17th July 2015 1:00
By Blue Tutors
Since the recession hit in 2008, the tuition industry in England has flourished. Private tuition is one of the few enterprises which benefited from the recession, as many parents who could no longer afford private education for their children turned to private tuition to bolster their children’s education. As the industry developed, it no longer remained the preserve of the wealthy, with tuition agencies offering lower rates or sliding scale fees which allowed less well-off parents to afford tutors. As school class sizes have grown and changes to exams have created anxiety amongst parents and students regarding achieving the results they need to successfully move on to sixth form, higher education and work, private tuition has become increasingly popular. However, there are many families who cannot afford private tuition, and whose financial circumstances have worsened as a result of government funding cuts.
As the tuition industry has grown, so has interest on the part of charities, tuition agencies and tutors in voluntary tuition. Many agencies now offer programmes which allow their tutors to offer their services for free to children whose parents cannot afford private tuition. Such arrangements are often made through educational charities who arrange for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to receive tuition in core subjects, particularly at key stage 3 and GCSE level. Support in English, Maths and Science at this crucial stage in students’ educational careers can ensure that they obtain good passing grades that allow them to go on to further education and ensure that they can compete for jobs.
Voluntary tuition has obvious benefits for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but it is also beneficial to tutors. Encouraging tutors to offer voluntary tuition can be a struggle, but it is something that we should continue to support. Offering voluntary tuition is an excellent means for tutors to gain experience tutoring and bolster their CVs aside from being extremely rewarding. It gives tutors the opportunity to hone their skills teaching students who may be struggling at school, whilst allowing them to make a significant different in students’ lives. This is not something that all tutors get the opportunity to see, especially if they are drafted in during exams just to shore up a student’s chances of that A or A* grade. There are many volunteer tutoring roles available, some of which require a significant commitment but others that only call for an hour a week. The opportunities are out there and all those who are serious about honing their tuition skills should consider taking on a voluntary role at some point.