Can a teacher in Nigeria teach the UK, US or Canadian syllabus?
Yes, if they have actually learned it. The syllabus is not a secret. In England, the national curriculum sets out what must be taught in every subject across Key Stages 1 to 4, and the full programmes of study are published on GOV.UK. Ontario's education ministry publishes its curriculum online too. A well trained teacher anywhere can study these documents. The question is whether this particular teacher has.
Being a strong teacher in Lagos or Port Harcourt is not the same as knowing what a Year 5 child in Manchester or a Grade 6 child in Calgary is expected to do this term. The content overlaps a lot. The methods, the vocabulary and the way work is marked often do not. A child taught long division one way at home and another way at school can end up confused by both.
So test it. Ask the tutor, or the company, specific questions:
- What is my child likely to be studying in maths and English this term, for their year or grade?
- Which methods does my child's school expect, for example column subtraction, the bus stop method for division, or bar models?
- How would you prepare a child for the exam they actually sit, such as the KS2 SATs, the 11+, GCSEs, the SAT or provincial tests?
- Will you look at my child's school books, homework or report before planning lessons?
A teacher who knows the curriculum answers these easily. A teacher who does not will talk in general terms about "building foundations".
How the teacher should be chosen and checked
The NSPCC advises parents to ask for criminal records checks and full references as a minimum, and to make sure a tutor can show up to date references. UK government guidance for parents also suggests asking whether a tutor has a written child protection policy and can explain what they would do if they had a concern about a child.
There is a complication for teachers based in Nigeria. A UK DBS check is built around UK records, so it is not the main check for someone who has lived and worked in Nigeria. That makes references, interviews and seeing the teacher teach all the more important.
In practice, ask any tutoring company to tell you plainly how they select teachers and what they check before a teacher meets a child. A good answer is specific: how many references, from whom, how many interviews, and whether the teacher had to teach a sample lesson. If you are hiring an individual directly, ask for references you can call yourself, and call them.
Meet the teacher first, and plan for the same teacher throughout
UK government guidance suggests meeting a provider before your child attends a first session. For online tutoring that means a short video call with the actual teacher, not only a salesperson. Ask about their teaching background, which classes and curricula they have taught, and how they handle a child who is playful, shy or easily distracted. Watch how they speak to you. That is usually how they will speak to your child.
Then ask who will teach your child in week six, and in month four. Children learn best with a teacher who knows them: where they rush, what they avoid, what makes them light up. A different tutor every few weeks means starting again each time. Ask what happens if the teacher leaves, and also what happens if the fit is wrong. You want continuity, but you also want a simple way to change teacher if it is not working.
Check the internet, the tech and the professionalism
Parents who have had a bad experience with an online tutor often describe the same things. The connection kept dropping. The tutor could not share a screen. Lessons started late, or the tutor took calls in the middle. None of this is about how clever the teacher is, and all of it ruins a lesson. Check it before you commit.
| Check | What good looks like |
|---|---|
| Connection | Clear audio and video for the whole trial call, and a plan for what happens if power or internet fails, including how the time is made up |
| Tech skills | Shares a screen, writes on a whiteboard and shares documents without fuss |
| Lesson links | Links come from the company or a fixed account, not from the tutor's personal phone or social media |
| Setting | A quiet space with a plain background, camera on, no other people walking through |
| Punctuality | Starts on time, ends on time, and tells you in advance if a lesson must move |
| Communication | All arrangements made with you, the parent, in writing |
UK government guidance on remote education asks teachers to use a quiet space with a neutral background and to make sure parents know when and how they can contact the teacher. Those are reasonable standards to expect from a private tutor too.
Ask how you will see progress
The Education Endowment Foundation, which reviews the evidence on what helps children learn, finds that tuition is more likely to work when it is linked to what the child is doing in class, when the child's specific gaps are identified first, and when progress is monitored and the plan adjusted. Turn that into questions:
- Will you assess my child before you start, and tell me what you found?
- What will I receive after each lesson? A message, a written report, a recording?
- How will I know in six weeks whether my child has improved?
- Will you set work that matches what the school is teaching right now?
If you work long hours, this matters even more. You need to see what happened without sitting in on every lesson.
Time zones, cost and stopping
Ask when lessons can happen in your time zone, not in Lagos time. A lesson that clashes with the school run, swimming or dinner will not last a term. Ask for the price per lesson and the total for any package, in pounds, dollars or Canadian dollars. Ask how much notice you need to give to stop, and what happens to lessons you have paid for and not used. Get all of this in writing before you pay.
How Masani answers these questions
At Masani, lessons are one to one and online, taught by carefully vetted Nigerian teachers. Only the top 3% of teachers who apply are accepted, and before a teacher meets any child we take up references from two past employers, two interviews and a mock teaching session. We teach the UK, US, Canadian, Nigerian and international curricula, primary through secondary. Lessons run on Google Meet using links issued by Masani, are scheduled in your own time zone, and everything from scheduling to feedback is arranged with you. You get a written report after every lesson, recordings with your consent, and skill by skill progress tracking in a parent portal. You can change your child's teacher at any time, free, no questions asked. If you would like to talk it through first, book a free 15 minute call.
Quick answers
Can a Nigerian teacher teach the British curriculum?
Yes, if they have learned it. The national curriculum for England is published in full on GOV.UK, so ask the teacher what your child should be studying this term and which methods the school uses.
Do tutors based in Nigeria have DBS checks?
A UK DBS check is built around UK records, so it is not the main check for someone who has lived and worked in Nigeria. Ask instead how the teacher was vetted, including references, interviews and a sample lesson.
Should I meet the tutor before the first lesson?
Yes. UK government guidance suggests meeting a provider before your child's first session. For online tutoring, ask for a short video call with the teacher who will actually teach your child.