How to choose a private tutor for your child: 10 questions to ask

The short answer: a good private tutor for your child is one who knows the material of their grade, with whom the child feels comfortable, and who has a clear plan: what you do, how you know there is progress, and when you finish. You check this in a short conversation and a trial lesson, not by the price or by how many years they have taught.

When you really need a private tutor

Not every low grade requires a tutor. Before you search, it is worth asking what exactly the problem is:

• A gap that keeps growing. The child gets stuck on one topic, and every new topic is built on it. In math and English this happens a lot.
• An important exam or transition. Matriculation exams, moving up to a higher level, or psychometric preparation.
• Confidence. A child who is convinced that "they are not good at math" sometimes mainly needs an adult who will show them that they are.
• Organisation and learning. If the difficulty is mostly in getting organised and not in a particular subject, a subject tutor may not be the solution.

A conversation with the school teacher beforehand helps. She knows where the child stands relative to the class, and sometimes there is help at the school itself.

10 questions for the first call

The first call can be by phone and take ten minutes. These are the questions worth asking:

1. Which grades and curricula do you work with? A tutor who is excellent for high school is not necessarily suited to fourth grade, and the other way round.
2. What does a typical lesson look like with you? A good answer is specific: "We start with what was in class, solve together, and at the end he solves alone."
3. What do you need from me before the first lesson? A good tutor will want to see a notebook, the last exam or the list of topics.
4. How will you know there is progress, and how will I know? Look for an answer with something measurable: an exercise the child solves alone, a grade in the next exam, a short update after a few lessons.
5. How many lessons a week do you recommend, and for how long? "It depends" is a reasonable answer, but an estimate should follow it.
6. Where does the lesson take place? At your home, at the tutor's, or online. Each has advantages. More on online: private lessons online.
7. What is the price, and what does it include? The length of the lesson, a double lesson, preparation before an exam.
8. What is the cancellation policy? How long before you can cancel without paying, and what happens when the tutor cancels.
9. How and when do you pay? At every lesson, once a month or a package in advance. And how you will know how many lessons there were.
10. Can I speak to a parent of one of your students? A tutor who works well will usually be glad to give a name. Do not insist if it is a new tutor, but ask.

Pay attention to what is not said too. A tutor who promises a particular grade, or who talks mostly about themselves and does not ask about the child, is a sign to keep looking.

A trial lesson: what to watch

One trial lesson teaches more than any conversation. Ask in advance whether it is paid, and ask to be nearby (not in the room, if the child prefers).

What to watch:

• Who talks more? In a good lesson the child talks and solves, and the tutor asks. A tutor who lectures for a whole hour is teaching themselves.
• What happens when the child makes a mistake? A mistake is a chance to understand where they got stuck. A good tutor does not rush to give the answer.
• Is there order? An opening, practice, a summary, and what to do until next time.
• How does the child come out? This is the most important sign. Ask them: "Was it clear? Would you like another lesson?"

Young children in particular need at least two to three lessons to open up. Do not judge by the first minutes.

Price, cancellations and payment: settle in advance

Most misunderstandings between parents and private tutors are not about teaching, but about money and cancellations. It is worth settling three things before the second lesson:

On the price itself: there is no single price. It depends on the subject, the grade, the area and the tutor's experience. To know whether an offer is reasonable, compare a few tutors in the same subject and the same grade, and check what is included. A detailed explanation: how much a private lesson costs, and for math in particular: the price of a private math lesson.

Ask for a written breakdown of the lessons and payments, once a month or before every payment. It protects both you and the tutor. Tutors who work with an orderly system can send you a list of the lessons and the amount in one message.

Signs that the tutor is not a fit, and when to switch

Even after a good choice, not every fit works. It is nobody's failure. It is worth giving it a reasonable time, and then checking honestly:

• The child avoids the lessons. Repeated cancellations, "I forgot", or a bad mood before every lesson.
• No change after a period. Not in grades, not in confidence, and not in the ability to solve alone. Ask the tutor what they see, and what the plan is.
• The lesson became guided homework. A tutor who only solves the homework with the child helps for today, not for the long term.
• Communication with you does not work. You do not know what is done in the lessons, or there are repeated misunderstandings about payment and cancellations.

Before you switch, talk to the tutor. Sometimes one conversation about goals changes the direction. If you decide to switch, say so directly and settle the open account.

A matriculation tutor or a middle school tutor

The goal changes the type of tutor you are looking for:

The same tutor can be excellent for one goal and less suited to another. Ask them directly what they most like working on.

Where to search

The common source is a recommendation from another parent. If there is none, you can ask in the class parents' group, ask the school teacher, or search by area.

In Teaching's student portal (teaching.co.il) you search for a tutor by address and subject, with no registration. On each tutor's card you see subjects, grades, area, a price range as a hint, how they teach (online, at the student's home or at theirs), and a rating from verified students if there is one. You contact the tutor directly on WhatsApp. The portal lets you find tutors and compare them. The choice and the fit remain with you, which is why all the questions here are still relevant. How the search by area works: a private tutor near home.

Written by the Teaching team · Updated on 14 October 2026.