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Required level of qualification for Tutoring

Quality of teaching is not always directly related to the level of education. Some subjects of

course will require a good understanding of the curriculum, but there is no reason to believe

that the higher the education the tutor has, the better at tutoring they are.

For argument's sake, let us use an example of GCSE Biology. A PhD student in biology may be

able to teach Biology very well, but this is not to say a tutor with only an A-level in biology

will be any worse/better at teaching GCSE students.

It's not the level of qualification that makes you a good tutor, but your ability to teach the

subject. Having a deeper knowledge of the subject from further education can be an advantage,

but it can also be considered a hindrance when one considers how long the education takes.

A beginner tutor with a PhD in biology may not even remember doing their GSCEs, while the

GCSE syllabus is likely to have moved on since they were taught the subject at GCSE level.

It might be more appropriate for the PhD student to tutor under graduates and A-level students.

There are several minimum requirements we would suggest when considering what tuition level

you should be tutoring. For academic subjects, the tutor should at least have a bear minimum

qualification in the subject they are teaching. However, we would advise at least to have one

further level up, preferably 2 levels of qualifications upwards. For example GCSE students

of Mathematics should be taught by tutors that hold a good grade in Maths A-Level or

Mathematics degree level.

These requirements are not by any means a rigid mould, merely a suggestion. It might be that

some tutors are better suited to teach older individuals and other tutors have methods that

better apply to younger students, regardless of their educational background.

More importantly than an advanced education is enthusiasm for the subject and Enthusiasm for

tutoring, but that's for our next tuition article:

Next >> Have I got the right attitude for tutoring

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Education and Teaching