A Day in the life of a Home Tutor!!!

Hi Friends!

Yesterday, I met a person, he’s a home tutor. I am quite inquisitive by nature so whenever I come in contact with someone different, I try to understand his/her profession, the pros n cons attached to it n all. So we started talking. It was indeed an eye opener session for me. So I decided to share it with you all.

His typical day starts at 6.30 am. Commuting in Mumbai is really a tough task that too in the mornings and evenings. He just takes something li’l in the morning and rushes to station. Catches a train; goes to the student’s place. At his student’s home, it’s the rush hour. As his father has to go to office, mother is busy cooking, student has just got up from sleep and the maid is doing her chores. There’s chaos everywhere. This guy goes n sits quietly in the chair and waits for the student to come. The boy comes with his glass of milk, lazing around and replies to his questions in a rather sleepy tone. Slowly, the momentum builds up and then it’s time to leave.

This guy now comes to the station again, takes another train to the other student’s place. There the scene is a bit better as the morning rush hour has passed, everyone has gone to his/her destination. This guy (student) is feeling a bit relieved after morning circus and there arrives this tutor. Ding-dong rings the doorbell and the student asks him, how come you are so early today sir? This guy feels like giving him two tight slaps. Anyway, he just smiles and starts with his first question- Did you do your homework last night????

Then rushing to his other students all day long, juggling between train, bus, auto-rickshaw n all this guy goes home by about 8pm. Sometimes he has something in between two classes, sometimes it’s just not possible to stop at a good hotel to have something; even a roadside vendor  is also far too approachable for the want of time. Wherever he reaches late, the mothers are waiting with an explosive smile on their faces and they just don’t leave a chance to scold him also. They sometimes don’t even shy away from reminding him that they are paying a hefty sum to him. This poor chap, just says sorry and moves on.

Though this tutor doesn’t like to have anything at anybody’s place, there are a few considerate ones who offer him tea n snacks n all. I liked it and asked him what’s the best thing and the worst too about being a home tutor. He replied quickly that the best thing is that he goes to only deserving candidates because he’s choosy about whom to tutor n whom not to. This is a viable option as far as finance is concerned because home tutors always charge more. He can concentrate on his students’ weak n strong points and is able to bring out the best out of them. But about negative side what he spoke touched me my friends. He said, since he goes home to teach, the parent is always there to judge him. They try to interrupt sometimes when he scolds the student for not doing homework n all. These people shout at him and tell him to mind his own business. (Then what is this guy doing, he’s minding his business only. If he doesn’t scold the student and if the student wouldn’t score well in exams, it’ll be this poor guy only, who you all parents would scold). Then sometimes there is disturbance of phone calls, TV, doorbell n all.

But he says at the end of the day, he feels satisfied when all his students do well in their respective exams and bring laurels to him n to themselves. He tells them to study smartly and not just mug up. He suggests the parents not to pressurize them, take them for walks, to a place of worship, eat healthy, sleep well and all.

So this was the life of a home tutor in Mumbai in a nutshell. I enjoyed talking to him. I hope all those who are planning to engage a home tutor for their kids in near future should take a note from this and help a home tutor achieve his target and in turn see their own wards getting better ranks in the exams.