12th April 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Sometimes it’s quite difficult for us at Blue Tutors to make sure that tutors are aware of the responsibility they take on when beginning lessons with a student, and at the same time trying to create an environment where tutors realise that there are circumstances where it’s entirely reasonable to stop tutoring a student. We worry sometimes that tutors take their commitment so seriously that, when a student treats them poorly, the tutor doesn’t even tell us about it, let alone say that they want to discontinue the lessons.
We are forever emphasising the importance of making sure that a tutor can meet a student’s requirements when accepting the offer to tutor them. This is because the biggest problem we have is tutors stopping lessons halfway through a course of tuition, leaving the student panicked and annoyed. The majority of times when a tutor does this it’s because of foreseeable commitments that leave them unable to continue. Whether it’s a new job, moving house, or just taking on too much tuition, there are a minority of tutors who don’t consider anyone but themselves when choosing to stop tutoring a student.
Our Tutoring Agreement does allow us to charge tutors for stopping lessons with a student. It’s very rare for us to invoke it, and we give all new tutors the benefit of doubt if/when they first discontinue lessons. What we have found is that it acts as a very good deterrent; tutors either realise that they have to take their commitment more seriously, or they stop tutoring through us.
The thing is, we’ve heard some completely bizarre stories about goings on in lessons; a parent in the same room as the lesson, on an exercise bike shouting instructions to the tutor; a tutor asked to wait outside in a student’s garden for 15 minutes. If you can think of an uncomfortable, rude or time-wasting situation then our tutors have probably reported it happening. What we really want tutors to realise is that they don’t have to continue teaching in these situations, and it’s not the same as wanting to stop because of the tutor’s own problems.