To be clear, this article is not about becoming a private tutor as a university student. This article should be helpful if you find elements of your degree-level studies difficult and are considering reaching out for extra academic help from a tutor.
The pressure to graduate with at least a 2:1 means that significant numbers of students are turning to private tutors to help them with their studies, exam preparation and academic skills.
If you need a little help and find your university lecturers are not up to the task, this article should help you to figure out how you can use external tutoring services to your advantage.
1: Do you need help from a private tutor?
Given that you pay them tuition fees totalling thousands of pounds per year, your university should have some academic help available, be it with understanding academic concepts, essay writing, exam preparation or research technique. Many universities assign students a personal tutor to do just that.
For many students, any academic issues they have can be solved with recourse to the university’s own services.
If these prove inadequate to the task for whatever reason, it may be worth turning to private tutors for help. Most tutors associated with companies are well-qualified and some may even be leaders in their field, so will be experienced, academic writers and researchers.
Your level of study will of course determine the kind of tutoring you may require; for example, a postgraduate student who has trouble with their studies is probably going to need a highly qualified tutor to help. If you can’t get what you need from your university, it may be time to turn to private tutors.
Read more:
2: Search for tutors in your area
Many companies exist that provide private tutoring to university students, although not all of them operate countrywide. A quick internet search can help establish what services might be available to you in your area. Regions such as Central London are likely to have many different kinds of services available for tutoring, including multiple subjects and extra support. However, areas like the Highlands and Islands are less likely to have much on offer.
Recently, though, many tutoring services which previously only offered face-to-face tutoring have been forced to begin operating remotely thanks to lockdown. They may be able to help you with studies almost anywhere, as long as there is a stable internet connection.
3: Consider what approach you are looking for
The tutoring experience offered by private companies may greatly vary. Some specialise in university level tutoring, both for undergraduates and postgraduates. Others may be primarily focused on school education, but offer higher level help too.
Most private tutoring companies will display information about their approach, level and qualifications on their website. You may decide that you prefer the teaching methods of one group over another, or find a company that focuses on developing the specific skills you need, such as essay writing practice.
Look carefully at how each company presents itself to decide which is best.
4: Think about funding
Private tutoring fees will vary based on how much tutoring you’re looking for, the expertise of the tutor and possibly the subject too. Companies will be well aware of the general financial pressures faced by students, so they are likely to make fees as reasonable as they can; however, the considerable qualifications and one-to-one services they provide naturally can come with significant price tags.
It is possible to pay private tuition fees with part of a maintenance loan, if you have one, while some students will fund with university-specific bursaries or through part-time work. This is largely a question about the availability of money, rather than tutoring, though, so check these pages about student money-management to get a better overview of meeting expenses.
Read more: Money saving tips for university students
A short list of UK private tutoring companies that cover degree-level
Here are 6 companies that offer tutoring services for unversity students:
1: The Profs
A network of highly qualified tutors from various backgrounds. They appear to have a good reputation and specialise in university level tutoring, offering their services for a range of academic issues. They are based in the City of London, but offer tutoring online if you live elsewhere.
2: Fleet Tutors
A larger company that covers all kinds of qualifications from under 10s to postgraduate level. With the help of a consultant, they pair you with a tutor selected specifically for your needs. Fleet have a rigorous selection process for their tutors, but seem to focus more on qualifications below degree level. You can meet with their tutors face to face, online or at a digital summer school.
3: PhD Tutors
This company is based in the UK but works globally, so may be of interest to international students. They also have a rigorous selection process for their tutors based on their academic and teaching skills. They offer courses 1 to 1, in small groups or online. Though not specific to university level, their tutors are mostly university academic staff, so are very likely up to the task.
4: MyTutor
This company boasts an enormously long list of tutors for a range of levels, with a focus on video meetings. One of their selling points is that you select the tutor you want from the list, which is helpful if you’re looking for a specialist in a certain field or with specific experience, but less so if you’re uncertain about where you need help most.
5: Simply Learning Tuition
This company offers not just tutoring but careers advice and general university support. Their tutors tend to be high-level, chosen for their academic and tutoring skills, but aren’t focused purely on university-level studies.
6: My Uni Tutors
My Uni Tutors helps both undergraduate and postgraduate students with their academic studies and exam preparation. They offer tuition for university students who are studying subjects including:
- Civil Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Computer Science
- Accounting and Finance
- Physics
And more
7. Uber Tutors
Uber tutors offer university-level tutoring services in all undergraduate and postgraduate modules and also support PhD students. They commonly tutor pupils studying:
- Law (LLB) and Law (LLM) courses
- Economics
- statistics and finance
- Languages
And more
In addition to offering subject-specific courses, Uber tutors offers essay writting and dissertation guidance and exam preparation.
Summary: Tutors for University Students
We hope that you enjoyed reading this post. If you need some additional academic support whilst at university, you are not alone. According to The Telegraph, Almost half of UK uni students turn to private tutors for help. If you have made the decision to get a private tutor, be sure to do your research to find the right tutor for you.
Written by Alex Hogan
Featured photo courtesy of Kampus Production – pexels
;)