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AMA
Original poster

I'm a "super-tutor" to the London elite

176 replies

heatherheather22 · 13/12/2018 22:40

AMA

OP posts:
Mrskeats · 14/12/2018 00:10

And the phrase ‘London elite’ is annoying and goady.

Original poster
heatherheather22 · 14/12/2018 00:12

Am I the only one who is wondering why, if OP is charging £70/hr, which is a darn good rate in my opinion (and yes I appreciate people earn more per hour) and let's say works out at say £100k a year she feels she cannot afford a taxi fare?

I don't earn even close to £100k!! I wish!! Remember that there are limited hours in which you can work as a tutor - it's rare to get work outside 4.30-8pm on a weekday, as the kids are at school. I try not to work more than three hours over a weekend or I'd go crazy/have no social life. So basically it's hard to have more than 15 hours of class a week. (Obviously that doesn't mean I only work 15 hours a week - lots of revision, answering client enquiries, and endless commutes between one house and the next.)

OP posts:
TheFairyAstronaut · 14/12/2018 00:15

Does your work cause you any ethical conflict?

ihatehoney · 14/12/2018 00:17

What does you mr yearly salary look like? And if you're so well educated why haven't you used that to get a different full time job?

Original poster
heatherheather22 · 14/12/2018 00:17

If you would struggle with controlling a class then why on earth would you want to teach secondary school?

  1. I think I would find other aspects very rewarding and I believe I would make a good teacher overall - every job has its difficulties
  2. I think when I am older and have received classroom teacher training I would be able to control a class
  3. I want to work with less privileged people and hopefully make a difference, as cliche as that sounds
OP posts:
Original poster
heatherheather22 · 14/12/2018 00:20

Does your work cause you any ethical conflict?

Yes, definitely. I'm well aware that I'm helping to prop up a system which only increases the privileges of the rich. But if I refused to work as a private tutor due to my moral compass, would that make the rich less privileged? No. So I might as well take the work.

OP posts:
Original poster
heatherheather22 · 14/12/2018 00:21

Does your work cause you any ethical conflict?

Also, I should say, I do charity education work, which goes some way to balancing things out.

OP posts:
halfwitpicker · 14/12/2018 00:22

Why are we arguing the toss over how 'super' the tutor is? Who gives a shit?

Op:

What's your background? I. E. Before Oxford?
What's your accent like? RP I'm guessing.
Ever had any truly hard nuts to crack, scholar wise? They just didn't get it?

Thanks for starting the thread BTW, interesting topic.

Original poster
heatherheather22 · 14/12/2018 00:23

What does you mr yearly salary look like?

Depends on how many clients I take on and at what rate. As you gain experience you increase your rate so it varies year on year. On average, about £50k.

And if you're so well educated why haven't you used that to get a different full time job?

Because I really enjoy tutoring.

OP posts:
jessstan2 · 14/12/2018 00:29

Good for you! I know someone, also Oxford grad, who privately tutors and makes a good living out of it, fits it in with home schooling her two children.

Wish I could do what you do (wistful face), but well done you.

I think probably the OP has been described by others as a 'super tutor', let's not be hard on her for the label. She's using it tongue in cheek but she sounds great, if I needed tutoring in any or all of those subjects, I'd hire her. Mates rates of course ;).

Original poster
heatherheather22 · 14/12/2018 00:29

Why are we arguing the toss over how 'super' the tutor is?

Thanks for pointing that out ;) TBH I don't really care if a bunch of strangers on the internet agree that I'm a "super" tutor, as long as my clients do!

What's your background? I. E. Before Oxford?

Private girls' school, but not "posh" as private schools go - former grammar school in a Northern city.

What's your accent like? RP I'm guessing.

Yep, RP. A lot of clients - especially international ones - will judge you on your accent/manners/which school and university you went to instead of on how good you are at tutoring.

Ever had any truly hard nuts to crack, scholar wise? They just didn't get it?

It's probably unacceptable to say this on MN, but some children simply aren't very intelligent. It's very tough to teach a 12 year old how to use full stops and capital letters in the six weeks before her exams if she hasn't learned in 8 years at an excellent school.

