Seven things to check first when choosing a tutor
| What to check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| 1. Learning goal | Is the support needed clear: EIKEN, school English, conversation or international school? |
| 2. Age and grade | Does the tutor's approach suit this age group: elementary, junior high or high school? |
| 3. Teaching style | Does the pace suit your child: explanation-led, conversation-led or practice-led? |
| 4. Language support | Can the tutor meet the language conditions needed: English only, or with Japanese support? |
| 5. Personality and fit | Is it easy to talk to, at the right pace, and easy to ask questions? |
| 6. Days and location | Can you keep up the preferred times, online or in-person, and travel? |
| 7. Review after the trial | Can the arrangement be adjusted or re-proposed if it is not a match? |
1.First, be specific about what you want taught
Before choosing a tutor, decide the purpose of the lessons, not the tutor's qualities.
The experience needed differs depending on whether you want to raise an EIKEN grade, support school homework and regular tests, build confidence in conversation, or have writing checked for an international school.
"A tutor who is good at English" is too broad. Putting into words where your child is struggling now and what you want them to be able to do in three months makes it easier to narrow down candidates.
2.Look at how the tutor teaches your child's age and grade
Even tutors with the same English ability do not teach elementary students and high school students in the same way.
For elementary students, you may need ways to reset when attention drops and to keep explanations short.
For junior high and high school students, the ability to work backwards from a goal, using school materials, exam scope and analysis of answers, can matter.
That is why you check which age group a tutor teaches comfortably, not just their education.
3.Check the teaching style suits your child
A tutor who explains well does not suit every child in the same way.
Some children are good at understanding by listening to an explanation, while others understand better by working through problems.
Some find it easier to speak when drawn out in conversation, while others feel safer when they are given time to think.
In a trial lesson, check whether the tutor is talking one-sidedly, and whether they change explanations or questions according to your child's reactions.
4.Separate "Japanese support is needed" from "it would be reassuring"
Some families want a tutor who speaks Japanese. Separating how strongly you need it makes searching easier, and splitting must-haves from preferences keeps you from narrowing candidates more than necessary.
| Required Tutor Language (essential) | Preferred Tutor Language (preference) |
|---|---|
When your child finds it hard to follow grammar explanations unless they are in Japanese. This is close to a must-have. | When you want lessons mainly in English but would like Japanese support only when your child is stuck. This can be a preference. |
5.Do not judge personal fit by "it was fun" alone
Being easy to talk to matters, but a fun trial lesson does not necessarily mean a good fit.
Also check whether it was easy to ask questions, whether your child could say they did not understand, whether the tutor waited, and whether your child stayed at ease when mistakes were corrected.
Conversely, if your child is tired from working on something a little hard, but the explanations were clear and they are solving more on their own, it may still be a good fit for learning.
6.Check you can keep it up, including days, location and travel time
Even if you find a good tutor, it is hard to continue if the weekly day and time are not stable.
For in-person lessons, it is not only the tutor's nearest station that matters, but also travel time to your home and whether your child can comfortably come after school or university classes.
For online lessons, check whether your child can join reliably at the preferred time, and whether sharing materials and the connection work well.
Choosing a tutor is not only about one trial lesson, but about conditions that are realistic to keep up afterwards.
7.After the trial, ask how the next few lessons would go
When the trial lesson is over, check what the tutor noticed and what they plan to do next.
Look for specific observations: for example, weak vocabulary, difficulty finding evidence in reading, or an English writing answer that stops at a one-sentence reason.
If they can then explain what they would prioritise in the next two or three lessons, it is easier to move from a one-off trial to regular lessons.
| What the trial showed | Example priority for the next 2-3 lessons |
|---|---|
| Weak vocabulary | Practise learning words together with example sentences |
| Difficulty finding evidence in reading | Practise marking the passage that supports the answer |
| English writing stops at a one-sentence reason | Practise a pattern for adding one more sentence of reasoning |
You do not have to choose a tutor whose conditions do not fit
When looking at tutor candidates, you may feel it is hard to say no because their background is good, or that you should continue because you have already had a trial.
But if the purpose, days, teaching style, language or location are far apart, it is natural to look at other candidates.
In particular, conditions such as the required days not matching, in-person travel being unrealistic, or the tutor not covering the subject or exam you need are issues before personal fit.
How Petra Tutors checks tutors
When Petra Tutors reviews tutor candidates, we look not only at English ability and background, but together at the learning goal, age, days and times, location and travel conditions for in-person lessons, the language support needed and teaching style preferences.
For tutors who did not make the shortlist, we keep an internal note of why they did not match, so we can reconsider if conditions change.
After the trial, you can choose to continue with the same tutor, look at a different tutor or take more time to think, and we do not assume you will continue just because you had a trial.
A checklist for looking at tutor candidates
Summary: look for the tutor who suits your child now, not a "good tutor"
When choosing a tutor, university names, qualifications and English level are useful reference points.
But they alone do not decide whether the tutor suits your child.
Look at learning goal, age, teaching style, language needed, personality, days and location together, and check the next steps after the trial.
At Petra Tutors, we check candidates that match your conditions and, if it is not a fit, adjust including other candidates. If you are not sure what to prioritise, we can start by sorting out your child's goals and what they are struggling with now.
