Your first tutoring session: what to ask, what to do and what to send

Five things to ask before day one

Tutorful's guide puts this first: whether you can deliver a good first lesson is often about whether you have the information beforehand. Its list is subject, age or level, exam board where there is one, current working level, areas the student feels they struggle in, and what they expect from tutoring. The board keeps five of those as a checklist:

A 45-minute agenda

The minutes are our suggestion. What goes in each block comes from the guides and tutors below.

Two habits from the guides help the first session survive a wrong guess. Keep a few backup tasks pitched at other levels, as Learn To Be advises, in case the student isn't where you assumed. And start a little easier than the student described: Tutorful suggests a couple of easy wins first, then a harder question to see whether to move faster.

The working assessment: give them the pen

Daniel's board has two equations. He solves 3x - 5 = 10 and gets x = 5, which is right. He solves -2x = 8 and writes x = 4, ringed in red: he moved the 2 and dropped the minus sign. Telling you why he did it is the useful part, so ask him to talk you through each step.

Other tutors describe the same move. In an April 2026 thread, u/Band-Suspicious, who tutors a young learner in person, asks the student to read the problem, put the work on a dry-erase board and talk through their problem-solving. In an August 2024 thread, u/Icy-Investigator7166 says to have students walk you through a problem so you know they are doing it correctly and not just copying you.

On a board you both write on, the student's turn is just ink in another colour. Anyone with the link can view the board without an account; to write, your student signs in once for free with Google, Apple or email, so tell them before the lesson and do the check-in step (10 to 15 minutes) with them writing a first line.

Not every tutor opens with small talk

These are individual tutors' habits, not a standard.

• Talk first. u/Blechhotsauce (2022) spends the first sessions mostly on intro: 15 to 20 minutes getting to know the student, 5 on the tutor, then the syllabus and a plan for future sessions. u/tunable_art (May 2026) also spends the first 15 to 20 minutes asking what the student finds hard, what their teacher says and what they've tried.
• Jump in. u/Appropriate_Tree5304 (2024) says hello, pulls up a whiteboard document and asks the student to fill them in on where they are, so it feels productive rather than like small talk.
• Mix. u/fitacola (2026), who teaches 14 to 17 year olds, uses the first session mainly to make a work plan: difficulties, expectations, whether the student wants homework, and a small placement test if needed.

The board fits any of the three: the check-in card, the assessment and the plan are all on the same page, so you can start wherever you like.

The message to the parent

u/fitacola sends the parent a message or email after the first session explaining the plan, how many sessions a week they recommend and what kind of improvement to expect. Tutorful's guide also stresses building a relationship with the parents in the first session. Three sentences do both:

1. 1Where the student is: what you checked and what they can do alone.
2. 2The plan: how often you will meet and what you will work on first.
3. 3What to expect: what should change, and by when.

For Daniel: "Today Daniel and I checked where he is. He solves two-step equations alone; negatives are the next step. Plan: two lessons a week, aiming at his unit test in three weeks." Send it with the board link, then use session notes after each lesson and the monthly progress report once a month.

Use the board as your plan in four steps

1. 1Open the first-session board above and make it yours.
2. 2Rename it for one student and replace Daniel's answers in "Ask before day one". Use a first name only.
3. 3Replace the two equations with problems from your student's subject, one you expect them to get right and one you expect them to miss.
4. 4Send the board link before the lesson, with a reminder that writing needs a free sign-in. Setting up your camera, sound and connection? See online tutoring setup.

A first session in math is a different lesson from the first full lesson on a topic: for a worked example and the student's turn, see how to teach math online.

When another format is the better choice

• You tutor in person, or want a longer list of tips. Tutorful's ten tips and Learn To Be's guide go further on dress, arriving on time, icebreaker games and talking with parents.
• You want a printable intake form. A form is built for paper; this is one shared page.
• You run a tutoring business and want booking, reminders and onboarding emails. Tutoring management software does that. Instaboard sends nothing for you.
• You want a graded placement test. The board holds your problems; it does not mark them.

What Instaboard doesn't do for a first session

• No scheduling, reminders or emails. You book the lesson and send the link yourself.
• No intake form and no grading. You write the answers in by hand.
• Free covers 5 boards. One board per student fits five students. Cards and lists count toward 150 items across your account; pen strokes don't. Pro lifts the limits.
• Writing needs a free sign-in. Anyone with the link can view without an account.
• Free boards are shared by link, so use first names only. Invite-only boards are on Pro.
• Calls are built in and free: up to 60 minutes per call, with a warning 10 minutes before the end, and a free sign-in to start or join. A 45-minute first session fits.
• Instaboard is meant for students 13 and older. The example is a grade 9 student; for younger children use something else.

Questions