| Some 2500 years ago, Philip, King of Macedon, | | | | tutor themselves, they are facing a task which, in |
| arranged private tuition for his teenage son. The | | | | the time and experience it requires, is simply |
| scholar whom Philip engaged was Aristotle himself, | | | | unrealistic. |
| and Philip's son Alexander-known to us as Alexander | | | | The obvious answer is a tutoring agency, and there |
| the Great-went on to make his extraordinary mark | | | | are many out there. But here too, parents are left |
| on history. Along the way he offered the following | | | | with little information to go on. |
| observation: 'I am indebted to my father for living,' he | | | | The importance of using the right private tutoring |
| said, 'but to my teacher for living well.' | | | | agency |
| The increasing educational choices available to parents | | | | Fundamentally, the relationship between a family and |
| 2500 years on, and parents still face a Gordian Knot | | | | a tutoring agency should be a constructive |
| of questions regarding their children's education. On | | | | partnership. A tutoring agency should not be merely |
| one hand, it can seem odd that such questions should | | | | an employment agency or a temping firm. Instead, |
| be so persistent and so vexing. After all, parents | | | | the agency should be engaged and available |
| have access to reams of league tables, stacks of | | | | throughout the entire tutoring placement to offer |
| school guides, and piles of Ofsted reports-surely | | | | advice and support with the student's well-being |
| parents are among the most informed people in the | | | | clearly in view. After all, with so much to be gained, |
| country when it comes to choices about education! | | | | as little as possible should be left to chance. |
| On the other hand, it can feel more and more like | | | | The problem is that most tutoring agencies focus on |
| the questions being asked and the answers being | | | | providing tutors on the part-time, hourly, after-school |
| offered are somehow not matching up very helpfully. | | | | model, and few of them have useful experience with |
| Perhaps that's why private tuition is increasingly | | | | full-time tuition. Accordingly, parents considering |
| popular. Extra help with homework, focussed exam | | | | full-time tuition face the question of finding a suitable |
| preparation, or an added boost in a tricky subject | | | | agency to begin with. |
| can help ensure success for a student whatever his | | | | Principles that can guide parents in the choice of |
| or her school situation. | | | | private tutoring agency |
| An alternative private tutoring solution: full-time | | | | There are several principles that parents considering |
| private tuition | | | | full-time tuition can use to make the choice of |
| It is this sort of add-on tutoring, typically provided a | | | | tutoring agency easier. |
| few times a week for a limited period after school, | | | | First, a tutoring agency should be willing to meet and |
| that comprises the majority of tutoring situations in | | | | talk with the family in person, before any contracts |
| the UK. But there is another sort of tutoring which | | | | are signed, to fully determine what the academic |
| has also grown steadily in this country and | | | | situation is and whether or not the agency can fairly |
| internationally: full-time private tuition in place of or as | | | | address it. |
| a major adjunct to school. There are more and more | | | | Second, a tutoring agency should be up-front and |
| parents who, for one reason or another, want | | | | transparent in their policies and procedures. For |
| something more for their children than a school-based | | | | example, they should be able to clearly describe their |
| education is always able to provide. | | | | tutor recruitment process, vetting procedures, |
| The reasons that a family might consider tutoring of | | | | projected time-frames, and of course the costs. |
| this sort can vary widely. There could be problems in | | | | They should also be willing to detail their company's |
| school of various sorts, or special educational needs | | | | history, background, and track record. |
| that are not being adequately addressed. A family | | | | Third, a tutoring agency should be able to offer |
| living overseas may want to provide a certain type | | | | proper contracts for the relationships between |
| of education for their child that is locally unavailable. | | | | themselves, the family, and the tutor. |
| Or a student might be in serious full-time athletic | | | | Fourth, a tutoring agency should offer a guarantee of |
| training, and need education to fit in with those | | | | complete confidentiality. A family should be assured |
| demands in a way that school generally does not. | | | | that the agency, and the tutor that will enter their |
| Situations like these take almost as many forms as | | | | home and come to know them well, hold |
| there are families, and they obviously raise far bigger | | | | confidentiality and discretion as basic principles of |
| questions than hourly after-school tuition could | | | | conduct. |
| address. They also suggest a far more specialised | | | | Critical questions to ask the potential private tutor |
