Your consultation with The Profs is the first step towards finding the right academic support for you or your child. It gives us an opportunity to understand where you are now, where you want to get to, and what kind of support will help you get there.
A little preparation beforehand can help you get much more from the conversation. Here’s what we recommend:
- Think About Your Academic Goals
- Have Your Recent Academic Results to Hand
- Tell Us What’s Working – and What Isn’t
- Know Your Timeline
- Consider Your Availability for Tuition
- Bring Your Questions
- FAQs
1. Think About Your Academic Goals
Before your consultation, think about what you would most like to achieve through tutoring. You don’t need to have everything figured out, but having an idea of your priorities gives your consultant a useful starting point.
Your goal might be to improve an A-Level grade, strengthen your mathematics or economics knowledge, prepare for an exam, or build confidence in a difficult academic subject.
For university admissions, your priorities might include UCAS strategy, an admissions test, an essay or personal statement, or interview preparation for Oxbridge and other competitive UK universities.
The more specific you can be, the more effectively we can recommend specialist tutors and create a tailored learning programme.
2. Have Your Recent Academic Results to Hand
Where possible, come prepared with your latest grades, predicted grades or recent assessment results. This evidence helps us understand your current position, identify areas for improvement and recommend the right level of support.
For school students, this might include GCSE, A-Level or IB results and predicted grades. Whatever stage you’re at, our GCSE Tutors, A-Level Tutors and IB Tutors can provide targeted support across a wide range of subjects.
Your results are particularly important if you’re considering a University Admissions Tutor, as certain courses and universities have specific grade requirements. We can assess your current academic profile against your target courses, help you understand how competitive your application may be and identify where further improvement could strengthen your chances.
University students may want to bring recent module results, lecturer feedback or details of their curriculum. Our University Tutors can then help with everything from subject understanding and research skills to exam techniques.
If you don’t have everything available, don’t worry. Your consultation can still go ahead.
3. Tell Us What’s Working — and What Isn’t
Grades only tell us part of the story.
Think about the areas you currently find most challenging. Is there a particular topic you don’t understand? Is exam technique holding you back? Do you know the content but struggle under timed conditions? Or are you already performing strongly and looking for greater academic challenge?
It’s equally useful to tell us what has worked well before. You might respond particularly well to visual explanations, regular feedback, structured practice or discussion-based learning.
Let us know about any specific learning needs or requirements, too. For example, if you have ADHD, autism, dyslexia or another learning need, we can take this into account when recommending a tutor with the right experience and teaching approach.
4. Know Your Timeline
Your timeline can significantly affect the programme we recommend. A student with an exam in six weeks may require intensive tuition, while someone looking for sustained grade improvement over an academic year may benefit from regular, flexible online sessions.
If you’re preparing for university entrance, starting early also gives your admissions tutor more time to strengthen each part of your application, from the personal statement to the test and interview.
5. Consider Your Availability for Tuition
Think realistically about when tutoring can fit around school, university, extracurricular activities and revision.
Having a rough idea of your availability helps us identify tutors available at suitable times and recommend an appropriate lesson frequency. Online tutoring also gives students and parents greater flexibility when balancing tuition with other commitments.
6. Bring Your Questions
Your free consultation is also your opportunity to ask us questions.
You might want to know how we find a tutor, what credentials or experience your tutor will have, how many hours we recommend, how tuition payments and fees work, or how lessons are delivered.
You can also ask about our tutor vetting and recruitment process, including relevant Enhanced DBS and KYC checks, or what technology you’ll use during lessons, such as an online whiteboard.
There are no wrong questions. The purpose of the consultation is to give you the information you need to make an informed decision.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Profs Tuition
How many hours of tutoring does it take to improve a grade?
Using three years of A-Level data from 2023–25, we can share that students improved by an average of one grade with 24 hours of tutoring. Based on our 2025 data, we know that a student can move from a C to an A with just 23 hours of tutoring on average!
