• What Should International Families Look for in an Online Tutor?

    Type “online tutor” into a search engine and you will find hundreds of people offering tuition, promising excellent results, personalised lessons and experienced teaching. But when your child lives overseas, the decision can be a little more complicated.

    Perhaps they attend an international school in Dubai. Maybe they are following the British Curriculum in Abu Dhabi, studying Common Core in Saudi Arabia, or moving between educational systems because your family is relocating. Perhaps your child has ADHD, dyslexia, autism, dyscalculia or simply needs a little more confidence.

    So, what should you actually look for?

    Having worked with students in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries around the world, I have found that the best online tutor is not necessarily the person with the longest list of qualifications.

    For me, one quality stands above the rest: flexibility.

    Look for a tutor who understands your child’s curriculum

    International families do not all follow the same educational pathway.

    Some children study the British Curriculum, whilst others follow an American curriculum or another international programme. I have worked with students in Saudi Arabia following Common Core English and Mathematics programmes, as well as learners in the UAE whose schools approach certain areas of mathematics differently. I have also supported students preparing for GL Assessments and studying iGCSE English Language.

    This experience has taught me that curriculum knowledge matters.

    A tutor should understand what your child is being asked to learn, the terminology they are encountering and the expectations of their school. However, they also need to recognise that two children studying the same subject may have very different educational experiences.

    For example, a child preparing for an assessment in Riyadh may need a different approach from a child preparing for a similar assessment in Bedford.

    The underlying skills may be similar, but the route towards developing them can be completely different.

    Look for flexibility rather than one fixed teaching method

    This is probably the biggest lesson I have learnt from working with international families.

    A tutor who rigidly follows one programme or one teaching style may struggle when a child’s circumstances change.

    A flexible tutor can adapt resources, explanations, lesson structure and activities according to the learner sitting in front of them.

    This is particularly important for children with additional learning needs.

    There is no such thing as a “typical” child with ADHD. My own ADHD looks different from another person’s ADHD, and the same is true of children. Some learners need movement and discussion. Others need visual structure and predictable routines. Some thrive when lessons are highly interactive, whilst others need quieter periods to process information.

    I have always felt that different minds sometimes need different routes to reach the same destination.

    That is why I would be wary of any tutor who insists there is only one “right” way to learn.

    Consider whether they understand neurodivergent learners

    For families of children with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia or autism, this can be particularly important.

    A child may be perfectly capable of understanding a concept but struggle to demonstrate that understanding because of working memory, attention, processing, confidence or executive functioning difficulties.

    I know this personally. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 31, and looking back at my own education, I can see that I was never lacking intelligence or enthusiasm. I loved learning. What I sometimes struggled with was working memory, multi-step instructions and maintaining focus when something failed to capture my imagination.

    That experience has influenced the way I teach.

    I believe a tutor should look beyond the difficulty and notice the child behind it.

    For an ADHD learner, that might mean breaking a large task into smaller steps. For a dyslexic learner, it might mean using visual, creative or multi-sensory approaches. For another child, it might simply mean giving them enough time to think before expecting an answer.

    The important thing is not to assume that every child needs the same support.

    Look for someone who builds confidence

    Academic progress is important, but confidence matters too.

    I have worked with children who have become so accustomed to getting things wrong that they begin to avoid trying altogether. Sometimes the biggest breakthrough is not getting an answer correct. It is seeing a child put their hand up, have a go or say, “I don’t understand that yet.”

    The right tutor should create an environment where mistakes are safe.

    Children need to know that getting something wrong does not mean they are bad at the subject. It simply gives us information about what needs more practice.

    This is particularly important for international learners who may already be adapting to a new country, school, language or curriculum.

    Good tutoring develops skills.

    Great tutoring can also help rebuild a child’s belief in their own ability.

    Client gallery powered by Picflow

    Look Beyond the Lesson Itself

    Another important consideration for international families is whether the tutor can help a child make connections between learning and their wider educational journey.

