Tools For Tutoring – The Lowdown on Headsets

Posted on by Holly Billinghurst

One of the tools I cannot be without for tutoring is a decent headset. Whilst it’s possible to tutor online using the built in microphone & speakers on a laptop or desktop, the feedback and echo cause by them makes it difficult – let’s be honest, there’s a reason why online gamers buy decent headsets, and it’s not just to look good.

Basic Headphone / Mic Combo


A basic headset like the Mpow USB PC Headset allows you to just plug in your headset and away you go. Be careful selecting headsets that have dual microphone & speaker connections as many laptops and desktops no longer have these connections.
You may also want to check that your USB headset will be compatible with your operating system as later versions of Windows have had a number of reports of volume issues where USB connections have been used. So far, the only fix for this is to buy a headset that comes with its own drivers instead of relying on the built in sound card drivers (best to check this when you buy the headset).

Gaming Headsets

One of the ways to combat the issues of USB headsets, is to use a gaming headset. Headsets like these PS4 headsets also help with noise cancellation helping you concentrate on your lesson if there happens to be other people in the house.

Single Ear Headsets

My personal favourite is to use a single ear headset with noise cancelling. Many of these also use USB, so it’s worth doing some research to find one likethe Koss CS95. This one has been particularly useful as it has duel microphone / speaker cables (if you remember my last post about graphics tablets, my laptop is actually limited by having a single 3.5mm input for headsets, but this is easily solved using a splitter cable)

Other ideas

The only real restriction here is that you have a reasonably decent microphone, and can hear the student clearly. Another possibility if you don’t want the restriction of cables is to use a bluetooth headset.
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*This blog contains affiliate links. I do not recommend any product that I don’t genuinely think is worth it, but the proceeds of these links help me to cover the costs of the website & blog. If you have any questions about the recommendations here, please contact me.

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