I was thinking of tutoring Physics and maybe Methods next year, but my results don't reflect someone who has got everything down pat, even though I'm pretty confident I do. Would anyone still hire someone like that? Lets face it, how can I compete with all of you who all 45+ your subjects.
In my VCE experience, I've tried five tutors between two subjects (Spesh and English), all of who've achieved 99+ atars (two of them got 99.95) and 45+ SS in their respective subjects (usually close to 50). To put it politely, most of them weren't great. They got great scores but didn't understand or were unable to convey the mechanics behind the subject. The two tutors I ended up sticking with were based on friends’ referrals (they basically recommended friend). They were far more committed and not doing it for the money (I got negotiated rates with them because my family is poor). They knew their stuff better and achieved more impressive scores. I also got along really well with both of them and still text them of most days and occasionally see them. I paid lower rates for them than I did with my other tutors. I chose my English tutor based on their results (the two I had for a very short period got 48 and 50), only when things didn't work out, I asked my friend for recommendations (my final tutor got a 45 but is an absolute gun!). So yeah, results doesn't necessarily equate to knowledge or good tutoring. For maths, in order to ensure knowledge, I choose people who did really well in maths competitions and well as VCE scores (my final Spesh tutor placed in the top 50 in Australia in the National Maths Olympiads and got an Outstanding Award three times and placed second once in the Melb uni maths comp during his final four years of schooling).
That said, I can’t blame students with little connections to tutors or people that know tutors to select based on scores. Tutors can write nice plugs about themselves, which may be useful in regards to providing an idea of their tutoring style, but until you've met them, the extent of truth of the advertisement can’t be determined. Scores are the only thing that students can take to be truth and possibly separate tutors. While knowledge is important, ultimately most students go to tutors in hope of better results. Someone that has done well would be in a better position to address this issue in regards to exam techniques and so forth.
Your best bet would be tutoring friends and they are usually more understanding of lower-than-expected results. They may then recommend you to other friends. I refer my Maths and English tutor to my friends going into year 12 or year 11 even though they didn't ask me to do it (my Eng tutor is really popular anyway lol). I do it for my Spesh tutor especially because he doesn't advertise (far too modest for that). Also maybe charge low rates.
Will do! Honestly thinking some of these TV series should be added onto the VCE English/Literature text lists. I'd love to write text responses about Breaking Bad hahaha
That would be amazing haha. I would like Revenge too lol (it was my inspiration for Whose Reality although I didn't write on it).
I've only just realised that this thread was still alive
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