I'm just curious. Has anyone ever used a reading tutor for their child? How young did you start? How much were you willing to pay? Where did you look or how did you find one that turned out successful for your child's needs?
The college student I use charges $13 an hour. I usually pay her a little more
We use a teacher who retired as a math specialist from our school for math tutoring. She charges $40/hour, which is consistent with going rates for musical instrument lessons in our area.
We used a math tutor for our son this year and he is in 7th grade. We pay $12 for 45 minutes. We started the first day of school. We never wanted him to feel like he was "lost" or falling behind. This paid off tremendously overall for our son(and us as parents).
We reached out to our friends who have High School Senior aged kids who are academically driven. We used a friend's daughter who is a whiz kid in all her subjects and a musician. She worked out great with our son. He looked forward to this cute High Schooler coming twice a week. They simply worked on his homework assignments together and did review problems. She was patient and encouraging.
He was so confident in his Math abilities this year. We will get a Math tutor again for next year. But we have to find a new one because our girl is heading off to college.
Good luck and best wishes!!
You don't mention how old your child is. I personally wouldn't get a tutor til middle school. But that is just me.
Start with your school guidance counselor. Many teachers tutor on the side, especially during the summer. The guidance counselor usually knows who tutors and can help you find the right tutor for your child.
As for paying... academic tutors around here start at $50 per hour cash. Music instruction is usually $30-$40 per half hour.
chicago I was quoted similar to JB - around $50/hour for a professional private tutor.
However, I hired a grad student from one of the universities in the "Learning Lab" and since she didn't have her degree yet, she charged significantly less - around $20/hour. Once my daughter was diagnosed and the school put a "plan" in place, I used the grad student for "homework support" - this was in 2nd grade. But the bulk of actual "teaching" was the literacy specialist at my daughter's school through her IEP.
We use a teacher from my child's school. We pay $40 an hour. Yes, there are tutors who charge less, but my son reacts and works well with his tutor.
She has helped him improve several levels in reading and in math.
When either my husband (his dad) or I would work with him, he would get flustered and it wasn't "fun". he loves to read - however he would not always "comprehend" what he was reading - so she taught him tricks that we didn't really know - that has helped him a lot!
Word of mouth from other parents, $40 - $50 an hour for an experienced teacher with an amazing track record of using non-traditional techniques to help children with various learning styles and abilities learn.
I used a HS AP student at my school for my son's Honors Algebra math. She was $20 an hour. She was a senior, he was a 9th grader. I had to pick her up and take her home. She also ate dinner with us after tutoring. That was over 5 years ago.
My 7 year old has a reading tutor. She is a reading specialist at her school. She charges $35 for a 1/2 hour.
I hired two Spanish tutors for my kids this year. I found them at a local college, majoring in Spanish Education. they were both incredible and taught my kids a great deal of Spanish, came prepared with lesson plans, etc. And the best part, only $10 an hour. It was great experience for them, they were motivated as this was their major and they wanted to begin gaining experience. So it was a win win for both of us. I would look at your local collages and seek someone who is majoring in the subject you want, tho any education major can work with many subjects. And you may find someone on their way to being a reading specialist, who will be great but cheaper. If you don't mind paying or if money is not an issue, many local teachers at schools do tutoring after school and/or on weekends and throughout the summer. Or you can go the super expensive route and find a learning center like huntington or sylvan, etc.
