I am a public school teacher. My wife is a public school teacher. My peers are public school teachers. It seems that there is a common frustration among all of us. So many times in our schools, we see teachers struggle to give the attention each student needs in overcrowded classrooms. The child who is falling behind is getting frustrated because he needs someone, anyone, to help him through this one topic but he can't get the attention he needs in a classroom of thirty-plus students. That one topic of frustration becomes two topics (because the second topic builds off the first) and then two topics becomes three and so until the student is so frustrated, he or she gives up entirely. Then there is the gifted student who finishes their work quickly but sits for a majority of the class waiting for others to catch up. The gifted student falls behind, not on the grade book, but rather towards fulfilling their potential. Then there is the student with the learning disability or the attention disorder; you can imagine how they feel.

So many wonderful teachers out there are doing their best to meet these students needs but it is near impossible nowadays. Classes are held in rooms that were previously closets or in dilapidated trailers and class sizes increase every year. The need for supplemental education to support students has become more important than ever.

Parents usually have a couple places they can turn. They will ask a neighbor who might then refer them to someone down the street they heard was a teacher. Or they will ask the guidance office at the school who will give them a list of twenty tutors or tutoring services. They might ask the teacher as well, but most schools will not allow teachers to tutor students from the same school for compensation and the time the teacher gives after or before school just isn't enough.

The problem the parent runs into is the fact that, even if they find a tutor, they don't know anything about the tutor. They don't have a background on the tutor. They know very little about their qualifications. They don't if the tutor's schedule will fit theirs. And then there is that awkward conversation about price (made even more awkward if it is a friend or neighbor).

Those are the barriers to finding good tutors. A tutoring service can help but it's important to ask these key questions:

1. How do I know if the tutors in your service are qualified?
2. Do I have any choice in the tutor I can select?
3. Will I be able to see profiles or backgrounds and qualifications of ALL your tutors so I can make the choice?
4. How do I know which tutors service my area?
5. How do I know which tutors fit my schedule?
6. How much will this cost? Is the tutoring service upfront with pricing or do they make you call their number and set-up a consultation before you know the price?
7. If I am not totally satisfied with the tutor, can I switch quickly?

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