Finding the right Afrikaans tutor can be the difference between a student who simply survives the subject and one who genuinely gains confidence in it. As someone who has worked with students from primary school through to Matric, I have learned that the biggest improvements rarely come from finding the tutor with the longest CV or the highest qualifications.
The best results come from finding a tutor who understands how your child thinks, why they are struggling, and how to bridge the gap between English thinking and Afrikaans writing.
Over the years, I have seen parents spend thousands of rand on tutoring that simply wasn’t the right fit. I’ve also watched students go from failing marks to passing comfortably because we identified the real problem before opening a textbook.
Before hiring an Afrikaans tutor, these are the questions I believe every parent should ask. All Out Education is here to assist your child in all the Afrikaans needs
1. Is Afrikaans My Child’s Home Language (HL) or First Additional Language (FAL)?
This should be the very first question any tutor asks.
Many parents simply say, “My child needs help with Afrikaans,” but that doesn’t tell the whole story.
- Home Language focuses heavily on literature, poetry analysis, advanced essays, and critical thinking.
- First Additional Language focuses far more on grammar, comprehension, vocabulary, language structures, and communication.
These are completely different subjects requiring different teaching methods.
A Real Example
A Grade 11 student contacted me because he was failing Afrikaans. His parents assumed he was taking First Additional Language because English was spoken at home.
Before accepting the student, I asked for his latest report card.
He had actually been enrolled for Home Language.
That completely changed the tutoring strategy.
Instead of spending weeks drilling vocabulary, we focused almost exclusively on literary essays, poetry analysis, and the assessment rubrics used in Home Language. That simple question probably saved his academic year.
Read Out Latest Blog: How to Prepare for Your First Afrikaans Lesson
2. What Are My Child’s Current Marks and What Is the Goal?
This question manages expectations for everyone involved.
A student moving from 78% to 85% needs a completely different strategy from someone sitting on 32%.
- High-performing students need refinement.
- Average students need consistency.
- Struggling students often need complete rebuilding of grammar fundamentals.
Watch Out for Unrealistic Expectations
One of the biggest red flags I see is the parent expecting miracles.
If a student has been averaging 30% all year and finals are two weeks away, no tutor can honestly promise an A.
Language learning takes time, consistency, and practice.
Sometimes the Marks Don’t Tell the Whole Story
I once worked with a student whose parents wanted to improve her from a B symbol to an A.
After asking a few questions, it became obvious that grammar wasn’t the issue.
She froze during oral assessments.
Instead of spending lessons revising tenses, we focused almost entirely on mock oral presentations and confidence-building exercises.
She achieved the distinction they were hoping for.
3. How Does Your Child Feel About Afrikaans?
This might be the most important question of all.
Before teaching Afrikaans, I need to know whether I am dealing with:
- A language problem.
- A confidence problem.
- An attitude problem.
- An anxiety problem.
Each one requires a different approach.
The Student Everyone Thought Was Lazy
A Grade 9 learner was introduced to me as “lazy” and “defiant.”
His mother explained that he hated Afrikaans and refused to do homework.
Rather than opening a workbook, I asked about his interests.
He loved rugby.
From that point onward, many of our comprehension exercises came from Afrikaans rugby articles published in Rapport.
His attitude changed almost overnight because he was finally reading about something he actually cared about.
His marks improved by more than 20%.
4. Is There a Learning Barrier or Have You Used Other Tutors Before?
This question often uncovers challenges that have nothing to do with Afrikaans.
- ADHD
- Dyslexia
- Reading speed
- Exam anxiety
- Processing difficulties
- Previous negative tutoring experiences
Knowing this information allows me to adapt my teaching from day one.
One Small Detail Changed Everything
A parent casually mentioned that her daughter always ran out of time during exams.
Digging deeper revealed she had extra-time concessions at school but had never been taught how to use that extra time effectively.
Instead of teaching more grammar, we worked almost exclusively on exam strategy, time management, and paper pacing.
Her confidence improved dramatically because she finally finished every paper.
