The impressive CV that taught me how to choose a tutor

I was left scratching my head

I have interviewed tutor applicants who looked brilliant on paper. Impressive universities. Advanced qualifications. The sort of CV you could put in front of a parent and expect an immediate nod of approval. Then the interview started, and the picture changed.

I remember being left scratching my head: how on earth was this PhD tutor applicant being outshone by me in an interview? The qualification suggested depth. Yet when we got down to the questions an A-Level student actually has to answer, the performance did not match the impression the CV had created.

That experience forced me to ask a more useful question. Was I selecting people who looked impressive, or people who could deliver the outcome our students needed? A parent is trusting us with a young person's education. I could not let a polished application stand in for evidence of ability.

So I put an examination before the interview

I introduced the standardised examinations every single Finesse tutor applicant must complete before they even get the chance to interview. That changed the order of the conversation. First show us what you can do. Then we can talk about how you would teach it.

Our tutors have achieved an A or A* in the relevant A-Level subject they teach. But a grade from the past is only the starting point. We also need to know that the ability is there now. It is no use hiring someone who used to be good if they have forgotten the art of the game.

Think of a footballer with an impressive medal cabinet. The medals tell you what they achieved. If you are choosing someone for a match this weekend, you still want to see them play. I apply the same thinking to tutoring: respect the track record, then check the current performance.

Choose expertise that matches the actual examination

A Chemistry specialist can know a tremendous amount about Chemistry. An A-Level student also needs someone who understands what their particular examination is asking them to demonstrate, and how to communicate it precisely enough to earn the marks.

That is why I want an A-Level Chemistry mark-scheme specialist: someone who combines proper scientific understanding with a command of the specification, the question styles and the assessment guidance. Memorising phrases without understanding is not enough. Neither is understanding a concept but being unable to explain it in the form the question requires.

It is like learning to drive. An engineer might explain the engine beautifully. A good driving instructor also knows what you need to demonstrate on the road, can spot the habit that will cost you, and can help you correct it. The knowledge has to reach the learner in a useful form.

I do not see this as a tiny detail that only matters when polishing a B into an A. If gaps in understanding, method and exam technique keep compounding, the difference can be much wider: A-standard work and D-standard work can look worlds apart. That is why I take the specificity so seriously. It is not a promise that changing tutor alone will produce a particular grade.

My simple starting check: give them a three-mark question

Choose an unfamiliar three-mark question from your child's current exam-board specification. Give the tutor the question without the mark scheme and ask them to answer it, then teach you how they reached the answer. Compare the response with the official scheme, including any accepted alternatives.

Do they earn the available marks? More importantly, can they explain why each point matters, spot a nearly correct answer and show your child how to improve it? One question cannot establish someone's entire teaching ability, but it can make a vague sales conversation much more revealing.

For a calculation, look for a clear method, the right units and an explanation of the chemical ratio. For an explanation question, look for a connected argument rather than a handful of scientific keywords. Ask what they would do if your child still did not understand after the first explanation.

• Use the correct subject, exam board and current specification.
• Check the tutor's own answer against the official marking guidance.
• Ask them to explain the reasoning in language your child understands.
• Follow up with a different question and a discussion of how they identify learning gaps.

Learn from people who can demonstrate the standard

Tony Robbins puts it this way: “Success leaves clues. Find someone who’s already achieved what you want and model their strategies.” That captures something I believe strongly: when you are trying to improve, study how people who perform well actually work.

A musician can show you where your timing slips. A good coach can see the movement you have not noticed. A good tutor should be able to make the thinking behind a strong answer visible, then help you practise it yourself.

Ask what A-Level grade your tutor achieved in the subject they teach. If you do not know, find out why it has not been discussed. Do not substitute assumptions for a straight answer. A grade is one piece of evidence; pair it with current performance, teaching clarity and knowledge of your exam board.

Passing the examination is not the end of our process

At Finesse, we thoroughly vet our teachers and put them through a rigorous training process. We train them on examiner comments, official guidance and mark schemes so that lessons connect subject understanding with the way that understanding is assessed.

Our tutors come from university backgrounds including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Imperial, Warwick, Durham, Liverpool, City, St George's and King's College London. I am proud of that calibre. But the university name does not replace our examination, interview or training. Every tutor has to go through the process.

The standard I want is simple: someone who can perform, explain, diagnose a mistake and help a student improve. That is what I mean when I say we only work with the best. The claim has to be backed by the way we select and train people, not just by impressive names on a page.

The questions I would ask before choosing a tutor

If I were choosing a tutor for my own child, I would want to leave the conversation knowing how they think and teach. I would ask these questions before making a decision.

A good tutor should welcome that level of interest. You are not buying a qualification framed on someone else's wall. You are choosing the person your child will learn from, copy and turn to when a difficult question makes them want to give up. Make sure that person can still play the game—and can teach your child how to play it.

• What grade did you achieve in the subject, and how do you keep your knowledge current?
• Which exam boards do you teach, and how do you use their examiner reports?
• Can you work through this question and explain where students usually lose marks?
• How will you identify the reason my child is struggling?
• What will you change if the first explanation does not work?
• How will we see whether the teaching is helping?