Regardless of the subject, you want to provide academic support as a tutor - online or offline; understanding the subject and the student's level are two very vital criteria. With that, you can help your tutees read better and work or take the right step to achieve their goals better and faster.

In Nigeria and around the world, there's been an increase in the value of private tutorials. Many Nigerian students subscribe to home school tutoring at one point or the other. The need for tutors in rural and urban areas in Nigeria is getting higher by the day, and their time is valued.

Like you need certain tools to become a lawyer, doctor, artisan, business person, and painter, you also need tools to organize online and offline tutoring.

For Superprof tutors who have taken up home tutoring jobs, there are certain qualities you will find in them. These qualities are what separate these tutors from those available on other platforms.

Read on the best ways to provide home tutoring. 

What should a tutor know?
A tutor should know the best ways to relate with their students. Source: Unsplash.
The best tutors available
Odogwu
5
5 (7 reviews)
Odogwu
₦5000
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Vanessa
5
5 (11 reviews)
Vanessa
₦5000
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Deborah
5
5 (4 reviews)
Deborah
₦5000
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Peter
Peter
₦5000
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Odogwu
5
5 (7 reviews)
Odogwu
₦5000
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Vanessa
5
5 (11 reviews)
Vanessa
₦5000
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Deborah
5
5 (4 reviews)
Deborah
₦5000
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Peter
Peter
₦5000
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Let's go

Basic Qualities Every Professional Tutor Should Possess

Knowing the subject, you are teaching as a tutor differentiates you from the student and gives you an edge over them. The chances are that you're going to experience brilliant students who see academic support as a way of perfecting their knowledge. Where you fail to invest in constant practice and staying updated about the subject you're teaching, you may meet students who may be more intelligent than you.

There are three major reasons why Nigerian students consider private tutoring. First, it may be that they are failing or finding it hard to come to terms with all their subjects in school.

It is also possible that they are failing in some subjects alone, and to avoid taking those subjects again; they want to buckle up in them. Finally, students might be taking tutorials because they want to get into the university of their choice.

Considering that you will be dealing with different students from various academic levels and business setups, what are some key qualities you must possess as a tutor?

Read on how to plan effective home tutorials.

Punctuality and friendliness

Punctuality is the first impression you give your student at your first lesson. It is also an impression you will have to keep giving them every other day whether it is an online or an offline lesson.

The impression you give these students and their parents determine whether they will continue working with you. It is better to be earlier than planned as a tutor than it is to be later than planned.

Close to being punctual is the attribute of being friendly. Friendliness helps the tutor and student get on the same page, which creates a good learning atmosphere. This atmosphere is always as beneficial to the tutor as it is to the student. A friendly teacher will always retain existing students and win over new ones, as we all love to learn in a friendly atmosphere.

Patience and friendliness
Whether a tutor is teaching online or in-person, being patient is vital, Source: Unsplash

Ability to transfer knowledge effectively

Another quality a good tutor offering academic support should possess is the ability to transfer knowledge effectively. The quality of the support you provide to students is only good because it helps them get better academically. It is always difficult to find a method that suits every student. So, if you're going to transfer knowledge effectively, you have to consider the peculiarities of different students.

Familiarity with the national curriculum regarding that subject is also key to teaching effectively and helping students make the most of the lessons. Whether it is physics, chemistry, or math, you need to ensure that what you're teaching the student aligns with what is on the curriculum.

Multiple teaching approaches

Multiple teaching approaches are an important skill every tutor offering academic support should possess. This skill helps you to know what teaching method works best for a particular student. You can also know how to take things step by step to make students understand better and their parents appreciate you more.

With the right teaching method per time, you can increase your students' trust and confidence in you. The best teaching method for a student will also help them improve in their studies.

However, it is necessary for you as a tutor working as an individual or with an education support partnership to avoid using the same approach for all your students. You start by studying your student to know what works for them. You will need to consider the student's level, learning pace, and interests to do this.

