A trial lesson is the cheapest way to find out whether a tutor suits your child, and the easiest to waste. Many parents leave it with a vague feeling, “seemed nice”, and then either book on that basis or drift away. A little structure turns the hour into evidence. This guide covers what to look for during the lesson, what to ask afterwards, and how to decide.
Know what a trial can and cannot show
One lesson cannot show whether your child will improve over a term. It can show three things reasonably well:
- Diagnosis. Did the tutor work out what your child finds difficult, or just start teaching the next chapter?
- Communication. Could your child follow the explanations, and did the tutor change them when they did not land?
- Relationship. Did your child feel safe enough to say “I don’t get it”?
Those three matter more than anything on the tutor’s profile. A great degree is no use if the explanations do not connect.
Before the lesson
Send the tutor a short message with the topic, any upcoming tests and what your child finds hard. Our guide on preparing your child for online lessons has a sample. Have your child bring a piece of recent work they struggled with, ideally something that went wrong, and tell them the tutor is there to see where they get stuck. That framing matters: a child who tries to look clever in the trial gets a tutor who teaches the wrong things.
Before booking, you should have already run basic checks on the tutor; see our guide on checking an online tutor is safe.
During the lesson: what to watch
You do not need to follow the subject to judge a lesson. Watch the pattern.
The first ten minutes. A good tutor asks questions. What are you working on at school? Show me something you found tricky. How do you feel about this subject? They may give a short task to see how your child thinks. A weak start is a tutor who launches into a prepared lecture, or who asks only “what do you want to do today?” and then waits.
Who is talking. In a strong lesson your child does a large share of the talking and the working. If the tutor is doing the problems while your child watches and nods, little is being learned however polished it looks.
What happens when your child is wrong. This is the most revealing moment. A good tutor asks “walk me through what you did”, finds the specific misunderstanding and explains it a different way. A poor one repeats the same explanation more slowly or just gives the answer.
The questions the tutor asks. “Does that make sense?” invites a polite yes. “Can you show me how you would do the next one?” shows whether it did.
Tone. Look for patience, some warmth and no sarcasm or hurry. Your child should not look tense. A little shyness is normal; shrinking is not.
The practical side. Could your child see the tutor’s working? Did the shared whiteboard or camera setup work? Did the lesson start and end on time? Small technical problems are forgivable once, but a tutor who is disorganised in a trial will probably stay that way.
If you sit in, keep out of the lesson. Do not answer for your child or correct the tutor. Take brief notes on the points above.
Straight after: ask your child, gently
Wait ten minutes, then ask open questions rather than “Did you like it?”:
- “What did you work on?”
- “Was there anything you understood at the end that you didn’t at the start?”
- “Did the tutor explain things in a way that made sense?”
- “Would you want to do another one? What would you change?”
Notice specifics. “We did fractions and she showed me a way with pictures” is a good sign. “It was OK” can mean anything, so ask again the next day. A child who can describe something they learned, even a small thing, is a good sign. Pay particular attention if they say they felt stupid or rushed.
Resist the urge to ask for an immediate verdict. Some children are unsettled by a new person and warm up in the second lesson. That is the reason to ask a second question, not to rule out a tutor.
Ask the tutor for a plan
A good tutor will send a short follow-up or give one if asked. Ask:
- What did you find were the main gaps?
- What would you work on over the next four to six lessons?
- How will we know it is working?
- What should my child practise between lessons?
- How and when will you tell me how things are going?
You are looking for specific answers: “She is secure on adding fractions but loses marks converting mixed numbers, so we will spend two lessons on that and then move to equations.” Be wary of vague promises such as “I will get her to a grade 7” after one session, or answers that would apply to any child. For tracking progress once lessons start, see our guide on tracking your child’s progress with a tutor.
Red flags
- The tutor spends the lesson talking and your child barely speaks.
- No questions about your child’s school, level or goals.
- Pressure to commit to a large block before you have decided.
- Dismissiveness about the teacher or school.
- Guarantees of grades or fast results.
- Your child comes away more anxious or more convinced they are bad at the subject.
- Any behaviour that feels inappropriate. Act on that straight away; you do not owe a tutor a second lesson.
Deciding
Put the evidence side by side:
| Question | Good sign | Worry |
|---|---|---|
| Did the tutor find the gap? | Specific diagnosis | Generic teaching |
| Did your child follow? | Could do a similar task alone | Nodding along |
| How did your child feel? | Calm, a bit more confident | Tense or flat |
| Is there a plan? | Clear next steps | Vague promises |
If most are good, book a short block, perhaps four lessons, and agree a review date. If it is mixed, a second trial on a different topic is reasonable, or a trial with another tutor so you have something to compare. If the signs are poor, thank the tutor politely and move on; a trial exists so that both sides can decide. Our guide on finding an online maths tutor is a useful place to continue, and the same approach works for other subjects.
Keep the decision shared with your child. A tutor your child is willing to work with will beat a more impressive one they dread.