    A student may be preparing for a GL Assessment, moving towards iGCSE, changing schools or simply trying to catch up in an area where they have lost confidence.

    In these situations, tuition should not feel like an isolated extra lesson added to an already busy week.

    The tutor should understand the bigger picture and help the child see how the skills they are developing now will support them later.

    In my experience, this can be particularly valuable for international families, where children may move between schools, curricula or even countries during their education. A flexible tutor can provide a sense of continuity when everything else around the child is changing.

    Check that they understand the realities of international education

    Online tuition has one enormous advantage for international families: geography is no longer such a barrier.

    From Bedfordshire, I have been fortunate enough to support children in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Thailand and many other parts of the world.

    But working internationally requires more than simply opening a laptop.

    Families may have different school calendars, different holidays and different daily routines. A UK summer holiday does not necessarily coincide with a child’s school holiday in the Middle East.

    I have found this particularly interesting when working with families in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. There have been occasions when children overseas were preparing to return to school whilst UK pupils were still enjoying their summer break. At other times, international students have had a quieter period when we could focus on confidence-building, revisit difficult areas or simply enjoy learning without the pressure of a busy school term.

    A good online tutor needs to understand this rather than expecting every family to fit around the UK school calendar.

    Communication with parents matters

    When you live thousands of miles away from your child’s tutor, communication becomes even more important.

    Parents should feel comfortable asking questions and discussing how their child is progressing. The tutor should be able to explain what they are working on, where difficulties are appearing and where they have noticed progress.

    This does not mean parents need a lengthy report after every lesson.

    Sometimes a simple conversation is enough.

    For international families especially, good communication helps everyone work towards the same goal. When the child, parent and tutor understand what they are trying to achieve, learning becomes much more consistent.

    Look for the right person, not the most impressive profile

    Qualifications matter. Experience matters. Subject knowledge matters.

    But I would not choose an online tutor purely because their profile looks impressive.

    I would ask:

    Will my child feel comfortable with this person?

    Will they be able to admit when they are confused? Will they feel able to make mistakes? Will the tutor notice their strengths as well as their difficulties? Will they adapt when something is not working?

    These questions are particularly important for children with dyslexia, dyscalculia and other learning differences because there is no single approach that works for everyone.

    Sometimes the tutor who looks perfect on paper is not the right person for your child.

    And sometimes the tutor who takes the time to understand your child’s personality, interests and individual way of learning turns out to be exactly what they needed.

    Final thoughts

    Working with international families has taught me that children are remarkably adaptable.

    Whether a child is learning persuasive writing in Dubai, developing reading comprehension in Riyadh or strengthening mathematical reasoning somewhere else in the world, the fundamental goal remains the same: helping them become confident, capable learners.

    Curricula may change. School systems may change. Time zones may change.

    But children still need encouragement, understanding and someone who believes they can succeed.

    For me, that is what good online tuition is really about.


    Wondering How We Can Help?

    Whether you’re exploring tuition options, looking for specialist support or simply have a question, we’d love to hear from you. Tell us a little about your child and what you’re looking for, and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.


    Current Availability

    Super Summer Learning (August): Good availability throughout the holiday

    Weekday daytime tuition (from September): Good availability for international students, home-educated learners and families with flexible schedules

    🗓️ After-school, Saturday & Sunday morning tuition (from September): Waiting list currently in operation


    Please include Area Code if Outside UK

    Related Posts

  • Home Education: Positive Ways to Make Learning Fun

    Home education offers something that traditional schooling cannot always provide: freedom.

    Freedom to slow down when something is difficult. Freedom to explore an unexpected interest. Freedom to spend a morning outside, learn through conversation or return to a subject when a child is ready.

    But there can also be a funny little trap.

    Once you have made the decision to home educate, it is very easy to feel that you now have to recreate school at home.

    There are timetables. Worksheets. Workbooks. Spelling lists. Tests. Perhaps even a small desk in the corner which slowly begins to resemble a miniature classroom.

    And whilst structure can be incredibly helpful, particularly for some children, home education does not have to feel like school.