For undergraduate students, our three-year data show an average one-classification improvement with 22 hours of tutoring. In 2025, the average student moved up from a 2:2 to a First with just 24 hours of tutoring.
Although every student is different, these data points give us valuable evidence about what private tutoring can achieve. As our dataset grows, these insights will help us provide increasingly personalised recommendations around the likely time and financial investment required to reach a particular goal.
Can The Profs help me get into my first-choice university?
The Profs provides university admissions tutoring throughout the application process, from choosing courses and UK universities to UCAS applications, admissions tests and interviews.
Our University Admissions Tutors can provide expert guidance based on your target institutions and individual academic profile. This can include preparation for the University of Oxford and other Oxbridge applications, where admissions tutoring may involve subject-specific preparation, admissions tests and interview practice.
Whilst no tutoring company can guarantee an offer, our tutors do boast a remarkable 99% success rate for first or second-choice university admissions.*
*Based on respondents to The Profs Client Feedback Survey 2025
Who are The Profs’ tutors?
The Profs tutors are selected for their academic credentials, subject knowledge, teaching skill and experience. 98% of our network are postgraduates, 41% hold PhDs and 70% have at least 10 years of tutoring experience.*
Our tutor network includes academics with postgraduate degrees and doctorates, experienced teachers and university lecturers. Depending on the level of study and subject, a student might work with a tutor with years of professional experience, a researcher, professor or specialist with relevant postgraduate education.
*Based on respondents to The Profs Tutor Survey 2024
What academic subjects can The Profs tutors help with?
Our specialist tutors support a broad range of academic subjects across school and university level, including mathematics, economics, sciences, humanities and many specialist degree subjects.
Support ranges from GCSEs, A-Level and IB through to undergraduate and postgraduate study, as well as professional qualifications.
Your consultation allows us to understand the precise curriculum and level of support required before recommending a tutor with relevant subject expertise.
Can The Profs help with Oxbridge and university admissions?
Yes. Alongside academic tuition, The Profs specialises in university admissions and competitive university applications, with a 70% Oxbridge success rate in 2025.* That’s 4x the national average!
Students can receive support with university selection, UCAS strategy, personal statements, admissions tests and interviews. For students aiming to get into Oxford, Cambridge or another highly selective university in the UK, we can recommend admissions specialists with experience relevant to the course and institution.
The objective is not to provide a generic admissions formula, but tailored learning and application support built around the individual candidate.
*Based on respondents to The Profs Client Feedback Survey 2025
Can you help if my exam or application deadline is very close?
Potentially. We work with students on both longer-term programmes and intensive academic support ahead of important deadlines.
If time is limited, tell your consultant. We can assess what is realistically achievable, identify where a tutor could have the greatest impact and recommend an appropriate programme.
The earlier you contact The Profs, however, the more time your tutor has to diagnose weaknesses, build knowledge and develop effective exam techniques.
Do you only provide tutoring for students who are struggling?
Not at all. Our student base includes learners with a wide range of starting points and ambitions.
Some students need help rebuilding confidence or improving a difficult grade. Others are already high-performing and want to turn an A into an A*, prepare for Oxbridge or strengthen an application to the London School of Economics or another competitive university.
Our bespoke learning plans allow the academic support to reflect what each individual student actually wants to achieve.
Can tutoring fit around school, university and extracurricular commitments?
Yes. Online tutoring allows us to consider your existing timetable when recommending a tutor and lesson schedule.
Flexible online sessions can fit around school, university, extracurricular commitments and independent study, while still providing the consistency needed for meaningful progress.
Discussing your availability during your consultation makes it easier for our client success team to identify a suitable tutor from the outset.
How are lessons delivered online?
Online tuition gives students access to specialist tutors regardless of location. Lessons can use interactive technology such as an online whiteboard, allowing the tutor and student to work through questions, calculations and academic material together in real time.
