Become a tutor: Frequently asked questions:

HOW DOES THE AGENCY WORK?

If a student enquires about tuition, we ask him which subject he wishes to learn, what his needs are with regard to that subject, and at what time(s) he would prefer to have his lessons. We then match him up with a tutor in his area who meets his requirements and has one of his preferred times available.

WHAT ABOUT MONEY?

The highest paid work involves teaching youngsters (on a one-to -one basis) who are not in school, and typically require two hours tuition per day  during the daytime. This work comes to us from local education authorities, the pay for which is £25.00 per hour (inclusive of travel) with no fees due back to the agency.

The majority of our work, however, comes from individuals requesting help for their children who are struggling at school. The cost to the student for this work is £23.00 per hour (£25.00 for 'A' level). Of this, £5.75 is apportioned as our agency fee.The remainder is your tuition fee. We ask you to collect both the tuition fee and the agency fee each lesson. At the end of each month you should send us the total agency fees due to us on all the lessons you have given that month, together with your completed record sheet showing the names of all your students and the dates of all lessons which took place. Your first record sheet will have been sent to you before the introductory lesson with your first student. Please note that it is vital that payments of agency fees be made as promptly as possible after the last lesson of the month in order to meet the agency's running costs. To further this end we have introduced a credit rating system. A tutor whose monthly agency fees are received by the 3rd working day of each month will be given a credit rating of 1 (the highest possible rating). The longer the delay, the lower the credit rating. Tutors who have a high credit rating will be given priority with regard to being introduced to new clients. Tutors whose credit rating is consistently low may be removed from our books.

Most private tutors are unquestionably honest, and a pleasure to do business with. Sadly, the occasional tutor has attempted to deprive the agency of funds due to it, using the agency to "line his own pockets" with no regard for the ongoing running costs of a commercial business. Our credit controller is very efficient at bringing such cases to light, and tutors found to have diverted funds from the agency- in breach of the fidelity clause on our tutor application form- are automatically removed from our files, and entered onto a national employment agency blacklist.

WHAT ABOUT THE POLICE CHECK?

We will need a valid CRB disclosure. If you do not already have one, please enclose a cheque with your application for £45.99, payable to A1 Tutors. This will not be cashed until we have a client lined up for you. If you already have a CRB disclosure, include a copy with your application, and you will not have to pay anything. Applications received without either a current CRB disclosure or a cheque for £45.99 will not be processed.

WHAT IF A STUDENT’S BROTHER OR SISTER SUBSEQUENTLY REQUESTS TUITION?

The client is the one who pays for the tuition, which is usually the student’s parent. This means that if a member of the same family subsequently requests tuition you must consider them to be the same client, allocate them the same reference number and include all lessons on your monthly record sheet.

DO I HAVE TO BE A QUALIFIED TEACHER?

To teach one-to-one you do not need a B. Ed. or P.G.C.E. as the work does not require classroom discipline skills.  Obviously if you if you have one of these qualifications you will be able to take on any kind of student, including those who wish to prepare for examinations. However, if you have a university degree and know your subject thoroughly, you may make a good tutor. If you have have a degree but have never taught before, you may wish to take advantage of our one-to-one half-day training course, costing £60.00. Taking this course is not compulsory, but it will help you if you feel that you would like to know more about teaching methods before taking a student. If you decide to take this course, indicate this on the enclosed assessment sheet, and we will invite you to a course as soon as we have a prospective student for you (thus ensuring a fast return on your investment of £60.00). Do not send any money in advance; payment will be due on the day of the course.

WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE WANT PRIVATE TUITION?

We get enquiries from people of all ages, from young children to pensioners. They want private tuition for a wide variety of reasons. Many students are struggling with a particular subject and need help with it. Some are complete beginners, some know a little and want to go further, others are quite advanced and want to prepare for examinations or just keep practising! Sometimes students ask to come with friends or members of their family, in which case they share the cost of lessons. We do not, however, set up groups of unrelated individuals.

HOW MANY STUDENTS AM I LIKELY TO GET?

Like every business, private tuition is subject to the forces of supply and demand. The number of students you get depends very much on your subject, and to some extent on the hours you are prepared to offer. Our experience shows that students usually come in gradually at first and then the number slowly increases.

DO YOU OFFER ANY GUIDANCE AS TO HOW LESSONS SHOULD BE TAUGHT OR WHICH BOOKS TO USE?

If you are a qualified and experienced teacher, we consider that you have the professional ability to teach your subject, and that you know which books to use. However, we are always willing to offer advice whenever you need it. If you are unqualified or inexperienced, you will benefit greatly from one of our half day training courses (see question above: Do I have to be a qualified teacher?)

DO YOU SUPPLY ANY MATERIALS?

We do not supply any books, tapes or other teaching materials. However, addresses of examination boards can be obtained from us on request so that you can order your own papers, syllabi, examiners' reports etc.

DO YOU EVER SUPERVISE OR CONTROL THE LESSONS IN ANY WAY?

No, but we request regular appraisals along with lesson confirmation sheets from your clients. Copies of these appraisals are forwarded to you (with consent). PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY COMPLAINT FROM A STUDENT MAY RESULT IN YOUR REMOVAL FROM OUR LISTS OF TUTORS.

WHAT ABOUT CANCELLATIONS?

A student is required to give a minimum of 24 hours notice if he wishes to cancel a lesson, otherwise he is obliged to pay you for that lesson. Similarly, if you are unable to keep an appointment with the student, you are required to give the student 24 hours notice of cancellation. If you are unable to to do so, you will be obliged to offer the student a free lesson. Failure to give the student sufficient notice of cancellation on more than one occasion may result in your removal from our list of tutors.

IF A1 TUTORS ACCEPTS ME, HOW LONG WILL I HAVE TO STAY?

We require a minimum commitment of six months. The screening process is both time consuming and expensive, and we are therefore only in a position to accept tutors who are prepared to commit to a minimum availability of at least three hours a week for six months. Please don't apply if you are hoping for Summer work. There is almost no demand in the Summer, and if you apply in June or July, it could be September before screening is complete.

WHAT ABOUT TAX AND NATIONAL INSURANCE?

All tutors who receive work from us do so on a self-employed basis, and are responsible for the payment of their own tax and National Insurance contributions.