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Selecting a tutor to assist with your child's education, or indeed, your own further education, is an important choice.

The fundamental features that define a high-quality tutor are:

Qualifications and Experience
Any potential tutor should have appropriate teaching qualifications, along with relevant experience. Any respectable tutor will be only to willing to discuss their qualifications and experience. If a tutor is being employed outside the "education system," references are also important. Be certain to follow up any references provided, as these are the best "yardstick" by which to judge the tutor's suitability.

A Passion for Teaching
An accomplished tutor will not only love their branch of learning, but will be passionate about students gaining the best possible results. They will want to help the student to cherish learning for its own sake. Unfortunately, for some tutors, "cash is king," rather than the learning experience. Good quality tutors consider teaching as a contribution to a better society, with the income gained a secondary consideration.

Effective Teaching Skills
An effective tutor has the ability to communicate the lesson so that the student enjoys study time. Learning should be fun, with the student looking forward to time spent with the tutor. Furthermore, successful tutors can present sessions that the student can relate to, in a "real-world" sense, thus enabling better understanding.

Empathy
Talented tutors are compassionate enough to understand the student's learning difficulties and customise their lessons accordingly. The correct ratio of compassion and strictness towards pupils is essential. Before finally selecting a tutor, it is wise to get them to hold a mock lesson with the student. Your child's reaction should be the deciding factor. If they appear to "gel" with the tutor and his / her teaching style, employ them; otherwise, it makes sense to look elsewhere.

Tolerance
Tutoring requires patience in abundance. Students are not always in the mood to study, so often, the tutor must cajole and persuade, in order for a session to be productive. Additionally, students won't always comprehend what is being taught at the first time of asking, so a tutor needs the patience to repeat the lesson until it is fully understood.

Affable Approach
Any tutor should be welcoming and responsive. It is imperative that the student views his tutor as a friend, and not frightening and unapproachable. There should be a rapport between the two, but it is important that the tutor maintain a professional approach, so that he / she is seen as an authority figure. A high quality tutor will be candid and reasonable, but able to correct a student straying into irrelevancies. A tolerant tutor will listen to questions and endeavour to explain the most difficult of concepts in the most comprehensible fashion, dependent on the student in question.

Accountability
A tutor should be responsible enough to report the progress or decline of the student to the parents. If the reason for the decline is the tutor himself, he should say so, in the best interests of the student.

Organisation
Well-organised tutors will have a structure to their timetable and lesson plans. They will have an overview of what they seek to achieve within the available time and will plan accordingly. They should be able to offer unlimited guidance, examples and resources.

It is worth noting that accomplished tutors have little need to advertise their services. Anyone who has been successfully involved in tutoring for any length of time will have built up a reputation with students and parents. Discussing requirements with parents of similar aged children may be the most successful method of locating a great tutor. Alternatively, the local press or websites such as www.Personal-Tutors.co.uk are appropriate sources. "Word of mouth" recommendations should carry a substantially greater weight than any "paper" qualifications when considering a tutor. An obvious passion for teaching, supported by a large number of satisfied parents and students are the best credentials a tutor could have.

Criminal Records Board (CRB)
A final word on safety. Obviously, your child's safety is of paramount importance. In the U.K., any prospective tutor should be "CRB-checked." This means certification from the CRB that the tutor has no criminal record. This is particularly important if your child is being taught at the tutor's premises, in your absence