Check the school's support first
For recently arrived children who do not yet speak enough Dutch, schools may provide language support depending on the area and age. The Amsterdam School Finder describes newcomer groups in primary education and international transition classes in secondary education.
If you look for a tutor without knowing what the school already provides, you may end up doing the same thing twice. First ask a teacher or support staff which support is in place now and what difficulty remains. How to read a child's first weeks is covered in what Japanese children often find hard first after moving to a Dutch school.
Narrow the difficulty down to a single task
"Weak in English" alone makes it hard to choose the right teacher. Separate whether it is reading, the structure of writing, maths word problems, science vocabulary or planning homework.
If you can show one recent task, the teacher can judge more easily whether they can help.
Tell the tutor the school type and curriculum
The language of instruction and the curriculum differ between an ordinary Dutch school, a Dutch International School and a private international school. Even among international schools, they differ by school: IB, British, American and so on.
Share with the tutor not just the school name but the grade or year, the curriculum, the textbooks and recent tasks. For differences between curricula, the comparison of IBDP, AP and A-Level is also a useful reference.
Do not choose on a tutor's English alone
Fluent English does not guarantee explanations suited to your child's age. Also check the following.
Think about online and in person in terms of continuity
In person, it is easy to look at materials in the same space, and it can suit young children or those who find it hard to concentrate on a screen. Online involves no travel and makes it easier to find, from a wide range, a teacher who suits the subject and the school's content.
Think not about which is better but about which you can keep up comfortably week after week.
Evaluate after the first four lessons
Even after choosing a teacher, you do not need to assume a long contract suits from the start. Over about four lessons, check whether your child understands the explanations, whether schoolwork changes, and whether the homework load is growing too much.
If needed, change the teacher, frequency, format or subject. For ways of looking at the effect of one-to-one tuition, the Education Endowment Foundation's summary of one to one tuition is a useful reference. How to judge a tutor's quality is covered in how parents judge tutoring quality.
8 items before you enquire
Writing these 8 items down before you enquire makes it easier to share the situation at the first meeting.
- School type
- Year group
- Language of instruction
- Curriculum
- Subject your child struggles with
- The specific difficulty
- Online or in person
- Preferred days and the area you can travel within
Summary
When looking for a tutor in Amsterdam or Amstelveen, it is more efficient to separate what the school provides from what you want to add at home than to start by searching for a teacher. After that, check the real difficulty, the curriculum, the language of instruction, the teacher's subject knowledge and continuity.
This article sets out criteria for choosing a tutor. It is not an announcement of Petra Tutors' current service offering in the Netherlands.
