Confidence is the cornerstone of learning. Whether you’re a parent supporting your child or a tutor helping a student rediscover their potential, confidence makes the difference between disengagement and growth.

This theme — Confidence in Tutoring: Powering Practitioners to Empower Young People — was the focus of my recent presentation to
Nudge Education, who work with children experiencing chronic disengagement, and will also feature in our upcoming
INSET for Tutors training event.

At Qualified Tutor, we’ve learned that when tutors feel confident in themselves and their methods, they inspire that same confidence in their students. Confidence connects — and when it does, learning takes off.

Why Confidence in Tutoring Matters

Confidence isn’t just an outcome of good tutoring; it’s often the reason progress happens in the first place.

A review of parent feedback on the Qualified Tutor Directory revealed that over 60% of reviews mentioned confidence as a key change. Parents wrote that their children were “less anxious about maths,” “found their voice,” and “believed they could succeed.”

Confidence, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a belief in one’s ability to succeed or meet a challenge, is the bridge between knowledge and action. When tutors focus on confidence, students stop fearing mistakes and start enjoying learning.

Building Student Confidence Through Tutoring

Educational thinker Sir Ken Robinson once reflected that most adults no longer see themselves as creative — not because they never were, but because they learned not to be.

Confidence works the same way. Children begin with it; life often chips it away. As tutors and parents, our job is to help them find it again.

When we focus on building student confidence through tutoring, we teach more than content — we model curiosity, persistence and self-belief. We help learners form new internal statements:

• “I am a person who can improve.”
• “I am a person who can solve problems.”
• “I am a person who enjoys learning.”

Practical Strategies for Empowering Young People

In the Confidence That Connects session, we explored everyday strategies tutors can use to grow confidence in their students:

• Start with a win. Begin each session with something achievable.
• Name progress precisely. Replace “Good job” with “You explained that clearly today.”
• Model mistakes. Show that learning is iterative, not perfect.
• Ask reflective questions. Encourage students to notice their own growth.
• Reinforce belief. Help them complete the phrase, “I am a person who…”

Confidence grows through consistent, supported experiences of success. These simple, relational strategies empower young people to believe that effort and improvement matter more than perfection.

Confident Tutors Create Confident Learners

Confidence in tutoring starts with the practitioner. When tutors believe in their ability to make a difference, they approach sessions with calm assurance and empathy — and young people respond in kind.

That’s why our INSET for Tutors programme focuses on reflective practice as well as pedagogy. Tutors leave not just with new tools, but with renewed belief in their own professional power.

The Parent–Tutor Partnership in Building Confidence

Parents play a vital role in sustaining the confidence built in tutoring sessions. When a parent reinforces progress at home — celebrating effort, curiosity and small wins — it amplifies the tutor’s work.

Confidence isn’t a solo effort. It’s a shared project between tutor, parent and child — and its effects reach far beyond the classroom.

Join Us in Building Confidence in Tutoring

Our mission at Qualified Tutor is simple: to make every tutoring experience safe, skilled and supported — and above all, confident.

If you’d like to learn more about how to build confidence in tutoring, join us for INSET for Tutors, explore our community at qualifiedtutor.org, or contact me directly at
julia@qualifiedtutor.org.

You can also find more insights in my book, Love Tutoring: Be the Tutor Your Student Needs, available now on Amazon.