5 min read · Advice for VCE students
Year 12 is so high-pressure that you want to optimise everything - your study schedule, your subject choices, and yes, whether you should be paying someone to sit across from you once a week and explain things your teacher already explained.
So, should you get a tutor? The answer is: it depends, but probably not for the reason you think.
A good tutor is not just a safety net for students who are struggling. Tutors can be useful at any level. A good tutor shouldn't be handing you answers or doing your work for you, but they should be compressing the feedback loop. The best way to get better in any subject is to do lots of work and get feedback in between each attempt. In a class of 25, your teacher can't mark every draft essay you write. A tutor can, and they can do it in a way that's specific to how you write, not how an average Year 12 student writes.
This matters especially in English, where the difference between a mediocre score and a strong one often comes down to whether your arguments are sharp and well-evidenced. Most students are aware that's something you can't self-assess after staring at the same paragraph for an hour - and that's where having a second set of eyes comes in handy.
The best tutoring options offer a combination of additional content, and personalised and consistent feedback.
Not all tutors are equal, and the hourly rate alone tells you nothing. Sometimes an amazing tutor who actually knows your specific texts, your school's marking tendencies, and how to coach you through timed writing conditions will only charge $60-70/hr for year 12. Sometimes someone charging $120/hr reads the same SparkNotes you could Google yourself.
Tutors also vary in how much work they're willing to do outside of class. Some charge additional fees to mark essays or prepare for lessons, while others will include that as part of their hourly rate.
For VCE English specifically, text knowledge is non-negotiable. If a tutor hasn't actually read your set texts in depth - not just a summary - you'll quickly hit a ceiling in how useful their feedback can be. Ask them directly. It's a fair question.
Keep in mind that testing out one-on-one tutors can be arduous and pricey, as many tutors don't offer free trial sessions, and it can take several weeks before you realise whether you work well with the tutor or not.
Red flag
Many students these days opt for structured programs through companies or group lessons. While these don't mean you have someone sitting with just you for the full hour, group programs do offer other benefits such as:
Worth it if you...
Skip it if you...
Online tutoring has become the default for most students, and honestly, for English it works well. The subject is discussion-heavy and document-heavy: you're sharing essays, annotating texts, talking through ideas. All of that translates cleanly to a Zoom session with a shared screen. You also skip the commute, which is a real cost in Year 12 when your time and energy are already stretched.
In-person still has a place if you find it harder to focus through a screen, or if you benefit from a more structured, distraction-free environment. Know yourself.
Tutoring is only as valuable as the effort you bring to it. A session where you show up without a draft, without questions, and without having done the reading is an expensive hour of vague conversation. The students who get the most out of tutors are the ones who treat each session like a limited resource. Write your essays, send them for feedback, and be proactive in asking specifically what you need to change to get to the next level.
If you're looking for something to outsource the thinking to, a tutor probably won't revolutionise your grades. If you're genuinely studying hard and still not seeing results, it can be a turning point.
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