The format question
Pre-2020, tutoring was overwhelmingly in-person. The pandemic shift to online accelerated a model that was already growing, and it has stuck. As of 2025-2026, online tutoring is the default at GCSE and A-level for many UK students, with in-person kept for younger children and specific situations.
The framing that matters most: tutor quality matters more than format. A strong online tutor delivers better outcomes than a mediocre in-person one. Choose the tutor first, and let the format follow.
Where online tutoring wins
Wider tutor pool
The biggest single advantage. A student in rural Lincolnshire wanting an A-level Further Maths tutor has limited local options, while online tutoring opens up tutors anywhere in the UK. The same holds for scarce specialisms like Latin or Classical Greek, and for Oxbridge admissions and UCAT prep: supply concentrates in London and a few other cities, and online evens out the access.
Lower cost
Online tutors save travel time and travel cost, so rates run typically 10-20% lower than equivalent in-person. Over 30-plus lessons that adds up.
Scheduling flexibility
No travel buffer either side means lessons fit more easily into busy weeks. A Sunday evening or before-school slot is easier to arrange than a 4pm in-person session that needs 30-plus minutes of travel either way.
Screen-share for written work
The pandemic-era pessimism about online Maths and Science has largely faded. Modern online tutoring uses graphics tablets, so the tutor handwrites equations live, plus shared screens for past-paper PDFs and shared whiteboards like BitPaper, Lessonspace or Bramble for collaborative work. The friction is much lower than parents sometimes imagine.
Where in-person tutoring still wins
Younger children (Year 4 and below)
Sustained online attention is genuinely hard for primary-age children. The social cue of an adult in the room matters for engagement. By Year 5-6 most children manage online fine, and by Year 7 and up it's almost always fine.
Attention and focus difficulties
Students with diagnosed attention difficulties, such as ADHD or sensory processing differences, and naturally restless students often benefit from physical presence. The tutor can read body-language cues a webcam misses, like when a student is drifting or needs a break. For students where this matters, in-person is worth the cost premium.
Final exam-prep weeks
Some families prefer in-person sessions in the final two to three weeks before exams: paper-based work in an environment closer to the real thing, with no laptop distractions. Not strictly necessary, but psychologically meaningful for some students.
Subjects requiring physical presence
Music instrument tuition has substantial online presence now but still benefits from occasional in-person sessions. Some art subjects like sculpture or large-scale drawing need in-person. Practical Sciences are typically already exam-paper-driven, so this is less of a constraint than it sounds.
Equipment for online tutoring
Student side: essentials
A laptop or desktop. Tablets work but are weaker for writing: tap-typing is slow and hand-drawn diagrams are awkward.
A headset or decent speakers and mic. A built-in laptop microphone is fine, but a headset noticeably improves audio for both sides.
A webcam. Tutors need to see the student to read engagement and check work, and built-in webcams are fine.
A stable internet connection. Modern UK home broadband is plenty for video calls, wired or on strong WiFi.
A quiet room. Siblings, a TV, and general family activity all disrupt, so a closed door makes a difference.
Student side: useful
A graphics tablet for Maths and Sciences. Entry-level Wacom tablets cost £40-£80 and let the student handwrite equations the way they would on paper, which the tutor sees live.
A printer, for working through past papers on paper, then photographing or scanning them to share.
A phone as a document camera. Instead of a printer, some students prop a phone over their working paper so the tutor sees it in real time.
Hybrid approaches
Many families settle on a hybrid pattern. Weekly ongoing tuition online for content coverage and regular exam practice, with in-person sessions at high-stakes moments: the week before mocks, the week before final exams, or occasionally one a term to reset rapport. Hybrid tutors handle this naturally; online-only tutors typically don't.
On Tutorperch, tutor profiles state which formats they offer (online, in-person locally, or both). Filter accordingly when searching.
How to decide
Work through a few questions:
Start with the tutor pool. If your child needs a scarce specialism like A-level Further Maths or UCAT prep, online substantially expands access.
Consider age. Year 4 and below lean in-person; Year 5 and up is fine online for most students.
Consider attention. Restless or attention-challenged students often do better in person.
Weigh cost and convenience. Online is typically cheaper and more flexible.
Trial it. Most tutors offer a first session at half price or with a no-commitment cancel. Try one of each format if you're unsure, and your child will quickly tell you which works.