12th June 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
The boom in private tuition over the last few years has led many to voice concerns over the legitimacy of an unregulated industry. One of the most common concerns that parents ‘hot-house’ their children, hiring tutors for many subjects and requiring their children to work for many hour a week in addition to attending school. Another key concern is that, in an unregulated market, anyone can set themselves up as a tutor, which means that un-vetted tutors can exploit parents. However, an issue which is often neglected when discussing the private tuition industry is the risk assumed by the tutors themselves.
Many private tutors are students or graduates with financial difficulties, looking to use their degrees to teach and support themselves whilst they are making a start in life. They are often self-employed, and agencies offer little or no support in terms of welfare and advice. Whilst many tutors struggle to find work once they join tuition agencies, others work many extra hours on top of their studies or graduate jobs. They often find students through several different agencies, and are sometimes expected to work long hours and travel long distances if they are to make ends meet. Because they are self-employed and apply for jobs over email or online, they are offed no advice or warning about the number of hours they work, or support if they experience difficulties.
Parents are often warned that they should request a CRB check from tutors, and collect references to ensure that a tutor is genuine, and not a threat to themselves or their children. Tutors have no such luxury. Many tutors are inexperienced, young graduates who visit a client’s home for the first time without any guarantee that they will be safe. If a client refuses to pay fees, tutors often have little recourse, as most tuition agencies will not follow up on unpaid fees where the tutor is self-employed.
Tutors have as much right as students and their parents to expect to work in a professional and fair environment. For this reason, regulating the private tuition industry is just as important for tutors as it is students.