There are many reasons why people need to change tutors. Tutors may not match well with students, tutors may have conflicting schedules and even the best tutors, sadly, may quit. Whenever this happens, the process of transitioning to a new tutor is crucial to continuing any success gained so far. A change in tutors can actually be traumatic for a student who does not have the confidence needed to easily move from one set of helpful hands to another. Try these tips to make the process easier:

Do not change mid-semester
It is best to ask your tutor to close out any current obligations before moving on. If your student is preparing for a test, make sure the same tutor carries out the full preparation. The same goes for changing in the middle of a semester. Students often see new semesters as a wholly new challenge, and they will accept a new tutor as easily as they accept a new teacher in a subject.

Talk openly about the change
Do not leave room for surprises when a new tutor shows up. Make sure your student is well-aware the tutor will be leaving and when that will occur. If the student has specific questions for the tutor, make time to have those answered. Some students will really like the way a particular tutor corrects papers, for example, so make sure they can have this done on a key term paper before the tutor leaves. Students who are surprised when their tutor leaves can end up feeling a loss of confidence on a test or paper.

Have the old tutor train the new tutor
If your tutor has worked with your student for a long time, suggest he or she meet with the new tutor briefly. The existing tutor can provide notes on the student’s strengths and weaknesses, so the new tutor can pick up right where the existing tutor leaves off. Starting from the beginning can set a student back.

Have some overlap
Its a good idea to have two tutors overlap with your student to make the transition easier. That way, if the student has specific questions for the old tutor, he or she can answer those questions and address the gap with the new tutor. You will be surprised to see how much a tutor has learned about your student’s habits after just a short period of time. Getting into the same flow with a new tutor can be a bit of a challenge, and an overlap will help this go smoother.

Work with an agency
If you use an independent tutor, you are more likely to have problems with the tutor quitting mid-semester or dropping the ball when its time to leave. Working with a tutoring agency means you will automatically have a new tutor in the door the second your existing tutor leaves. Agencies have practices in place to make sure there is not a gap, and all of their tutors have the same or similar training to ensure there is not a huge difference in expectations.