Online Tutor Trial Checklist: 15 Questions for Parents

A trial lesson should help a family evaluate tutor fit, not simply watch a sales presentation. The most useful evidence is how the tutor responds to the student’s actual curriculum, current topic and questions.

Use this checklist before, during and after an online tutoring trial. It is intentionally provider-neutral, so schools, parent groups and education advisers may share it with families.

Before the trial: prepare five facts

• The student’s grade or year group.
• The exact curriculum and, where relevant, awarding body.
• The subject and current topic.
• One recent difficulty or piece of teacher feedback.
• The family’s time zone and realistic weekly availability.

When sharing schoolwork, remove student numbers, full addresses and other personal details that are not needed for teaching.

Questions about curriculum fit

1. Which curriculum and level do you normally teach?
   A useful answer should be specific. “Secondary Maths” is less informative than experience with a named level, board and paper structure.
2. How would you check what the student already understands?
   Look for a short diagnostic conversation or task rather than assumptions based only on the student’s age.
3. Which specification or syllabus will guide the lessons?
   The tutor should be willing to work from the school’s current official specification and materials.
4. How do you distinguish subject knowledge from exam technique?
   Students may understand a concept but lose marks through incomplete working, terminology or time management.
5. How will school feedback affect the tutoring plan?
   Tutoring should complement the school programme rather than create an unrelated parallel course.

Questions about teaching style

6. Can the tutor explain one idea in more than one way?
   Notice what happens when the student says, “I still don’t understand.”
7. Does the student do enough of the thinking?
   A clear explanation matters, but the student also needs to answer, calculate, explain and ask questions.
8. Are mistakes used constructively?
   The tutor should identify why an error happened without embarrassing the learner.
9. Is the pace appropriate?
   A trial that feels rushed may hide gaps; a session that is too slow may reduce engagement.
10. Does the tutor check understanding before moving on?
    Listen for follow-up questions or a fresh example that tests whether the student can apply the idea independently.

Questions about the ongoing arrangement

11. What is the first short-term learning priority?
    The next step should be concrete, such as one topic, skill or paper section—not a promise to “improve every grade.”
12. What practice is expected between sessions?
    Confirm how much work is realistic alongside school and other commitments.
13. How will progress be communicated?
    Agree whether updates will be verbal, written or discussed at set intervals. Ask what evidence will be used.
14. What are the scheduling, cancellation and payment terms?
    These should be clear before the family commits to a package or recurring schedule.
15. What happens if the match is not right?
    A professional provider should explain how concerns, tutor changes and safeguarding questions are handled.

Simple post-trial scorecard

Area	Score 1–5	Evidence observed
Curriculum and subject fit
Clarity of explanation
Student participation
Response to mistakes
Practical next step
Student comfort and communication

Do not use the total score alone. A low score in curriculum knowledge or student comfort may matter more than several minor strengths. Ask the student separately what felt clear, confusing or uncomfortable.

Warning signs

• Guaranteed grades, admissions or examination outcomes.
• Pressure to purchase a large package before discussing fit.
• Reluctance to explain qualifications, experience or safeguarding arrangements.
• Use of unofficial or locked examination materials.
• Requests for unnecessary personal documents or private access to student accounts.
• Completing assessed work for the student instead of teaching the underlying skill.

Make the decision with evidence

A good tutoring arrangement is specific, transparent and adjustable. The family should understand what will be taught, why it is the next priority and how they will review whether the support is useful.

Learn about Educate Online’s approach, browse our tutoring subjects or book a free online tutoring trial. The same checklist can be used during our trial so you can decide whether the tutor is genuinely suitable.