29th April 2016 1:00
By Blue Tutors
There has been much discussion recently in the press and amongst those in the tuition industry about lack of regulation, with many parents concerned about how to ensure that the tutor they hire is qualified and reliable. However, there is very little discussion regarding the responsibility of parents towards the tutors that they hire. While some tuition agencies employ their tutors directly, for the most part tutors are self-employed, which can make it difficult to ensure that they are being treated fairly by the parents who are responsible for paying them and organising lessons. Most parent tutor relationships work well, and operate on a mutual understanding that both parents and tutors will behave reasonably. However, when parents do not behave reasonably, it can be difficult for tutors to deal with.
One of the most common problems tutors encounter is reliability on the part of parents and students. Many tutors have had clients in the past who have cancelled lessons at short notice, or simply not been at home when the tutor has turned up for an arranged lesson. Sometimes this will be parents forgetting the lesson, or feeling it is reasonable to cancel at short notice when another commitment pops up, and sometimes, where the student is responsible or organising lessons, they may not understand the responsibility involved in employing a tutor. Another common problem is when parents or students expect more from the tutor than is reasonable, for example expecting tutors to complete work for them, or stay for more than the agreed number of hours.
When these problems occur, it can be difficult for tutors to know how to handle them, because there is no regulation or protection. Whether a client is being reasonable or not, if the tutor is not willing to adapt to their requirements, they must face losing a source of income. Most tuition agencies provide guidelines on what tutors and clients should expect from each other, but when a client behaves badly it is up to the tutor to address the issue and decide when a tutor-client relationship will no longer work.
The best way to avoid such situations is for the to ensure that the client is clear from the beginning on the ground rules; implement a lesson cancellation policy, and make clear what the tuition will involve, and that tutors will not complete work for students. If clients do not adhere to these conditions it is reasonable for the tutor to reiterate their requirements and give the client and student another chance. However, if clients continue not to respect these conditions, then the tutor must be prepared to move on, as continuing would ultimately be bad for both parties.