All parents will understand the need to assist their children with their schoolwork and enable them to gain the best grades possible.  This wish to help is increased even further when children are studying towards important exams on key subjects.  This feeling can lead to many parents trying to give their children GCSE Maths tuition.  But is this approach really the right move?

Evolving curriculum

There is a strong chance that the curriculum that many parents learnt whilst at school has now evolved.  This means that there is the chance that they will not be able to provide the right tuition to their child.  There is also the possibility that even if they know all of the topics being taught; the methods used to work through problems has changed.

Teaching skills

As part of the training process, teachers are shown different techniques to use in order to ensure that they are reaching all pupils.  If you do not have these techniques then communicating ideas and methods to your child can be difficult, even if you know the subject well.  This could easily lead to the child being taught, thinking that the problem lies with their ability to learn as opposed to your teaching skills, which could set them back.

Family problems

Life experience tells us the family member don’t always work well together and that arguments can often occur.  We all know someone that has argued with a family member who has been trying to help them learn to drive.  The kind of tension that occurs in these situations can also occur when parents try to provide GCSE Maths tuition to their child.  A lack of patience on the parents side or even a personality clash can mean that the tuition given can actually be harmful rather than helpful.

Other options

It is likely that you have worked out that we don’t believe that it is a good idea to provide your child with GCSE Maths tuition; unless you have the proper qualifications.  We believe that there are alternatives that are much better suited to providing them with the support that they need.  The first option is to hire a lecturer, teacher or graduate student, who does tutoring on the side as a way of earning extra money.  Another route that is becoming more popular is online GCSE Maths tuition, which is actually cheaper and more convenient than private tutoring.