Everyday school life in Germany is starting again, but with tightened security measures. Because lessons are canceled for weeks before the holidays, many students have a lot of catching up to do. For this, some parents get support from tutors. But not everyone can afford that.
The consequences of the corona crisis not only cost parents nerves, but also a lot of money and time. Many invest in private tutoring so that their offspring do not completely lose touch due to the months of absence from classes. Calculations by Check 24 show how much the demand for private support has grown. The comparison portal compared the prices for math tutoring lessons in the ten largest German cities.
According to the calculations of the Internet platform, the pandemic has further exacerbated the need for tutoring. This is also reflected in the rising fees, says Felix Vögtl, Managing Director at Check24 Profis. Accordingly, parents in Germany would have to pay an average of 21.39 euros for a 45-minute tutoring lesson. "Due to the Corona crisis and the associated failure of regular classes, the interest in tutoring increased and with it the price," says Vögtl. So the parents have to put more money on the table to support their children than they did last year. A tutoring lesson has become almost 2.50 euros more expensive.
The absolute front runner is the state of Berlin: On average, the students here do not get private support for less than 23 euros per tutoring lesson. In a comparison of the ten largest cities, the prices for Dortmund students are cheapest. According to calculations by the comparison portal, parents can have their children promoted there for just over 17 euros. However, the fees for tutoring courses are based very differently on the educational needs and needs of the students.
Up to 28 euros per tutoring lesson
Group lessons are usually a little cheaper. According to figures from the Federal Association of private tuition and afternoon schools, group support costs up to 15 euros. Individual support in one-to-one lessons, on the other hand, is significantly more expensive at up to 28 euros per hour. In the Corona period, this is probably the safer option when it comes to avoiding physical contact with other children as far as possible.
In addition to German and English, according to the comparison portal, the need for tutoring in arithmetic is particularly high. The subject accounts for half of all search queries. The results can also be confirmed by Cornelia Sussieck, the chairwoman of the Federal Association of Tutoring and Afternoon Schools, in an interview with ntv.de. "Mathematics has been the number one problem subject for years."
According to estimates by the teachers' association, the largely digital teaching in the Corona crisis did not reach many students. Homeschooling, a lack of technical devices and missed lessons even left a large part of the children and young people behind. Significant knowledge gaps and learning deficits could now be the result.
Sussieck argues that countermeasures could have been taken at an early stage. "Even at the beginning of the Corona crisis, we made several proposals to the ministries of education to provide support. Some ministries responded with the so-called summer schools or learning bridges, which bring together large groups of students from different classes and train them over two weeks to deal with the lost Catch up on teaching material. " However, these offers could not even work because participation is voluntary, according to the education expert. The teachers' association also criticizes the hesitant action of ministries and school authorities, who should have been more active in preparing students and school for regular operations after the holidays during the summer holidays.
"Many providers not certified"
So that the offspring do not lag behind in the new school year, it can be a challenge for parents to find professional support. Because from explanatory videos, interactive learning platforms, Edu startups to classic individual lessons, there are now countless tutoring offers. Transparency is a major problem, says Sussieck. "The crux of the matter is that many providers are not certified. It is also often not clear what qualifications the teachers have."
Therefore, more control is needed, which professional tutoring institutes provide, for example by documenting the lessons. "In this way, the parents can also understand what was done in the tutoring at any time." The classic individual or group lessons naturally offer the opportunity to respond more intensively to students' needs and questions. In addition, online platforms also offer reliable tutoring options. A study by the Council for Cultural Education shows that children and young people particularly enjoy using online lessons. With the help of explanatory videos, children and young people can call up content again and again if necessary, which makes them particularly popular.
A certification of the tutoring provider and a pedagogical contact person for the parents can, according to the Federal Association of tutoring and afternoon schools, help in choosing the right private lessons. But even a trial month at an institute or an online learning platform can simplify the decision for the right tutoring.
.