    In fact, for many children, particularly those with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism or low confidence, one of the greatest advantages of home education is being able to find a way of learning which feels natural to them.

    Home education does not need to look like school

    One of the things I love most about supporting home-educated children is the freedom to adapt learning.

    Over the years, I have worked with home-educated learners across the UK and internationally, and I have seen just how different their educational journeys can be. Some children love routine and feel reassured by knowing exactly what will happen next. Others become much more engaged when learning is flexible, creative and connected to their interests.

    Neither approach is wrong.

    The important thing is finding what works for the child.

    A child who loves dinosaurs might practise reading by exploring dinosaur facts. A child fascinated by baking can develop mathematical skills through weighing ingredients and working with fractions. Another child might discover that writing becomes much easier when they are allowed to create a story about their favourite game or animal.

    The learning is still happening.

    It simply does not always look like a traditional lesson.

    Follow the interest

    One of the simplest ways to make learning feel less like school is to pay attention to what your child is already interested in.

    This does not mean abandoning the curriculum.

    It means using curiosity as the doorway into it.

    If your child is fascinated by space, for example, you might explore non-fiction reading, new vocabulary, descriptive writing, research skills and even mathematical problems involving planets.

    If they love animals, you could read animal stories, compare sizes and measurements, write descriptions, create charts or investigate habitats.

    Children are often far more willing to practise a skill when they can see a reason for using it.

    This is particularly valuable for children who have previously struggled with motivation or confidence. In Kite Tutoring sessions, I regularly use games, challenges, creative activities and discussion because engagement is often the key to successful learning.

    Learning through play is still learning

    Sometimes parents worry that if learning is fun, it cannot possibly be rigorous.

    I understand why.

    We are used to thinking about education as something which happens at a desk, with a pencil in one hand and a worksheet in the other.

    But children can learn an enormous amount through play, conversation and practical experiences.

    A game involving money can develop mathematical reasoning. Building something can involve measurement, planning and problem-solving. Playing a word game can strengthen vocabulary and spelling. Cooking can involve fractions, sequencing and reading instructions.

    For some dyslexic learners, making words physically using magnetic letters, wooden blocks or other hands-on resources can make learning much more meaningful than simply copying words from a page. Creative associations and visual approaches can also help ideas stick.

    The activity may look like play.

    Underneath it, there may be a great deal of learning taking place.

    Do not be afraid of flexibility

    One of the greatest advantages of home education is being able to learn at the child’s pace.

    Perhaps your child understands fractions immediately but needs several weeks to become comfortable with spelling.

    Perhaps they are full of energy in the morning but concentrate beautifully after lunch.

    Perhaps they need movement between activities rather than sitting still for an hour.

    Home education gives families the opportunity to respond to those differences rather than constantly asking the child to fit a predetermined timetable.

    This can be especially helpful for neurodivergent learners.

    Children with ADHD, for example, may benefit from movement, visual resources, interactive activities and smaller chunks of learning. Others may need additional processing time, practical examples or opportunities to revisit a concept without feeling that they have fallen behind.

    The aim is not to remove structure completely.

    It is to create the right structure.

    Keep some routine, but leave room to breathe

    Interestingly, making learning feel less like school does not necessarily mean having no routine.

    Some children thrive on predictability.

    A simple rhythm to the day can provide reassurance: breakfast, reading, outdoor time, maths, lunch, creative activity, perhaps some independent work.

    The key is allowing the routine to breathe.

    If an interesting conversation develops over breakfast, perhaps that becomes part of the day’s learning.

    If your child is deeply absorbed in a project, perhaps you do not need to stop simply because the timetable says it is time to move on.

    And if everyone is exhausted, sometimes the most sensible educational decision is to step away from the books.

    Learning does not stop because the timetable does.

    Protect confidence as carefully as you protect progress

    This is something I feel particularly strongly about.

    Academic progress matters, but so does the child’s relationship with learning.

