A parent has been through two tutors. The first was lovely and had no idea how to work with her son. The second promised a great deal and delivered forty-five minutes of the same worksheets he already struggles with at school.
She is enquiring again, warily, and the thing she is looking for is someone who will be honest with her.
What parents ask
They usually ask what experience the tutor has, whether they have worked with a particular diagnosis, how sessions are adapted, how long sessions run, whether they can be shorter, whether the child works better online or in person, whether the parent can observe, how progress is discussed and what happens if the match does not work.
Be specific about experience
Naming what a tutor has genuinely worked with, and for how long, is what parents are reading for. Broad claims about supporting all learners read as exactly what they are.
Example conversations
These scripts use information a provider might publish. Your answers should come from your own pages.
Parent: My daughter is dyslexic. Do you have anyone who understands that? Assistant: The additional needs page describes the tutors' experience and training and how sessions are adapted, including the pace and the materials used. Whether a particular tutor is the right fit is something the coordinator discusses with you first, usually before any session is booked. Could you tell me her age and what she finds hardest?
Parent: He cannot manage a full hour. Is that a problem? Assistant: The page explains that session length is adjusted to suit the child, including shorter sessions and breaks, and how that affects the fee. It also explains how sessions are structured for children who find sustained focus difficult.
Parent: What if it does not work out? Assistant: The page explains the trial arrangement, how a change of tutor is handled and what happens to any hours already paid for. The coordinator can talk through what would suit before you commit to anything.
Offer a proper conversation before a session
Parents with a child who has been let down will not book blind. A call with a coordinator, before any tutor is assigned, is what converts these enquiries.
Say what you do not do
A tutor is not a therapist, an assessor or a diagnostician, and cannot fix a school placement. Being explicit about this protects the family from misplaced hope and protects the tutor from an impossible brief.
Explain how progress is discussed
Parents want to know what happened in the session and whether anything is changing. Regular, plain communication is often what they most want and least often get.
Make the trial low risk
A single session, a short block or the ability to change tutor without losing hours. This is the practical expression of taking their situation seriously.
Capture gently and carefully
Age, year group, what they find difficult, any assessment or plan in place if the parent wants to share it, and what has been tried. Never require a diagnosis to be disclosed.
The tone matters throughout
The care described in special educational needs questions answered with care applies to every part of this.
Ordinary enquiries arrive alongside
They are covered in parents looking for a tutor before exams.
Pricing still has to be clear
Packages and blocks are covered in tutoring package and block booking questions, and enquiry handling in an AI receptionist for tutoring centres.
Getting started
Publish your tutors' experience, how sessions are adapted, the trial arrangement and what you do not offer, then capture enquiries gently at any hour. SpideyChat for education providers answers from your published pages. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.