OP posts:
sallysummer · 14/12/2018 00:32

Unless it's changed you don't learn much class control techniques on a PGCE.

Mrskeats · 14/12/2018 00:34

You teach up to an 80% timetable on a pgce so you have to learn to control a class pretty quickly.

sallysummer · 14/12/2018 00:44

Quite, and do so very early in your first placement. From memory I taught all English lessons from the second week.

halfwitpicker · 14/12/2018 00:44

Ooh, so you're a Northerner. Like you more already Grin

CaroloftheBalls · 14/12/2018 00:48

“as cliche as that sounds”

Umm...

LEMtheoriginal · 14/12/2018 00:54

We have a specialist tutor for dd as she is dyslexic. Highly qualified teacher and ex head of SENCO. She is a fucking amazing tutor and we pay £40 an hour in the south east. We are not however in any elite - i earn barely above minimum wage and dp is self employed and probably doesnt even reach nmw. But despite only sending our dd to a comprehensive school, we value education.

If you are being paid £50 an hour by the sort of "elite" you are describing you are being taken for a mug!

SleepingStandingUp · 14/12/2018 01:06

People who value education
You do realise tbst even us poor working classes value education? Just because we can't afford to pay someone £50 an hour to teach my child what they should be learning in class doesn't mean us lowly poor types don't care.

If you earn £50k on part time hours, I'm not sure you're going to be convinced by teaching...

Original poster
heatherheather22 · 14/12/2018 01:13

Re: previous "People who value education" comment

I meant ONLY people who value education would pay for private tuition, but NOT that people who pay for private tuition are the ONLY ones who value education.

Obviously I'm aware plenty of people who value education can't afford to do so. Apologies for not making that clear.

OP posts:
Schmoobarb · 14/12/2018 01:19

*People who value education

We all value it love, it's just that most of don't have shitloads of money to pay for it.*

Exactly.

Shriek · 14/12/2018 01:20

I agree with pp as wrt more money than sense. For which you seem to be eminently qualified.

For real teaching, and BTW, these are what I call super tutors/teachers as they actually are you seem eminently unqualified.

It's shocking that those you tutor with so little experience and no pgse qualification would ever need further teaching considering that their DPs have already apparently paid through the nose for the best pfft.

I'm sorry, but I think it's quite gross really.

How racist of you *pitwicker^ to just like her on the basis of geography.

It's been interesting I suppose to hear a bit about this,but then again not really, as there are tutors everywhere and some children really actually need them, but those you tutor really should not,and its all quite shocking really.

I have seen so-called ^super-tutored' children not get into certain schools where parents believe they need to have their DC coached to give them unfair advantage over others to get through entry rigors and fail and complain bitterly.

The particular top school I am talking of is often discussed on MN in terms of getting an advantageous edge to gain access.

I also don't agree that it's a contentious issue to state that some DC are not academically able as others, that would be a bit silly to not be aware of and I have huge sympathy for those forced and hot-housed to be disappointments to their dp dps with ridiculous expectations.

I think if anything my question would be, do you turn down DPs that try to do this with these poor DC?

Rather long! Sorry,overly so!

SleepingStandingUp · 14/12/2018 01:25

How racist of you pitwicker^ to just like her on the basis of geography*
Not sure were allowed to call northerners a different race...

Shriek · 14/12/2018 01:29

Exactly my point @SleepingStandingUp

Wrong.

Original poster
heatherheather22 · 14/12/2018 01:30

Do you turn down DPs that try to do this [hothousing] with these poor DC?

The only reasons I've ever turned down a client are 1) I'm too busy or 2) they live too far away. Although it is hard working with hothoused children, because it's never nice to see a child stressed and upset, a positive aspect of working with those children is that I make a real point of telling them, "Exam results aren't the only thing that matter, you are more than your CV, try not to get too stressed about it." Often the parents don't want me to tell them that but I don't care, quite frankly, I've seen too many young people develop real mental health problems because they were so stressed about academia (and I was one myself in my younger years).

OP posts:
Shriek · 14/12/2018 01:32

Oops posted to soon...

Wrong to like/dislike purely on basis of geography, people of a certain 'type' based on their location. All very silly, very old and out.oded and insulting. North/south divisions - unhealthy