    Many children arrive at home education after difficult experiences in traditional educational environments. Some have begun to believe that they are “bad” at reading, maths or school generally.

    That can take time to undo.

    For these children, success might initially look very small.

    Reading a paragraph without giving up.

    Attempting a difficult maths problem.

    Writing three sentences independently.

    Asking for help instead of saying, “I can’t do it.”

    These moments matter.

    When children feel understood and supported, they are more willing to make mistakes, ask questions and take risks with their learning. Our approach at Kite Tutoring is deliberately strengths-based, with the aim of helping learners feel capable as well as developing their academic skills.

    Confidence is not an optional extra.

    It is part of learning.

    What if my child still needs academic support?

    Home education does not mean parents have to do everything alone.

    Sometimes a child simply needs another person who understands their learning profile and can provide additional structure without recreating the school environment.

    One-to-one tuition can be particularly useful when lessons are personalised around the child’s pace, interests and strengths. Online learning can also provide flexibility for home-educated families, including those living overseas or following British, American or international programmes.

    The important thing is that additional tuition should complement home education rather than turning it into another version of school.

    A good lesson might involve discussion, games, visual explanations, practical activities and plenty of encouragement alongside the academic content.

    There is room for both learning and enjoyment.

    Home education is allowed to be different

    Perhaps the most important thing I would say to any parent beginning or continuing a home education journey is this:

    You do not have to prove that your child is learning by making home look like school.

    Education can happen around the kitchen table, on a walk, through a conversation, during a game, while cooking or through a subject that your child suddenly becomes completely fascinated by.

    Of course, there will be times when structured learning is important. There may be qualifications to work towards, specific English or maths skills to develop, or Functional Skills assessments to prepare for.

    But even then, learning does not have to become joyless.

    After all, the whole point of home education is often to create an educational experience which genuinely meets the needs of the individual child.

    Sometimes the most successful learning happens when we stop asking, “How can I make this look like school?” and start asking, “How can I help my child learn in a way that works for them?”

    A little support can make a big difference


    Wondering How We Can Help?

    Whether you’re exploring tuition options, looking for specialist support or simply have a question, we’d love to hear from you. Tell us a little about your child and what you’re looking for, and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.


    Current Availability

    Super Summer Learning (August): Good availability throughout the holiday

    Weekday daytime tuition (from September): Good availability for international students, home-educated learners and families with flexible schedules

    🗓️ After-school, Saturday & Sunday morning tuition (from September): Waiting list currently in operation


    Please include Area Code if Outside UK

    Related Posts

  • Home Education British Curriculum: Helpful Tips

    Home education can be an incredibly rewarding way of learning.

    It can give children the freedom to explore subjects in greater depth, learn at their own pace and spend more time developing the things they are genuinely interested in. For some families, it provides an opportunity to create an education that fits around the child rather than expecting the child to fit into a traditional school environment.

    But I also know that home education can leave parents with plenty of questions.

    Are we covering enough?

    Is my child making the progress they should be?

    How do I make sure they develop the English and maths skills they need?

    What happens if they have additional learning needs?

    And perhaps one of the biggest questions of all: how do I make learning work for my particular child?

    Having supported home-educated children for many years, these are questions I understand very well. I have worked with learners studying a wide variety of subjects and following the British Curriculum, as well as children following other educational programmes around the world.

    And one thing I have learnt repeatedly is that there is no single way to make home education work.

    The child has to come first.

    Home education doesn’t have to look like school

    One of the things I love most about working with home-educated students is the freedom.

    Learning doesn’t necessarily have to mean sitting at a desk completing worksheet after worksheet. In fact, some children become far more engaged when we take an idea from their own interests and use it as a starting point for learning.

    A child who loves animals might explore descriptive writing through an imaginary wildlife documentary.

    A student fascinated by football might develop mathematical skills through statistics, averages, percentages and graphs.

    A child interested in history might discover that their passion provides a wonderful starting point for reading comprehension, vocabulary, research and extended writing.

