First off, they need to know the language. If you work with a tutor you need to make sure they have the necessary credentials. When I say “they need to know the language” a lot of you are probably thinking to yourself that this is common knowledge. But you would be surprised. Knowing the language goes further than being able to speak and understand it. For instance, there are thirty two million illiterate people in the United States alone. These individuals know the language and can understand it, they are able to hold full conversations. But there is absolutely no way that they can teach it.
Now, this might be a little extreme but the same can be said about literate English speakers as well. Just because you can speak, read, write and comprehend the language does not mean that you can actively teach it to a student. You need to make sure that whoever you are working with has the necessary skills to actually teach the language. First off, can they communicate to you the things that you need to know.
Do they know verb tenses and types of nouns? Or even the more in-depth grammar practices that come associated with the English language. You need a tutor who knows all of these rules and techniques while also being able to teach you. Next, your tutor must be able to pinpoint what you are doing wrong and then help you fix the problems. I remember when I was younger, my cousins would make fun of me because I was not able to say certificate. They knew I was saying it wrong, but none of them were able to show me how to say it right. After spending a few sessions with my grandmother, who was also a teacher, I was able to say the word and the jokes stopped.
This is just a small example, but you need to make sure that your tutor is able to do the exact same thing. The tutor has to be able to give you constructive criticism and feedback that is going to help you better understand the English language. Lastly, you want to make sure that your tutor is college educated. There are certain things that you learn in a college classroom that you will not be able to learn anywhere else. So it is important that you work with someone who has that knowledge so that you can receive it and also so that they can actually teach you.
Finding a tutor who is also a certified teacher my be trickier, but is something that you should do in order to make sure you are working with someone who is qualified. When you work with a tutor who can actually teach, who has a college degree, who can provide constructive feedback while also helping you get to the bottom of your issues you are ensuring that you are working with an effective tutor.
