Have you thought about hiring a private tutor to supplement your child’s education? Most private tutors in the United States charge anywhere between $25-$75/hour. Compare that to boarding school tuition, and you’ll see how meeting once or twice per week for extra help is actually relatively affordable. Let’s go deeper…
Private Lessons are 1-on-1
In the case of public schools, student-teacher ratios are 1:25. Even in private schools ratios are 1:12. But a private lesson with a tutor is 1-on-1. This can enhance the speed and depth at which you can learn since you have your tutor all to yourself and they know your strengths and weaknesses.
You Can Pick Your Tutors
You can pick your top school, get accepted, and move in, but you can’t pick your teachers. When hiring a tutor, you actually have a say. You can check their background, references, reviews, and see how you get along before committing to a longer relationship. That kind of choice in education is rare. Using different online services, you can find tutors who are part-time teachers, or college graduates from top universities.
Flexible to Your Schedule
Tutors can be flexible. The day and time you meet can be negotiated to fit your schedule or it could be left open to a more on-demand basis. For example, you might need an emergency session to review the course material before an exam. Or, you might prefer a tutor who can introduce new units before they start in class. It’s up to you.
The Costs are Reasonable
You would think private tutors would be quite expensive, but it’s almost the exact opposite. In general, you’ll likely spend more on activity fees than you would a tutor. But that all depends of course on your region, the tutor’s subject focus, and how often you meet.
Avoiding Any Bad Habits
This point is more specific to international students in a homestay situation. Especially for English writing, having a private tutor can keep a student whose native language isn’t English from picking up bad habits. Your “English parents” won’t necessarily have the best grammar.