    Someone who loves gaming might develop problem-solving and logical thinking through mathematics, while also using their interests as inspiration for creative writing.

    The curriculum still matters. Children need to develop important knowledge and skills. But the route we take to get there can be much more flexible.

    Over the years, I have found that when children are genuinely interested in what they are learning, they often become far more willing to tackle the things they previously found difficult.

    That is particularly important when supporting children with SEND.

    My experience supporting SEND learners

    SEND is a particularly important part of my work.

    For more than fourteen years, I have supported children and young people with a wide range of educational needs, abilities and learning styles. My experience includes working with learners with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism, as well as children experiencing executive functioning difficulties, low confidence and anxiety around learning.

    I am very proud to describe myself as a SEND-experienced tutor.

    This isn’t simply because I have experience working with children who have additional needs. It is because understanding the individual learner is at the heart of the way I teach.

    I am also neurodivergent myself.

    I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until I was 31, and looking back at my own education, I can now see many things very differently. I loved learning and was academically capable, but there were aspects of education which were much harder for me than they appeared from the outside.

    My own experience has made me particularly aware of how easily children can be misunderstood.

    ADHD does not look the same in every person. Dyslexia does not affect every learner in exactly the same way. Autistic children are not all going to benefit from identical approaches. And a child with dyscalculia may have a completely different experience of mathematics from another child.

    There is no single “SEND learner”.

    My own ADHD journey taught me that very clearly. As I have written previously, my ADHD is not your ADHD and your ADHD is not mine. We all experience neurodivergence differently.

    That philosophy is incredibly important in my tutoring.

    I don’t want to see a diagnosis and immediately decide how a child should be taught.

    I want to get to know the child.

    A teenager I have supported for many years

    One of the most rewarding parts of tutoring is seeing how a child develops over time.

    I have been tutoring one particular teenager for a number of years, and it has been wonderful to watch her educational journey develop and change as she has grown.

    We are now working together on Functional Skills English and Functional Skills Maths, which is a very different stage from where we began.

    I think this is a lovely example of why personalised tuition can be so valuable.

    Education isn’t always about following a predetermined route simply because that is what everyone else is doing.

    Sometimes we need to step back and ask:

    What does this young person actually need now?

    For this student, Functional Skills provides an important opportunity to develop practical English and maths skills which are relevant to her future. Because I have worked with her for so long, I understand her strengths, the areas she finds more difficult and the approaches which help her engage.

    That relationship matters.

    Good tuition isn’t simply about knowing the curriculum.

    It is about knowing the learner.

    Building the British Curriculum around the child

    For families choosing home education, the British Curriculum can provide a useful framework.

    It gives parents some reassurance about the knowledge and skills children are expected to develop, particularly in core subjects such as English and mathematics.

    But a framework doesn’t have to become a cage.

    One child may need additional time to develop reading comprehension. Another may need to revisit mathematical concepts several times before they become secure.

    A dyslexic learner may benefit from multi-sensory approaches to reading, spelling and writing.

    A child with dyscalculia may need practical and visual ways of understanding number.

    An ADHD learner might benefit from shorter activities, movement, variety and clear structure.

    An autistic learner may need predictable routines and carefully considered communication.

    None of these things mean that a child is incapable of following the British Curriculum.

    They simply mean that they may need a different route through it.

    This is one of the greatest advantages of personalised home education.

    English and maths are about much more than worksheets

    English and maths are often the subjects parents feel most concerned about when they begin home educating.

    With English, we might work on reading, comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, creative writing or communication.

    With maths, we might focus on number, calculation, reasoning, problem-solving, fractions, percentages or practical mathematics.

    But underneath all of this is confidence.

    I have seen children who are perfectly capable of learning begin to believe that they are “bad at English” or “just can’t do maths” because previous experiences have knocked their confidence.

    This can be particularly painful for children with SEND.

    A child who has spent years being told to concentrate harder, stop making careless mistakes or simply try harder can eventually start believing that they are the problem.

    They aren’t.

    Sometimes the teaching approach simply hasn’t matched the learner.

