7th February 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
It is not unusual for wealthy families to employ several full-time staff members, performing duties such as, babysitting, cleaning, administrative work or chauffeuring. Recently, with the rising interest in private tuition, increasing numbers of wealthy families are hiring full-time tutors, some of whom also live-in. Even with room and board provided on top, tutors can make large sums of money working full-time for a family. But what are the costs of being a full-time tutor?
At first this may seem like a pretty sweet gig. Full-time tutors can earn as much as senior executives, with one Korean tutor reportedly having become a millionaire tutoring the children of the wealthy and powerful. Even in cases where families don’t pay so much, room and board is included on top of the salary, and it remains a very attractive prospect for tutors, especially if they are fresh out of university and single. However, living with the family that you work for can blur professional lines in a way that is often difficult to control. Most families will contract a certain number of hours to be spent tutoring or engaged in educational activities, but what happens when the employers become more demanding?
It is not unusual in such situations for families to require tutors to drop everything and be there for a homework emergency, outside of the usual hours. This means that live-in tutors may find it difficult to have a life of their own, having their evenings snatched away at a moment’s notice by a panic about an essay. Additionally, many tutors have been pressured by parents to complete work for their students, a requirement which is hard to resist when it involves defying the people with whom you live and pay your wages. Some live-in tutors have even reported being asked to perform other household duties unrelated to tutoring, such as cleaning and driving. Personally, I would never live-in as a tutor. But if you do, it is vital to establish a clear schedule and ground rules before proceeding.