Find a maths tutor in Scotland
Whether for Primary, S1, S2, S3, National 4/5, Higher or Advanced Higher Maths or Applications of Maths, it can be tricky to find the right maths tutor.
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Should you hire a maths tutor?
In a perfect world, private tutoring wouldn't be necessary. Our hard-earned taxes would fund state-of-the-art schools: superbly managed, fully staffed and resourced so that they could cater for every student's needs. Everyone would be motivated to achieve. Behaviour would be impeccable. Nobody's learning would be disrupted.
We don't live in a perfect world.
If your child can't understand their maths teacher, says they "hate maths" or expresses feelings of inferiority, and if you have the means to employ a private maths tutor, then we would recommend the earliest possible intervention.
Few young people want to attend tutoring for their entire school lives. Care is needed so that tutoring doesn't become a "crutch". The goal should be to resolve the student's issues and then, if possible, stop tutoring.
Realistically though, few issues are resolved with less than about a year's worth of tutoring. You need to be aware that tuition is a significant financial commitment.
How to choose a maths tutor
Unless you are employing a tutor from a company that does such checks for you, you should verify identity documents and the tutor's legal right to work in the UK.
Almost without exception, we would recommend employing a qualified and experienced teacher. Make sure the tutor has a teaching qualification in Maths that is accepted by the General Teaching Council (GTC) for Scotland.
Ensure that the tutor is very familiar with the Scottish curriculum. This is especially important for National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher, which are massively different to their English counterparts.
If the teacher is currently working a school, they will be on the searchable GTC Scotland register 
.
If at all possible, check that the tutor is a member of the Disclosure Scotland PVG Scheme .
Obtain at least one reference: for example, from a recent headteacher. To be confident of its authenticity, this should usually come from a local council or Glow email address.
The parent and student should meet the tutor and gauge suitability. Is the tutor likeable? How relevant to the student's needs is the tutor's experience? What range of resources will the tutor use? Can the tutor guarantee reliability? Ask the tutor to teach some small skill off-the-cuff. Does the student like the tutor's explanation?
Based on the tutor's initial assessment of the student's needs, can a clear set of goals be formulated? Are all parties on the same page about the likely timescale and level of student effort required?
Consider small group tutoring. It can be even more effective than one-to-one, if done by a capable tutor using good materials. For example, the author of this website runs a Kip McGrath centre, and rates that company highly.
Online tutoring can work well, but there are possible downsides. Developing a trusting tutor-student relationship is harder. Online tutoring has a higher reliance on spoken communication. The tutor may not be able to see what the student is writing, unless it is on a shared whiteboard, which slows things down. We usually prefer in-person.
If any parent has a specific question about some aspect of hiring a maths tutor, please feel free to contact us at and we will try to advise you further.