| educational situation than most tutoring companies | | | | agency |
| are prepared to handle effectively. | | | | If all seems to be in order on those four points, |
| The practical side of full-time private tuition | | | | parents can then consider the following: |
| So how does it work? Take the following as typical. | | | | What sort of educational background and |
| A family recruits a tutor to work with their child in | | | | teaching experience can a family expect the tutoring |
| their home for a year. The tutor has an academic | | | | agency to be able to provide in their tutor? If a |
| background appropriate to the student's | | | | student's goal is Oxbridge for example, will the tutor |
| requirements, and ideally has proven teaching skills as | | | | be up to the task? |
| well. The family provide the tutor with | | | | How extensive are the background checks that |
| accommodation near their home, and transport to | | | | the tutoring agency carries out on its prospective |
| and from the home. They also typically provide the | | | | tutors? After all, the tutor will be entering the family |
| tutor with lunch during teaching days. The family and | | | | home and the family circle for an extended period, |
| the tutor work out a schedule-four to five hours of | | | | and it is essential for the family to feel comfortable |
| tuition, five days a week for example. The tutor | | | | with the tutor as a person of integrity and good |
| designs a curriculum that not only satisfies relevant | | | | character. Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (ECRB) |
| external standards (such as those of the British | | | | checks should be expected at a minimum for UK |
| National Curriculum, or the International | | | | tutors, and the equivalent for tutors from abroad. |
| Baccalaureate), but is also custom-made to the needs | | | | A good tutoring agency should remain in regular |
| and personality of the student. Finally, the tutor | | | | contact with the family and the tutor throughout the |
| delivers the lessons, working one-on-one with the | | | | period of the posting, and should always be available |
| student to make the learning both interesting and | | | | for consultation. Parents should confirm that the |
| effective. | | | | agency will provide that service. |
| There is more to gain than simply an excellent | | | | What sort of safety net does the agency |
| education | | | | provide should things go wrong or questions arise? |
| This scenario, in one version or another, is played out | | | | Ideally, a good tutoring agency will offer you all of |
| all over the world. Tailor-made to their educational | | | | this information from the start. You shouldn't have to |
| needs, personalities, and schedules, taught to | | | | work hard to find it. |
| standards of excellence that meet-and most often | | | | If parents are satisfied on all of these points, they |
| exceed-those of top private schools, students can | | | | have reason to expect that the company will find |
| benefit enormously from this unique form of | | | | them a well-qualified tutor for their unique situation. |
| education. What's more, in a good tutor a student | | | | And they should never forget that all tutoring |
| gains not just a teacher, but also a friend, mentor, | | | | situations are unique. If a tutoring company doesn't |
| advisor, and role model. Full-time private tuition can | | | | start with that as its first principle of customer |
| truly make the difference in some students' lives. | | | | service, families should take that fact alone as a |
| The challenge of finding the right private tutor | | | | good reason to look elsewhere. |
| But a bit of reflection will reveal a huge question: how | | | | The cost of good private tuition versus the cost of a |
| to bring it about? Success in private tuition doesn't | | | | poor education |
| happen through the simple fact of having a tutor, but | | | | Good private tuition, particularly full-time, does not |
| through having the right tutor for the educational | | | | come cheaply, but the other side of the question is |
| situation. This means that private tutors have to be | | | | the overall costs of a less than satisfactory education |
| selected carefully, with an awareness of a number of | | | | for a child. In that light, the value for money of |
| factors that can affect the quality of the outcome. | | | | focused, one-on-one tuition can actually be excellent, |
| But how many parents have that sort of know-how? | | | | especially if one tutor teaches more than one child in |
| How many would have the time to sift through CV | | | | the family. |
| after CV, trying to identify which tutors have the | | | | For families facing challenges of whatever sort with |
| strongest educational backgrounds and the most | | | | school-based education, full-time private tuition |
| appropriate teaching experience? Nor would many | | | | backed by a good professional partner can often |
| parents know how to go about arranging background | | | | provide the alternative that changes everything. It |
| checks, or have the time to review a host of | | | | can be just the sword for some of today's academic |
| personal references, let alone conduct interviews. If | | | | Gordian Knots. |
| parents are considering finding a suitable full-time | | | | |