This study highlights the key features of tutoring students in rural areas. Private tuition classes are
increasingly popular for modern school children. Over half the schools in the Russian Federation
are in rural areas and differ from those in urban settings in a number of respects. It is based on a
survey of 210 teachers of rural schools in six regions of the Russian Federation, complemented by
conversations with teachers in rural schools to elicit their views on private tutoring, observation,
literature and Internet resources analysis, interviewing, content analysis and case-studies. The
research investigated the reasons why such lessons are less practiced in the rural areas than in the
cities. It showed teachers believe that the practice of private tutoring in school subjects stimulates
the students’ self-development and they have a positive attitude towards private tutoring – including
that of their own children. Accommodation and studying were not perceived as major problems. A
comparison of private tutors in cities and rural areas confirmed that the practice of private tutoring
on school subjects is common not only in urban schools, but is also a characteristic of rural areas and
consequently is not a special case.