12th August 2015 1:00
By Blue Tutors
Tuition firms in London have revealed that in addition to tutors for school and higher education, there is a rising demand for tutors to help them prepare applications for top city firms. Employers such as Deloitte and PWC require applicants to pass interviews and a range of psychometric tests, which applicants often hire tutors to prepare for. Tuition agencies such as Blue Tutors and Tavistock Tutors regularly receive requests from graduates asking for help preparing for job applications and assessment centres. The revelations have sparked concerns that those who receive tuition at school are left unable to relinquish the support as adults.
Since the boom in private tuition, tuition agencies in London have expanded the services they offer to include help with employment and careers. Many agencies not only offer help preparing for psychometric testing, but also targeted job interview prep, CV writing and even body language and elocution lessons. There are many tutors in London now who specialise in graduate assessments and professional exams, including accounting and management qualifications such as the ACA and APC, in addition to the GMAT exam for MBA courses. The large numbers of requests received by tuition agencies for help with job applications and tests suggests that private tuition for graduate applicants is becoming increasingly the norm.
Critics have suggested that the private tuition generation have become too reliant on tutors, and may struggle in jobs where they are unprepared to work independently. However, agencies that offer these services maintain that the role of the tutor should be to improve the confidence of graduates moving forward, preparing them for graduate roles. Although there is currently little discussion of the role of tutors on the part of employers, it is understood or even expected that candidates will seek help preparing their applications. According to top tuition agencies, tuition for job applications is considered ‘fair game’ in the same way as tuition for GCSE and A level students is. It is not yet clear whether this practice will spread beyond graduates seeking places at top city firms.