29th January 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Labour have recently announced that they want to introduce a teaching ‘licence’ which would allow teachers to prove they had the skills necessary to teach in state school classrooms. Under a Labour government, teachers would have to be qualified and in possession of a licence in order to teach full time. A similar idea is being developed in the world of private tutoring, where discussions are underway regarding setting up a professional body and licence for tutors. The opposition have made a considerable amount of noise surrounding the fact that unqualified teachers are currently allowed to teach within schools, and the lack of regulation. There is no denying that this is some cause for alarm, but in the case of both teachers and tutors, is licencing the way to solve the problem?
I would say that it is only the beginning. Licencing is a good thing for teachers, but I would say more because it gives them the opportunity for more support and professional development, rather than necessarily telling the world that they are a good teacher. The same goes for tutors – there are plenty of good and bad tutors out there, and many in both categories get regular work. Licencing tutors, again, is a positive step. It tells parents that the tutor has an understanding of how to teach, and that they are overseen, to some extent, by a professional body. But as with teaching, what is needed is for that licence and the body which regulates it to become a support mechanism for tutors to develop their skills.
Unfortunately, a licence won’t protect parents from tutors acting unprofessionally, and it won’t guarantee good teaching. Having a licencing body, however, does allow them some recourse and an opportunity for feedback which is vital as the tutoring industry expands. But what a licencing body can do for both teachers and tutors which will be the most beneficial, is allow them to expand their skills in a way that will eventually mean that they become highly skilled and effective. Surely this is what we want from educators, whether they have a licence or not.