How to check a tutor has actually mastered the material

A tutor's confidence can be persuasive. So can a degree on the wall or "15 years teaching" in their bio. But confidence and length of service are not the same as mastery of your specific subject—especially at university level, where the material deepens fast and gaps in understanding become expensive. You need a way to tell whether someone actually knows what they're talking about, not just how to talk about it.

The key tension is this: you're hiring someone who should be ahead of you, but you may not yet know the field well enough to spot a fraud or a mediocre tutor hiding behind jargon. That's why verification matters more than gut feeling.

Registers and formal qualifications

Start with what you can verify on paper. Ask for their educational credentials—what they studied, where, and at what level. A tutor teaching university-level commerce or engineering should typically hold a relevant degree at least at honours level; for postgraduate modules, a master's is more credible. Don't accept "I studied this years ago" or vague claims. Ask which institution, which year they graduated, and whether you can see documentation.

If your subject has a professional body—accounting (SAICA or ACCA), law (admitted as an attorney or advocate), psychology (registered with HPCSA), nursing or allied health (SANC or similar)—ask whether they hold current registration and what it is. Registration is not a guarantee of teaching ability, but it's a public record and proves they've met a threshold. You can verify it yourself on the relevant body's register. If they can't produce a registration number or it doesn't check out, that's a red flag.

For subjects without strict regulation, ask specifically what qualifications they hold in that field and for how long they've been practising or researching at the level they're now tutoring. A tutor in data science should ideally have formal study or professional experience in statistics, computer science, or a quantitative discipline. Someone in philosophy should have studied it formally, not just read widely. Push back on vague answers.

Proof in conversation and references

Once you're confident about credentials, test their depth through a conversation before you commit. Send them a question or problem from the module you need help with—something that goes beyond textbook definition, a concept that trips students up or a recent application of theory. Don't choose something trivial; choose something that demands genuine understanding.

Watch how they respond. Do they explain clearly, using examples? Do they point to why the concept matters or where it connects to other ideas? Or do they repeat back jargon, change the subject, or admit they'll "research that and get back to you"? A master of the material should be able to handle an unfamiliar angle without panic.

Ask for references—at least two recent students they've tutored at university level, ideally in your subject. When you call, don't just ask "Was the tutor good?" Instead ask:

• Did they understand the material deeply enough to explain it in different ways when you didn't grasp it the first time?
• When you asked them something they didn't know, how did they handle it—did they think it through, or did they fob you off?
• Did they catch conceptual errors in your thinking, or just mark your work?
• Would you trust them to tutor you in a harder module in the same subject?

Listen for hesitation or hedging. A strong reference will feel confident about the tutor's command of the subject, not just their helpfulness or friendliness.

One more check: ask the tutor directly what they'd do if you asked them something they didn't know. A credible answer is something like "I'd think through it with you, or I'd look it up and check my thinking before our next session." If they say "That won't happen" or dodge the question, they're either delusional or hiding insecurity.

Once you've verified credentials and tested depth through conversation and references, you have a much clearer picture. Strove's verified tutors come with profiles that show qualifications and student ratings, which can save you legwork—but these checks still apply. Mastery of material isn't something you can see in a photo or a tagline. It only shows when you push.