6 Tutor Interview Questions [Updated 2025]

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Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Tutor interview questions and answers.

Can you tell me some details about your education and experience with teaching this subject matter? See answer
What are some of your favorite strategies for teaching materials to students? See answer
What would you do if you had a student who has simply given up, believing they’re a failure? See answer
What is your preferred environment to be in when you’re tutoring a student? See answer
How do you manage having more than one student to work with long term? What do you do to ensure you give each student adequate time? See answer
How can you determine if a student understands the materials or needs additional instruction?
Have you ever conducted group tutoring sessions? If so, what was your experience like and how did you make sure that each student learned?
Can you tell me about a time you were just as confused with a student’s homework as they were? How did you handle the situation?
What do you do ahead of each tutoring session to ensure you have a productive lesson with your students?
Do you have experience tutoring a student with learning disabilities? If so, how did you adjust your sessions to help them learn in a way they could understand?
What tactics do you use to motivate unenthusiastic learners? Which have you found to be the most effective in cultivating student interest in a subject?
Do you feel comfortable consulting with the student’s teacher to gain more insights into areas for improvement? How has your communication been with students in the past?
How would your previous students describe you?
What do you do to stay up to date on changes in curriculum guidelines and subject instruction?
What do you believe are some important soft skills that you can teach to your students in addition to specific subject matter?

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Hire your next Tutor today.

Hire your next Tutor today.

Our mission

Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

6 Tutor Interview Questions and Answers

How can you determine if a student understands the material or needs additional instruction?

This is an important question as it should reveal how a tutor makes decisions on ways to approach students’ weak areas. The candidate’s answer should demonstrate how sensitive they are to students’ needs and how they test their understanding of subjects. You should also pay attention to whether the applicant is good at listening to students.

What to look for in an answer:

Strong desire to help students improve
Ability to specify weak areas
Interacts well with students

Example:

“I review their homework and tests to see which specific areas they are consistently struggling with. Then I give sample problems to zero in on weak areas. I also ask what areas they find difficult.”

Can you tell me some details about your education and experience with teaching this subject matter?

Most tutoring jobs will include very specific fields, so make sure the candidate is comfortable with these areas. Asking applicants about their educational background can give you some insight into both their knowledge and their interest in the subject. Using this question also encourages the candidate to share any past teaching background they may have. This question should reveal how qualified they are.

What to look for in an answer:

Adequate education in the desired fields
Passion for the subject matter
Ability to explain complicated concepts to others

Example:

“I took several calculus and abstract algebra courses in college, and I made study cards that the whole class used for exam preparation.”

What are some of your favorite strategies for teaching materials to students?

This is an important question to ask as you get to see the tutor’s individual style and approach to teaching. The candidate’s response lets you know how they prefer to explain concepts to students. You should get a good sense if the prospective tutor can help different students. This question also lets you see what sort of educational milestones the applicant prioritizes.

What to look for in an answer:

Knowledge of various teaching methods
Ability to adjust strategies for different students
Open to trying different teaching styles

Example:

“I like to encourage students to ask questions and really understand subjects. I find non-traditional methods, like hands-on learning, to be particularly effective.”

What would you do if you had a student who has simply given up, believing they’re a failure?

Asking this question is a test for how well candidates handle a difficult situation, and you can see just how committed they are to helping students learn. It provides insight into their interpersonal skills and makes sure they are prepared for challenging teaching experiences. Can the tutor candidate change the mindset of the student?

What to look for in an answer:

Thoughtful approaches to students
Calm and steady personality
Desire to help students who don’t seem to want to learn

Example:

“I usually give out test samples that are easy for them so that they do well. When they see their score, they start to believe they can do it. This is a huge confidence booster. I’ll continue to add just one or two challenging questions but continue to make it doable for their level.”

What is your preferred environment to be in when you’re tutoring a student?

Ask this question to see if the tutor likes a busy classroom setting or enjoys a one-on-one, quiet environment. Different children learn better in different contexts, so it is helpful to find a tutor who can switch between various scenarios with ease. This is an important question because you get to see if the candidate’s tutoring style would fit in with your organization.

What to look for in an answer:

Confidence in their preferred teaching style
Flexibility to work in unconventional scenarios
Compatibility with your organization’s tutoring environments

Example:

“Ideally, I prefer a quiet area that the student is comfortable in, but I know how to keep a student on track even in distraction-filled environments.”

How do you manage having more than one student to work with long term? What do you do to ensure you give each student adequate time?

Tutors often have a responsibility to teach more than one student over the duration of weeks, months or a year. Their ability to maintain their schedule and stay organized ensures they provide each of their students with enough time for instruction. This question allows interviewers to gauge a tutor's experience managing an appointment schedule effectively.

A candidate's answer should emphasize:

Organization skills
Use of scheduling software
Communication with students

Here is one example of a quality candidate answer:

Example:

"I use an online software program that shows all of my students and their parents the available session times for the duration of a month. It also allows them to click on the session times that work best for them. On the day of each session, I contact the parent to confirm that their child is still available to meet for a specific session. If I run into a schedule conflict, I make it known immediately and apologize for the inconvenience."

A group of five people in a modern office setting, two of them appear to be giving a presentation while the other two are seated at a wooden conference table with laptops and a coffee cup in front of them. They all seem engaged in a discussion. The room has a bright atmosphere with natural light streaming in from the side window.

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