at school.

When you appoint a home tutor make sure that you tell the person the exact reason as to why your child is not performing well at school or progressing like the other kids. This will help the tutor to understand the needs of the child, and help him or her accordingly. Take care to find out if the reason behind your child not progressing well is peer pressure at school. Some children are subject to bullying and humiliation. If this is the case then make the effort to talk to your child and to his or her teachers at school. If this doesn’t solve the problem then consider home schooling and tutoring.

Some children are just not academically inclined. They prefer arts and being creative to studying. Some kids are inclined towards one particular subject and find others difficult. Most children belong in this category. There are others who have learning disabilities or are physically and mentally handicapped. These children would do better with private tutoring. Some parents just want their kids to be better than the rest and employ a private tutor to help them. This is unnecessary, if the child is doing well on his/her own merit.

Margaret Tye runs the From Tots 2 Teens - Child Tutoring website.