Real Talk

10 Things Tutors Want Parents to Know

by Kevyn Gohu
February 16, 2023

Tutoring is not as easy as it looks, especially when they find out how much the parents want the tutors to cover.

Online tutors have always made schoolwork easier. They teach our kids what they don’t understand and sometimes we learn from them, too! When there’s no homework to be done then, the tutor usually has to come up with a lesson plan while following the course outline they should have been provided. Although tutors love their students, here are ten things that tutors want parents to know especially about teaching.

1. Their lives are worth more than 100 pesos per hour.

It’s frustrating for many tutors who are college graduates and some even master’s degree graduates to sell services at P100 an hour. While it’s noble for the tutors to take on that case, it’s not sustainable for them. That’s below the minimum wage of P537 per hour. Especially if they have to take on younger kids and have the energy to do so, P100 is not enough. That doesn’t even get a kilo of onions!

Tutors already get that kind of battering enough from international clients who insist that the going rate is P50 per hour.

2. Please do not tell kids that tutors will do their homework for them.

We know kids also suffer academic burnout from trying to always get the perfect grades to get into the best college. But because of burnout, the tutor sometimes does the homework for them. Tutors cannot say no because they don’t know what the kids tell their parents behind closed doors. The tutoring industry is one that thrives on word of mouth and God forbid a student say something bad about them that can destroy their careers.

3. Tutors have lives, too!

Tutoring is most likely a side gig for many of them to supplement their day job because their take-home is much bigger. But they’re not an academic version of a call center. They don’t do homework 24/7. Although some tutors make exceptions to take on professionals on Saturdays because work is Monday to Friday, it doesn’t mean calling them after dinner hours. Tutors always reserve 3 PM to 6 PM for their students because they know school usually ends at 3 PM to 4:30 PM.

So no, please do not call at 8 PM to make them fix an academic boo-boo.

4. Their lack of a teaching license should not make us treat them any less.

The pandemic displaced a lot of teachers and some became tutors instead. But there are a lot of tutors who don’t have a teaching license but are masters in their craft. It’s why we hire them; the teachers teach them the basic stuff and the tutors refine that ability even further. Getting a teaching license is actually exhausting and expensive, especially if the person already graduated from college a long time ago.

5. Tutors =/= Therapist

A stigma still exists against sending kids to therapy, as other parents will blame and judge the parent for breaking the child. So, to avoid the stigma, they send their kids to tutors instead and rationalize that it’s just an “academic problem.” Sure, it deals with grades, but not all tutors are trained to handle kids with developmental issues. Language delay, dyslexia, autism — all these are a professional therapist’s domain.

Also, repeat after us: your kid going to therapy doesn’t mean you failed as a parent.

6. Always pay them on time.

Tutors often offer a free trial to the parent to assure them that their kids will be okay in their hands. But that’s only one free trial class; nothing more. Tutors rely on quantity to make a daily wage and any delayed payments can have them freaking out because they have bills to pay, too! The internet, the electricity they use to teach kids online, or even just commute allowance if they go to the house to teach — they need that money.

7. Always tell them ahead if you’re going to change the schedule.

As a tutor myself, it’s my policy for both students and parents to tell me at least a day ahead if the student can’t make it. Although there are some emergencies that tutors will understand, it’s more for the tutor to make sure that their other students are not affected. It won’t be fair to the other students if the entire schedule gets tossed around just because one needs to be tutored now.

Besides, it’s why we have Google Calendar, Viber, WhatsApp, Messenger, and multiple chatrooms.

8. We teach professionals also!

Tutors are not just for kids. Tutors also teach professionals, especially if they’re struggling with certain languages. I’ve taught a few professionals English to gear them up for the IELTS or just to build their confidence because they’re tired of their co-workers bullying them or they want to handle more international clients.

9. Please feel free to ask kids what they learned from the tutors today.

It makes tutors happy to know that the kids get to talk about what they learned from them at home. Tutors have self-taught to act like streamers to make sure the lessons stick, something that most college courses don’t teach. Besides, talking to the kids about what they learned reinforces the lessons.

10. Some of the stuff might be more advanced than what their school has.

Schools have different standards, and it can be a surprise for the student. The most common example usually is the selection for the book report. Sometimes, it’s a little too easy or a little too boring which already kills the kid’s love for reading. While tutors will teach that, please don’t be surprised when the kids suddenly shock their teachers. It can be a pleasant surprise sometimes.

A student attending an online tutoring session

Tutors are human also!

Although they are considered service workers in the educational field, they are entitled to the same amount of respect as anyone. They give one hour of their day — sometimes, even two — to make sure that the kids understand their topics, go to school, and come back home with high grades to make mommy and daddy happy. And if you have questions, ask. Tutors prefer being transparent with their kids’ parents.