Questions Parents Should Ask the Tutor
Most parents ask about price.
Very few ask questions that actually reveal whether the tutor knows how to teach.
Question 1
“Can you explain the difference between Conjunction Group 2 and Group 3 as if I’m an English-speaking Grade 8 learner?”
This question immediately reveals whether the tutor teaches structurally or simply relies on being a native Afrikaans speaker.
Question 2
“How will you teach the prescribed setwork if my child hasn’t read it yet?”
A good tutor has efficient systems.
A poor tutor simply spends expensive lesson time reading the novel aloud.
Question 3
“What do you do when a student still doesn’t understand after you’ve explained something?”
The answer tells you everything.
Excellent tutors change their teaching method.
Poor tutors simply repeat the same explanation louder.
Answers That Impress Me
If I were hiring a tutor today, these are the kinds of answers I would want to hear.
- I teach vocabulary through context rather than memorisation.
- I use colour-coded visual systems to teach STOMPI word order.
- I use past NSC and IEB examination papers to teach examiner language.
- I adapt lessons around the student’s interests to improve engagement.
- I change teaching methods if one approach isn’t working.
Red Flags That Would Make Me Keep Looking
“I’m a Native Speaker, So It Comes Naturally”
This sounds impressive but often creates problems.
Native speakers frequently struggle to explain why Afrikaans grammar works.
They simply know what sounds correct.
An English-speaking learner needs far more than intuition.
“We’ll Just Work Through the Textbook”
If the textbook alone solved the problem, your child probably wouldn’t need tutoring.
Professional tutors should bring their own teaching systems, resources, and strategies.
“If They Don’t Study, There’s Nothing I Can Do”
Great tutors don’t stop there.
They investigate why the student isn’t studying.
Is it anxiety?
Fear?
Boredom?
Lack of confidence?
Finding the answer is part of the tutor’s job.
The Student Who Changed My Entire Teaching Philosophy
One student I’ll never forget was a Grade 11 learner named Thabo.
He was averaging just 28% for Afrikaans First Additional Language.
His teachers believed he was lazy.
His parents believed rugby mattered more than school.
Neither was correct.
The Real Problem
Two years earlier, Thabo had mispronounced an Afrikaans word while reading aloud in class.
The class laughed.
From that day onward, he avoided writing because making mistakes meant risking embarrassment.
He wasn’t lazy.
He was protecting himself.
Changing the Strategy
Instead of forcing him through grammar exercises, we completely changed our approach.
- No reading aloud for the first month.
- Rugby articles from Rapport and Netwerk24 replaced school passages.
- A dedicated “Foute-Boek” became a safe place to make mistakes.
- Making mistakes became the goal rather than something to avoid.
Once the fear disappeared, learning became possible.
His mark climbed from 28% to 54% by the end of Grade 11.
In Matric, he passed Afrikaans FAL with 62%.
More importantly, he stopped believing he was incapable.
That experience taught me one of the biggest lessons of my career.
Behind almost every student labelled “lazy” is a student who has become tired of feeling inadequate.
My Advice to Every Parent Before Hiring an Afrikaans Tutor
If I could give every parent just one piece of advice, it would be this.
Stop looking for someone who can teach Afrikaans.
Start looking for someone who can teach an English-speaking child how to think in Afrikaans.
That difference changes everything.
Most English-speaking learners do not think in Afrikaans.
They first create a sentence in English and then try translating it word-for-word.
That is where grammar falls apart.
The tenses become incorrect.
The STOMPI word order breaks down.
The sentence no longer makes sense.
An outstanding tutor understands exactly how an English-speaking brain constructs language.
They can reverse-engineer what the student wanted to say, explain why it doesn’t work in Afrikaans, and provide a clear mechanical blueprint to build the sentence correctly.
That is far more valuable than simply being fluent in Afrikaans.
Before spending a single rand, make sure your tutor can explain why the language works, not just what the correct answer is.
That one difference can save your child years of frustration and completely change the way they experience Afrikaans.