    Learning through interests

    One of the things I have particularly enjoyed over the years is using children’s interests to make learning engaging.

    I have supported a number of home-educated students, and no two have ever been exactly alike.

    Their interests become doorways into learning.

    A love of animals can lead into research and writing.

    An interest in space can become a wonderful opportunity for reading, vocabulary and scientific discussion.

    Sport can provide endless opportunities for maths.

    History can inspire creative writing.

    Art can support descriptive language.

    Even seemingly niche interests can become incredibly useful starting points for education.

    I don’t believe that every lesson needs to be entertaining every second. Children still need to experience challenge, practise skills and sometimes persevere with things they don’t immediately enjoy.

    But motivation matters.

    When a child understands why they are doing something and can connect it to something they already care about, learning can feel completely different.

    Colourful educational infographic showing how children’s interests in animals, space, sport, history and art can be used to make learning engaging and motivating.

    Home education can be particularly valuable for SEND learners

    For some families, home education provides something that traditional schooling simply hasn’t been able to offer: time.

    Time to slow down.

    Time to revisit something.

    Time to ask another question.

    Time to approach a concept differently.

    Time to celebrate progress without constantly comparing a child with thirty other children in the same classroom.

    This can be particularly valuable for neurodivergent learners.

    Children with ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism can sometimes spend an enormous amount of energy navigating environments that weren’t designed with their needs in mind.

    Home education doesn’t automatically solve every difficulty, of course. Parents can still find themselves exhausted, uncertain or unsure about how best to support their child’s learning.

    That is where specialist tuition can become a useful part of the wider home education picture.

    The tutor doesn’t replace the parent.

    Instead, they can provide subject expertise, structure, encouragement and a different perspective.

    Looking towards September

    As September approaches, I know many home-educating families will be thinking carefully about the year ahead.

    For some children, that may mean continuing with the British Curriculum.

    For others, it may mean strengthening English and maths, preparing for Functional Skills, developing confidence or creating a more consistent learning routine.

    For children with SEND, finding the right support can be particularly important.

    Perhaps your child has struggled with school and needs an education that feels calmer and more individual.

    Perhaps they are academically capable but have lost confidence.

    Perhaps they have ADHD and need learning to be more flexible and engaging.

    Perhaps dyslexia has made reading and writing exhausting.

    Perhaps maths has become a source of anxiety because of dyscalculia.

    Or perhaps your child is simply wonderfully individual and you want their education to reflect that.

    Whatever the reason, I believe home education should give children the opportunity to learn in a way that recognises who they are.

    Not every child needs the same timetable.

    Not every child needs the same resources.

    And not every child will make progress in exactly the same way.

    What they do need is someone who understands learning, understands SEND and is prepared to meet them where they are.

    Personalised tuition that grows with the child

    For me, that is what personalised tuition is really about.

    It isn’t about taking a child and trying to squeeze them into a pre-existing programme.

    It is about looking at the learner in front of me and asking:

    Where are they now?

    Where would they like to go?

    And what will help them get there?

    After many years of supporting home-educated learners, I have seen just how powerful this approach can be.

    Sometimes progress is a qualification.

    Sometimes it is finally understanding a mathematical concept that has caused difficulty for years.

    Sometimes it is writing a paragraph independently.

    Sometimes it is reading aloud without that familiar feeling of dread.

    And sometimes it is simply a child finishing a lesson and saying:

    “That wasn’t as difficult as I thought.”

    Those moments matter enormously.


    Wondering How We Can Help?

    Whether you’re exploring tuition options, looking for specialist support or simply have a question, we’d love to hear from you. Tell us a little about your child and what you’re looking for, and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.


    Current Availability

    Super Summer Learning (August): Good availability throughout the holiday

    Weekday daytime tuition (from September): Good availability for international students, home-educated learners and families with flexible schedules

    🗓️ After-school, Saturday & Sunday morning tuition (from September): Waiting list currently in operation


    Please include Area Code if Outside UK

    Related Posts