Written by James Chae — Co-Founder, Expert Sapiens
Platform expertise: English language instruction · Reviewed March 2026
Hiring Guide
English is the world's most widely studied second language. The British Council estimates there are 1.5 billion English learners globally — roughly 20% of the world's population — a figure that reflects both the language's dominant role in international business, academia, and technology, and the enormous industry that has grown up to serve those learners. That industry includes highly credentialed TEFL/TESOL-certified instructors, experienced ESL professionals, and exam preparation specialists at one end of the quality spectrum — and uncredentialed native speakers with no training in second language acquisition at the other. The distinction matters because teaching English as a second language is a distinct skill from speaking English natively. Native fluency tells you nothing about a tutor's ability to identify why a student makes a particular grammatical error, how to sequence instruction to build competency systematically, or how to adapt methods to a student's specific learning goals and proficiency level. TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certifications — the most widely recognized credentials in the field — indicate specific training in second language acquisition methodology, lesson planning, and error correction that native fluency alone does not provide. Whether your goal is conversational fluency for daily life, business English for professional settings, academic writing for graduate study, or preparation for a standardized test like IELTS or TOEFL, the right tutor is one whose experience, methodology, and curriculum match your specific goals. This guide helps you evaluate English tutors rigorously and find the right match for your learning objectives.
The gold-standard teaching certificate for English language instructors — use it to verify a tutor's formal teaching credentials.
Official IELTS resources, sample tests, and band descriptors — useful if your English learning goal is exam preparation.
Free grammar, vocabulary, and skills resources from the world's English language teaching authority.
Use these in an intro call or first session to quickly assess fit and expertise.
1.What is your teaching credential, and what does it specifically qualify you to teach?
Why it matters: TEFL and TESOL certifications represent specific training in second language acquisition methodology — error analysis, structured lesson planning, differentiated instruction, phonology — that native fluency does not provide. Understanding what credential a tutor holds, and what it specifically trained them to do, helps you evaluate whether they have the methodological foundation to address your specific learning challenges systematically. A native speaker without a teaching credential can provide conversation practice; a certified instructor can design a structured program to address your specific gaps.
2.What is your experience teaching students at my current proficiency level and with my specific learning goal?
Why it matters: Teaching methodology is strongly level- and goal-dependent. The techniques that work for a beginner building basic vocabulary and grammar are different from those that work for an intermediate speaker trying to reduce an accent, which are different again from those that help an advanced learner write at the level required for graduate school admissions. Tutors who have direct experience with your specific level and goal have refined their approach to the challenges you will face — those without this experience may be applying a methodology that doesn't fit your situation.
3.How will you assess my current level at the start, and how will we know I'm making progress over time?
Why it matters: Systematic assessment at both the start and throughout instruction is what separates goal-directed learning from open-ended conversation practice. A tutor who conducts a structured diagnostic assessment at the beginning of instruction and uses it to prioritize what to work on first is operating with a level of rigor that benefits measurable progress. Equally, tutors who have a clear answer to how they will measure your progress over time are accountable to results rather than just to activity.
4.What does a typical session look like, and how do you structure the progression of topics and skills over the course of our engagement?
Why it matters: Session structure reveals methodological philosophy. A tutor with a clear, systematic approach to skill progression — building grammar foundations before complex writing, developing listening comprehension before production, introducing and reinforcing vocabulary in context — is more likely to produce fast measurable improvement than one who plans each session in isolation. Understanding how they structure the arc of instruction, not just the content of a single session, tells you whether they are teaching or just meeting.
5.How do you approach error correction — and how does your approach change depending on the learning goal?
Why it matters: Error correction strategy is one of the most methodologically important decisions in language instruction, and the right approach genuinely varies by learning goal. For accuracy-focused goals, explicit correction of specific error patterns is more effective. For fluency-focused goals, immediate correction can undermine confidence and interrupt the fluency-building process. Tutors who can explain their error correction philosophy clearly, and adapt it to your specific goal, are demonstrating methodological sophistication that untrained tutors rarely have.
6.If my goal is [specific goal: IELTS Band 7.5 / business email writing / conversational fluency for job interviews], what is your approach to achieving it, and what is a realistic timeline?
Why it matters: The specificity of the answer to this question is one of the clearest signals of how experienced a tutor is with your specific goal. A tutor who has prepared many students for IELTS Band 7.5 can describe exactly what the examiner is looking for in each band descriptor, which skills typically limit Korean or Japanese speakers from achieving that score, and what a realistic preparation timeline looks like. Vague answers indicate either limited experience with your specific goal or a reluctance to commit to a specific approach.
7.How do you adapt your approach when a student is not making the progress you expected?
Why it matters: Adaptive instruction — diagnosing why an approach isn't working and changing it — is one of the most important skills that distinguishes strong tutors from weak ones. Language learning plateaus are common, and the tutors who identify them quickly and try a different methodology, resource, or focus area are more effective than those who repeat the same approach with greater intensity. How a tutor answers this question reveals both their diagnostic capability and their flexibility.
8.What resources, materials, and practice tools do you recommend, and how do they fit into what we'll be doing in our sessions?
Why it matters: Progress in language learning is strongly correlated with practice volume outside of sessions, not just instruction quality inside them. Tutors who provide a clear framework for between-session practice — specific apps, textbooks, podcasts, writing exercises, or conversation partners — and explain how those resources connect to the work you're doing in sessions, are giving you a more complete learning program than those who treat sessions as self-contained. The quality of their resource recommendations also reveals the currency and depth of their familiarity with available learning tools.
Sessions are tailored to your current level and specific goals. Your tutor will assess where you are, identify your biggest obstacles, and build a lesson plan around your needs — whether that's pronunciation, grammar, writing, listening, or speaking confidence. Expect real feedback, practical exercises, and measurable progress over time.
Written by James Chae — Co-Founder, Expert Sapiens
Platform expertise: English language instruction · Reviewed March 2026