I'm trying to improve my grades for the history and English exams in September. People have suggested I get tutoring, but I'm not sure if it's better to find someone in person here in Milan or go with online platforms like Superprof. What are the actual differences?
The real choice isn't online or in person, but how much time you have before September. If it's just a couple of weeks, in-person lessons in Milan could be more focused because the teacher sees right away where you're going wrong and corrects it in real time, without you wasting time trying to explain something you didn't understand properly. If you've still got a month or more, online works great and most importantly lets you find specific specialists - maybe someone really good at medieval history and someone different for conversational English, without having to rely on one person who needs to be good at everything.
What the previous answers left out is that with history and English you actually have opposite needs. For English the crucial thing is speaking and getting corrected right away on pronunciation, intonation, construction mistakes, so in person or with a platform where you can do regular video calls really helps. For history it's different - you can learn the structure of the argument, the chronological connections, just fine online, and then review on your own. That subject doesn't need brute force.
Honestly, if you're in Milan and you find someone good within reach, do at least the first lessons in person so they understand your level and what you're missing, then if needed you could even mix things up. But don't let location get in your head - look for whoever has the skills you actually need, regardless of format. And don't wait too long before September, start early.
It depends on how you learn best and how much time you have. In-person tutoring has the advantage of a more direct relationship - the tutor sees you while you're writing or speaking and can correct you on the spot, plus there are no distractions like your phone. For history and English it can be especially useful for spoken English, where a native speaker or close to it corrects your pronunciation and natural flow. But honestly it requires more logistical organization, especially if you're studying in areas far from where your tutor lives.
Online is more flexible - you can find really good people from all over Italy (or even abroad for English), and you organize your schedule however you want. The problem is it takes more discipline, because it's easy to become passive in front of a screen. It also depends on how focused you normally are: if you study well from home then online works fine too, otherwise in-person kind of "forces" you to pay attention more.
For September I'd say time's running a bit short, so if you want to start right away maybe online is faster to arrange. But first check if there are good university students in Milan giving tutoring in your area - they cost less and might be more available close to exam time. Combine a couple of in-person sessions for the toughest stuff, then keep the rest online if you need to.
With history and English together you'd need two different approaches, and that's the real problem nobody's mentioned so far. English is a subject where timing is everything - if the teacher corrects you on the spot while you're speaking, like you said, you fix the mistake right away and don't carry it with you. History instead is more about understanding and analysis, where you often need to sit with it and think things through afterward, maybe read the sources together. Online works better for history (you can open documents, maps, historical videos directly, share your screen and work through it together), whereas for English in-person is definitely superior if the goal is to speak and not embarrass yourself at the exam.
In Milan you're lucky to find teachers in the flesh, but the logistical problem is real - commuting eats up time, especially if you don't have much margin before September. Online like Superprof frees you from that, you can do a 45-minute lesson without losing an hour to travel. The real disadvantage (and here I'm going by what I've seen with people around me) is that in person it's harder to "slip away" - you're sitting at the table, the teacher is looking at you, you feel the weight of the lesson. Online it's easy to get distracted by your phone or lose focus because maybe the video is small.
One practical thing: if you go online, make sure the platform allows decent video calls and that you have a solid connection. If you pick someone in person in Milan, check that they're not too far from where you normally study, otherwise it becomes a hassle to get there twice a week. For history you might even be fine with someone online who knows the Italian curriculum well, for English really better with someone who can hear your accent and your speech flow.
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