Parent checklist before booking Ajay Vatsyayan for home tuition

Open the call with the basics. Confirm the child's current board (CBSE, ICSE, ISC, IB, IB DP, IGCSE), the class and section, and the school name in Gurgaon. Confirm that the tutor is currently teaching that specific board at that class level — not historically, but in the active term. Senior tutors usually have a mix of current students across boards, but the active load may not have capacity for a new student in your specific board and class combination this month. A clear yes or no on capacity here saves wasted effort later.

Confirm the specific subject. For Maths, ask whether the support is general Maths for the class, or whether it includes specific paper-level depth (CBSE Class 12 Maths, IB HL Maths AA, IGCSE Extended plus Additional Maths). For Physics, confirm whether the engagement is board-only or board-plus-competitive-exam-foundation (JEE or NEET). The same tutor handles both modes, but the weekly plan looks different, and clarifying which mode you need shapes the first month's structure.

Ask the tutor to summarise, in two minutes, how he typically structures the first four weeks for a new student in your child's board, class and subject. A senior tutor like Ajay's profile describes should be able to do this clearly. The summary becomes a useful reference point in week four when you assess whether the engagement is calibrated correctly.

Confirm the agreed slot — day of the week, exact start time, expected duration, and whether sessions are in-person at your home, online, or a mix. Confirm the start address (your home) and any specific access details — society name, gate, parking, lift access. Most senior home tutors arrive a few minutes early for the first session; making access easy reduces friction.

Discuss what happens during school exam weeks, the child's holidays, the tutor's travel, and unexpected weather events that affect in-person sessions. The default expectation should be that sessions continue with shifted focus during school exam weeks, pause cleanly during long holidays with no charge, and convert to online for one-off weather or travel days. Agree on a notice period for pausing sessions — usually one week's notice is reasonable.

If your home is at the edge of the tutor's serviceable area (further from DLF Phase 5 or Sector 43), discuss the realistic in-person frequency. A weekly in-person session may work; a twice-weekly in-person commitment may not. A hybrid arrangement — one in-person session and one online — is often the calmer solution for edge addresses. Better to agree this honestly at the start than to discover the friction in week six.

Confirm the rate per session or per hour, the monthly total at the agreed weekly cadence, and how billing is handled — monthly in advance, monthly in arrears, or per-session. Most senior home tuition in Gurgaon runs on monthly billing in advance, but practices vary. Confirm whether there is a difference in rate between in-person and online sessions if both formats are part of the plan.

Agree on a trial structure. The cleanest framing is a four-week trial with monthly billing for that trial month. At the end of week four, both sides have a candid conversation about fit — whether to continue, what to adjust, or whether to part ways amicably. This trial structure is normal and welcomed by senior tutors; it lets both sides commit without overcommitting. An open-ended monthly arrangement that is hard to exit creates pressure on both sides and should be avoided.

Confirm how cancelled or rescheduled sessions are handled. Common practice: notice of more than 24 hours allows free rescheduling within the week; less than 24 hours notice may charge the session or count it as used. Frequent rescheduling by either side typically signals a scheduling problem worth re-examining rather than continually papering over. Agree on the rescheduling protocol at the start so it is not a point of friction later.

Agree on a feedback rhythm. The standard pattern is a short message after each session — one or two lines summarising what was covered and any observation — plus a longer parent check-in every two or three weeks covering broader progress and any plan adjustments. Confirm the channel (WhatsApp is the most common) and the expected frequency. A tutor who is unwilling to commit to a regular feedback rhythm is a flag to take seriously.

Agree on how you, as the parent, will share school updates with the tutor. Send the term calendar at the start of the engagement. Forward unit-test papers when they come back (mark sheet plus the actual answer sheet, photographed if needed). Share any school communication about projects, internal assessments, or schedule changes. The tutor cannot be school-aware if the school information does not reach them.

Be clear about what kind of parent involvement the tutor is comfortable with. Most senior tutors welcome parent presence during the first session, focused parent conversations every two or three weeks, and forwarded school information. Most are less comfortable with daily parent check-ins or constant evaluation. The healthy middle is structured, periodic, respectful — not absent and not constant.

A focused home environment makes the engagement work. Set up a dedicated study space before the first session — a quiet room or corner with a proper table, two chairs, adequate light, and minimal household traffic during the agreed session times. Make sure the child's relevant textbook, reference book, notebook and writing materials are at the study space rather than scattered through the house.

Prepare the child for the first session calmly. Avoid building it up as a high-stakes event. A useful framing: "a senior teacher is coming over to understand where you are in Maths/Physics and to plan the first month of help". The first session is a diagnostic, not a performance. The child should feel safe to admit confusion and to attempt problems even when unsure. This framing matters because the first session sets the tone for the rest of the year.

Plan the routine around the session. If the slot is at 5 pm, the child should be home from school, eaten, briefly rested, and ready for focused work — not arriving at the table immediately after stepping in from the school bus. If the slot is later, similar attention to the pre-session routine matters. Senior tuition that begins with the child fatigued or distracted produces less than half the value it should.

Bringing these together into a single checklist to walk through before confirming the first session:

Once the checklist is settled and the first session is scheduled, the first week of the engagement runs in a recognisable shape. The first session is the diagnostic — the tutor learns the child, reviews recent school papers, attempts a few targeted problems, and proposes the focus for the first month. By the end of the first session, you should receive a short note summarising the observations and the proposed plan. By the second session, the structured rhythm should be visible.

If something in the first session does not feel right — the diagnostic was rushed, the tutor talked more than listened, the child seemed disengaged in a way that was not just first-session shyness — raise it gently with the tutor within a day or two. Most senior tutors welcome this feedback and adjust. The first week sets the rhythm; quiet course-correction in week one is far better than waiting and seeing how the next month goes.

If the engagement starts cleanly, the first month tends to follow the pattern described in the broader guide at /blog/first-month-ajay-vatsyayan-home-tuition-gurgaon. Read that piece alongside this checklist for the broader picture. Tutor availability depends on schedule fit, location feasibility, subject requirement, and parent discussion; the checklist is a way to make sure all four are confirmed before the engagement begins rather than discovered during it.