1. Are you an Ontario-certified teacher?

This is the single most important question, and the one most ads dodge. Anyone can call themselves a tutor — university students, recent grads, people with no classroom training at all. An Ontario-certified teacher has a degree, a Bachelor of Education, and a certificate from the Ontario College of Teachers. More importantly, they have spent real time in real classrooms managing real students. They know how kids actually learn, how to spot a misconception before it hardens, and how to keep a session moving without losing a tired eight-year-old. If a tutoring service cannot tell you clearly that its tutors are Ontario-certified teachers, that is your answer.

2. Do you know the Ontario curriculum at my child's grade?

Being smart at math is not the same as knowing the Grade 5 Ontario math curriculum. What your child is learning this month — fractions, the new de-streamed Grade 9 math, the parts of the literacy curriculum the OSSLT tests — matters enormously. A certified teacher knows exactly what your child's classroom teacher is teaching, what the report card categories actually mean, and where each unit is heading next. Ask the tutor to name the strands your child is working on right now. If they cannot, they are tutoring from a generic workbook, not from your child's school life.

3. Do you offer a trial session?

Would you hire a babysitter without a meeting first? A trial session is the only honest way to answer the real question: does this tutor connect with my child? You get to watch how the tutor explains things, how patient they are, and whether your child leaves feeling capable instead of small. A tutoring service that is confident in its teachers offers a first session free — it costs them, and they do it anyway, because they know most families stay once they see the quality. Anyone who demands a long-term contract before your child has met the tutor is selling you a membership, not an education.

4. How do you assess my child before starting?

Tutoring without a starting assessment is like medicine without a diagnosis. A good tutor does not just ask "what grade is your child getting?" — they find out where the understanding breaks down. Does your child struggle with the concept itself, or with the way questions are worded? Are they missing a skill from two grades ago that everything new depends on? Ask how the tutor figures this out in the first session or two, and how the plan changes based on what they find. If the answer is a fixed workbook that every child works through in the same order, your child is not getting tutoring — they are getting worksheets.

5. Will I get progress updates?

You are the one paying, and you are the one who lives with the report card — so you should never have to chase the tutor to find out what is happening. Before you sign up, ask: how often will I hear from you, and what will I hear? A quick note after sessions, a summary when a unit wraps up, a heads-up when something is not working — these are the habits of a teacher who treats parents as partners. If a tutor goes quiet after the first payment, you will be left guessing whether the sessions are doing anything at all. Communication is part of the service. Make sure it is included.

6. Can I get references from other parents?

A tutor is going to work one-on-one with your child, often in your home or over a video call. Trust has to be earned, not assumed. Real references — other local parents you can actually talk to — tell you things no ad ever will: does the tutor show up on time, do the kids actually like them, did anything improve? Check the Google reviews too, and read what parents actually wrote rather than just counting stars. A tutor or service with nothing to show you from real families is asking you to trust blindly. You do not have to.

7. What is the real cost per hour — including packages?

Get the number in writing before you start. The true cost is the per-hour rate with no surprises: ask whether there are registration fees, material fees, or cancellation penalties hiding behind the headline price. Then ask about packages — most good tutoring services discount when you commit to a month, because consistency is what actually moves learning forward. For reference, at Tutored by Teachers our one-on-one sessions are $40/hour, and our small-group sessions are $25/hour per student in groups of no more than four. Our monthly packages are $300 for eight one-on-one sessions and $180 for eight group sessions. Compare that honestly against what you would pay elsewhere, and make sure the first session is free so you risk nothing finding out if it is the right fit.

Private tutor vs. tutoring centre vs. online: an honest comparison

Once you have asked the seven questions, you still have to pick a format — and each has real trade-offs. A private tutor gives your child the tutor's full attention, and the plan can bend entirely around your child; the downside is that it is usually the most expensive option, and quality depends completely on the one person you hire. A tutoring centre offers structure, a fixed location, and other kids around, which some students find motivating; the downside is larger groups where your child can quietly fall behind, plus rigid schedules and, often, franchise-style materials rather than a teacher's judgment. Online tutoring is convenient — no driving across Brampton in February — but the downside is screen fatigue and a tutor who may never learn what your child's classroom is actually like. There is a middle path that many families do not know about: small groups of up to four students with a certified teacher. You get the attention and the curriculum knowledge, a little peer energy, and a lower per-hour cost than one-on-one. It is not right for every child, but it deserves a place in your comparison.

Try a Free Session

The best way to see if tutoring is right for your child is to try it. Book a free trial session with one of our Ontario-certified teachers — online or in person in Brampton — and get an honest sense of where your child stands and what would help most.

Book Your Free Trial

Prefer to talk first? Call (647) 624-8393 or message us on WhatsApp.