Patience

Patience is a virtue every tutor must possess. While you're going to have students who will learn better and faster, you will also have those who will take a long while before they get a particular concept. It will not be appropriate to judge one child's pace with that of another.

Patience will help you deal with every student at their level until you can bring out the best in them when offering education support.

Great speaking skills

The right speaking skill, according to the opinions of support organisations, helps a tutor communicate with students in the clearest way possible. Poor communication will confuse the student and leave them doubting their abilities.

Great speaking skills start with listening well to students. It helps you know whether your student is following and how best to communicate knowledge to them.

Academic support tools
Effective academic support needs to be digitalized. Source: Unsplash.

Availability

Learning is a continuous process, and that is where availability comes to play for tutors providing extra school support. You can't be available all through the clock, every day of the week. However, it is necessary that when there is a problem, your student should be able to access you.

When clearing things up and getting on the same page with your tutor, it is important to set limits and available times. At these times, your tutees can call you for any problem they are stressing about their academics. This is as important for getting success in online lesson as it is for business.

Read on the right place for home tutoring in Nigeria.

What Are The Resources Needed For Private Tutorials?

Having the right qualities as a tutor is not enough to provide school help or educational support; you also need the right resources. These resources help your students and their parents know how much value you place on your job and how well you can deliver on it. You can also increase your chances of getting high paying tutoring jobs and online lesson.

Whether it's your first or last tutorials, certain resources must be available to kick start the lessons. It is impossible to bring all your resources to the first tutorials as you may not need some. The best thing to do is to come along with the important ones.

With that said, let's answer the big question - what are major resources needed for home lesson Nigeria?

A course plan

First, every tutor needs a course plan for home lesson business. A course plan shows how serious and informed a tutor is about a particular subject. However, beyond having a course plan, you must ensure that it is comprehensive and in line with the national curriculum for that subject.

Relevant documents

Depending on your teaching subject, there will be a need for certain documents like diagrams, graphs, and tables. While these relevant documents may come in handy as the primary teaching material for home tutoring, they may also work well as a backup plan.

Textbooks

Every subject has written texts that helps one understand different concepts relating to that subject better. It is, however, the duty of the tutor to choose the best textbooks for the students. In doing this, you have to consider the age and level of the student.

The textbook you will recommend or provide for a primary school student will be different from that you'd provide for a secondary school or university student taking home tutoring.

Digital resources

Finally, you will need to provide your tutees with digital resources for home tutoring. According to different surveys, it has been discovered that many Nigerian students spend more time on their phones than they do on every other thing.

To help your students learn better while on their phones, providing them with digital resources like applications and websites is essential. You can also share audio and video materials on the subject to improve their overall knowledge and help them see how these things apply in practice. You can help them set these applications to real-life business situations.

See how to look after students as a home tutor. 

Taking Private Tutorials Differently

The best way to take homeschooling Nigeria differently is to help students develop at their own pace. Generally, private tutorials always happen within a defined period; as such, tutors try to rush things to help students cover up what they need to learn within that period. Though it sounds great, it's not always the best thing to do.

It is best to allow students to learn at their pace and learn what they need to know. You can do this by teaching them through different activities like games when taking them home education. This way, they are learning in a way they can relate to, but they can also understand what they are learning better and faster in the home school as they will do in a conventional school.

Also, try as much as possible to set a time that the student is intellectually active. When you set such time, it becomes easy for the student to achieve success in the lesson they are taking.

As a student, you can register with Superprof for online lessons or hire a professional tutor who can come teach you at your place. There is a free bonus of one-hour free lecture with every tutor you from Superprof.

Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!

5.00 (1 rating(s))
Loading...

Pius

Pius Aiyeyomi is a highly intelligent fellow who is skilled in areas covering constitutional law, freelance writing, and commenting on social issues. He is a good researcher, great communicator, and awesome listener who is keen on self-developmemt to match the changing times and world that we live in