Computers are involved so much in modern life that just surviving in modern society requires computer literacy.
Governments all over the world are making concerted efforts to ensure the population is IT literate and with around 95% of adults in New Zealand using the internet, it's hardly surprising that more people than ever are considering IT literacy.
There are many ways to improve your computer skills, but one really useful way is by learning with a private computer science or IT tutor.
Here's everything you need to consider before hiring a private computer science or IT tutor, how you can go about finding great tutors, and choosing the right one.
Setting Your Goals Before Finding an IT Tutor
Most people find that IT skills improve both their personal and professional lives. With private lessons and tutoring from a private tutor, you can enjoy tailored sessions that work with your schedule.
This is one of the biggest benefits of tutoring but to make sure that the sessions are properly adapted to you, you need to be clear about what you want to learn, how you want to learn, and how you like to learn.
This means that you need to be honest with yourself and ask yourself some important questions about why you want to learn IT skills.
You might want to master the basics (turning on a computer, browsing the web, using Microsoft Office, etc.) or more advanced IT topics (computer networks, programming, algorithms, etc.).
Perhaps you're already studying computers as part of a course at school or a university and need help going back over some of the trickier topics from your classes.
Be honest with yourself about why you want to get help learning about computer science or IT with a private tutor. This will help potential private IT tutors gain a better idea of what approaches will work best for you and them.
The first two questions you should ask yourself are:
- What do I want to learn?
- How quickly do I want to learn it?
Deciding How You Want to Learn with a Computer Science and IT Tutor
There are a few ways to learn with a private tutor and different formats work for different students. Consider them when looking for your private computer science or IT tutor.
Private Tutoring at Home
Many private tutors will travel to their students' homes to teach them. This is great if you have the space for it and somewhere you can work effectively in.
This also means you won't have to take your computer science or IT textbooks with you anywhere and will save you time as you just have to be at home when your private lessons are due to take place.
Being able to study from the comfort of your own home is a huge advantage of both private tutoring and online classes. For the latter, your tutor or teacher will offer their lessons via videoconferencing.
Private Tutoring at Your Tutor's Home
Tutors with a dedicated space for teaching or a classroom in their own home will likely have their students come to them. You'll want to make sure that your tutor doesn't live too far away or somewhere that's difficult to get to.
In this case, you may have to bring some materials with you, but it also means that you may be able to use some of the resources that your tutor has invested in.
If your tutor can spend more money on resources rather than travelling to their students' homes, you may find that they're able to offer better sessions.
Weekly Classes
For both the students and the tutor, it's a good idea to have weekly sessions. This means that both parties have a regular schedule that they can keep to and that they both have time to prepare between each session.
Outside of your computer science or IT tutoring, you should be revising what you've covered and preparing for your next lesson, especially if your tutor has instructed you to do so.
Budgeting for Computer Science or IT Tutoring
You always need to consider your budget when hiring a private computer science or IT tutor.
No two tutors are the same and you'll see that every tutor charges different rates. Factors like experience, transport, supply and demand, location, and format can all affect the cost of private tutoring.
For example, a more advanced lesson from a tutor with years of experience will likely cost more than a beginner's lesson in computing for a child in primary education.
Specialisations also tend to come at a premium so expect to pay more for a private computing tutor who's specialised in something like Microsoft Office, software development, and programming languages like Java, Python, C++, etc.
In areas with a better ratio of tutors to students, you'll likely pay less, too. In places with lots of students and very few tutors, you'll see the prices go up.
Shop around to see what the going rates are and remember that just because one tutor charges certain rates, it doesn't mean they all have to.
Searching for Private Computer Science and IT Tutors
You can only really start your search for private tutors once you've worked out what you want and done some research. After that, you can start looking for tutors in plenty of different places.
Tutoring agencies and companies are an obvious place to start, but these often don't give you as much choice as to which tutor you get to work with and instead will likely allocate you a tutor based on when you can attend sessions rather than always being able to match you with your ideal tutor.
You can also use the retro approach of putting up ads in local businesses or the library. Anywhere with a notice board for ads is good. There are also online equivalents to this where you can put ads for services and the same applies to social media where you can let people know that you're looking for a computing or IT tutor.
We'd be amiss if we didn't mention the Superprof website or tutoring websites and platforms in general. On sites like ours, you can search for exactly what you'd like to learn and find plenty of tutors.
Don't worry if you can't find too many suitable tutors in your local area as you can always broaden your search to include online tutoring and find IT and computer science tutors from all over the world.
Generally, face-to-face tutoring is more expensive than online tutoring as there aren't any transport costs to consider and you can also look for lessons from tutors in places with a lower cost of living.
If you're on a really tight budget, group tutoring is also an option but this tends to negate a lot of the benefits of being taught one-on-one by a private tutor.
Finding the Right Computer Science or IT Tutor
Choosing a private tutor is just like hiring any other professional, you need to find the right person for the job.
Here are some of the things you should consider when looking for potential tutors.
Your Tutor's Experience
In almost every industry, experience is worth its weight in gold. With computer science and IT tutoring, there are two types of experience to consider: subject experience and tutoring experience. A good tutor will have both. After all, the tutor needs to know what they're teaching but also be good at teaching it.
That isn't to say that those without a lot of experience will be out of the question, but generally, the more experience a tutor has, the better they'll be.
This also equates to how much they charge so if you're on a tight budget, you may have to sacrifice some subject and tutoring experience in order to be able to pay for your private tutor.
How long have they been tutoring? Did they go to one of the best universities for computer science? Are they passionate about what they do?
Your Tutor's Approach
Your lessons need to match your education level, the computing or programming skills you want to learn, and how you want to learn. You wouldn't waste time teaching basic arithmetic to a student doing a maths degree at university and you wouldn't waste your time teaching a kid in primary school advanced engineering concepts, after all.
Tutors are often there to help students wishing to learn specific skills in a particular way, otherwise, they could just learn said skills in a standard class with several other students.
Even if your tutor is helping you to learn by reviewing lessons from university, school, or another class or course, the best tutors will ensure that every session is adapted to their student, their level, and how they like to learn.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Hiring a Computer Science or IT Tutor
Before you hire a computer science or IT tutor, ask yourself these questions.
Are You Really Motivated?
Even the world's greatest tutor won't be able to teach a student who isn't motivated. No matter what you want to learn about computers, you need to want to do it.
It doesn't matter what it is that motivates you, but you'll need to find some source of motivation before you start.
It's natural that your motivation will wane, too, but a good tutor will be able to remind you of why you're studying computer science or IT and keep you on track.
No matter the subject (math - algebra/calculus/trigonometry, etc., humanities, economics, psychology, history, language, biology, physics, chemistry, etc.), if you can't find a reason to study, you'll struggle.
Take a look at our guide to learning computer science.
Does Tutoring Work with Your Schedule?
When you first start studying anything, you'll be really motivated, but remember that you need to set yourself sustainable goals, including the amount of time you'll commit to IT or computer science.
You might want several sessions a week, but you need to fit tutoring into your schedule in a sustainable way.
Can You Afford Tutoring in the Long Term?
Carefully look at your budget when you first hire a private tutor. If it turns out you can't afford tutoring, you'll end up wasting your money if you have to cancel your tuition.
Work out a sustainable budget so you can continue to enjoy the benefits of tutoring as long as you need them.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
