The decision to employ a full-time live-in tutor can
have a monumental impact on family life. Perhaps the tutor is being
hired to help remedy academic problems, or maintain a consistent
education for your child when your family travels extensively. Perhaps
conventional schooling has failed your child and the time has come to
step away from the traditional school system. Having a reputable tutor
agency find and screen candidates is essential. Not only because of the
background and reference checks, but also because they know the
qualities to look for in the best full-time tutors, and how to ensure a
candidate genuinely has those qualities. As parents, awareness of some
of the core abilities and characteristics the agency will be looking
for can give you confidence when making your final selection from the
shortlisted candidates.

Background checks

The best
tutor agencies will carry out a great deal of research on the final
tutor candidates before you meet them, to ensure that there are no
previous convictions. Check that the tutor agency also carries out
background research that is sufficiently in-depth to uncover serious
accusations that may fall below the radar of a normal criminal record
check. Not all tutor agencies do this, and as the live-in tutor will
become a member of your household staff and have daily contact with
your children, the expertise in this area that the best agencies offer
cannot be underestimated.

Academic excellence

Of
course, any candidate under consideration must have an outstanding
academic career, one which demonstrates a superlative academic track
record throughout school and an excellent degree from a top university.
This is critical, as the interaction between the tutor and student
tends to be more intellectually challenging when the tutor is the
single point of call for all academic questions. The speed at which
topics can be introduced is faster than when managing a class,
therefore the depth of tuition can exceed a standard school curriculum.

Ideally
a private live-in tutor will be skilled in a wide range of subjects -
they may have a degree in a language but studied one or more of the
sciences at A-level for example. This variety of knowledge is necessary
in order to be able to deal with the intensity of tutoring one or two
students full time, not only because the tutor is responsible for
educating in multiple disciplines, but also because student questions
can cover a wide variety of topics at varying depths.

The very
best private tutors can demonstrate that they have passions - for
learning and for interests that they have pursued beyond school and
university. Professional qualifications are a good indicator of this,
but also leisure activities. Many of the best live-in tutors have done
extraordinary things; cycled across Europe for example, or enjoy things
like parachuting, travelling, activities that are challenging and
broaden the mind. Not only can this be inspirational for your child,
but also demonstrates that the live-in tutor has a character that is
above average; an individual who is adventurous and able to deal with
challenges.

Some personality types are better suited to being a live-in tutor than others

The
ideal live-in tutor also has a particular type of personality; whilst
that person can demonstrate extraordinarily high achievement, they
should also have humility. Arrogance and self-absorption are not good
qualities for a full-time live-in tutor! Imagine a wonderful physics
tutor who also mountain climbs. On paper that sounds great, but if that
person is so egocentric that they can\'t fit into your family, or have
dinner conversations that don\'t center on their great Everest
experience, they won\'t be a good live-in tutor.

A live-in tutor is also a role model

Another
question to consider is whether the candidate would make an exemplary
role model - after all, he or she is likely to become a major influence
in your child\'s life. Being a role model ranges from not smoking to
being responsible in society. It\'s having an unblemished professional
record, and demonstrating total engagement in everything the tutor
does, both professionally and in leisure time. A full-time private
tutor will be spending so much time with your children that it will be
hard to hide any bad habits they might have.

Ultimately, the
ideal live-in tutor has to be responsible, resourceful, and someone
that you know will be able to deal with any kind of problem that may
arise. After all, the tutor will be trusted to care for your child, not
only in a study or library, but also when out on visits to galleries,
museums and other events. Once the tutor agency has identified the best
candidates; individuals with all of these core qualities and more, you
can make your final selection with confidence.