Most or all of the perspectives you're going to get at this forum will only be from other collectors (me, too). My opinion is that strategy for approaching potential tutors and how you present your history is going to be as varied as the general public is itself. It all boils down to personalities, so if you want to be happy with your situation then be honest and look for honesty. If the chemistry isn't right you could easily end up getting screwed and/or wasting time.