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

[heatherheather22]

AMA

Why are the parents so fixated on high grades and getting into Oxbridge? Do they think it will mean their kids have a better career? Or is it so they will mix with the children of the rich / leaders in their fields?

Those super-rich types usually get caught in a spiral of acquiring things and wanting the “best” of everything, i think.

Many private schools in London select the most academically able children at 11 and that rather than tutoring is what I'd consider ias the main reason for their plethora of A*s with the odd A thrown in . And at a private school I wouldn't expect to pay extra for an external tutor but clearly there is a market for it - good luck to the OP and am glad you use some of your skills in the charity market too - all kids are good at something , it's about identifying what and supporting them and making all feel valued and capable of becoming whatever they want to be

What does your typical day look like?

Do you spend a lot of time travelling between clients?

Which areas of London do you mainly work in?

What did you study at university?

Do you know what these kids go on to do for careers after if they've kept I touch.

Just out of interest did you go to Sheffield Girl’s High? I went to king Edwards for 6th form and those girls were crazy. They used to line up on the fence when we walked past for our lunch so that they could see boys grin.

Nope, but my school did have a boys' school nearby and there was an awful lot of snogging at the bus stops :/

Why are the parents so fixated on high grades and getting into Oxbridge? Do they think it will mean their kids have a better career? Or is it so they will mix with the children of the rich / leaders in their fields?

They genuinely want their kids to have the best start in life and to have as many opportunities as possible. These kids are already rich and mixing with other rich people, so they don't really worry about social climbing.

Depends on how you define "a good career", but if you mean "lucrative and socially prestigious" (which is I imagine how most of my clients would define it) then going to Oxbridge DOES mean you'll have a better career. A lot of the top consulting firms and law firms pretty much only hire from Oxbridge. Oxbridge are very very good at setting up networking events and careers fairs which are basically designed to funnel Oxbridge grads into top City jobs.

£70/hour is slightly below the going rate here in NW london. Super tutors earn hundreds per hour. You're just a tutor.

Thanks, I wouldn't define a good career as lucrative and socially prestigious. I would describe a good career as fulfilling and stimulating with enough money to be comfortable and have choices. So I guess that's where I differ from your clients!

What does your typical day look like?

On a week day and in term time: Wake up half eight ish, pootle around for a few hours doing laundry/tidying/shopping/catching up on social media. Answer emails from clients and agencies. Do financial admin to keep track of invoices and payments. Go for a run. About half three/four: head out to first client. Most of my classes are 90 minutes, some are one hour or two hours. Go straight to second client. Come home, chill.

In the school holidays: CARNAGE. Probably teach five or six hours a day, between 9am and 8pm. Put all attempts to keep flat tidy/do exercise/eat healthily on hold until the kids are back at school :p

Do you spend a lot of time travelling between clients?

Yes, lots. Almost as much time as I spend teaching. The amount I spend on my Oyster card...

Which areas of London do you mainly work in?

Kensington and Chelsea. I used to have several clients in the far-north suburbs but it takes so long to get there and back that it's not really worth it. I'm trying to wind down those clients.

What did you study at university?

French and Italian.

My friend charges £120 an hour!! We don't use her, obviously, but i actually wish we had!
My £35 an hour one is bloody shit!!!!!

Do you know what these kids go on to do for careers after if they've kept I touch.

I don't really keep in touch after they go to uni tbh.

Do you work through an agency? Do they pay you or are you self employed? If so how did you find your clients?

People pay for tutors for religious studies? Who fails RE????

Do you work through an agency? Do they pay you or are you self employed? If so how did you find your clients?

Most of my work comes through two well-known agencies. I am self-employed but the money comes through them. Sometimes I get students through friends/connections and then the agency isn't involved.

People pay for tutors for religious studies? Who fails RE????

I don't get that much work in RS, but I've had a few clients. Once you get to GCSE/A-level it's like any other essay-based subject, you have to know how to write well. If you want to do Philosophy or History at uni it's taken seriously as a qualification.

Do you teach your kids a work ethic so they don't think 5-6 hours work a day is carnage....... 😀

LOLing at the 'london elite'. They sound like dicks!

My DH has done this work - never full time, just to subsidise him during PhD etc, when he was earning c.£15k per year in London (recently, not in the 1970’s)! He met some absolutely loaded families - one family took their son to their house in another European city (say Brussels) for Easter, but wanted him to have tutoring for a few hours a day - and by then DP had a good rapport with the son. So they paid for his flights to Brussels, and we paid for flights for me - then they put us both up in a wing of their Brussels house, and when DP wasn’t tutoring we had free time to explore the city! Hostess was lovely, took me out when DP was busy, and got in loads of tasty food for us both Plus DP got paid for the hours he was tutoring! And the boy did very well in his GCSEs so then DP got his sister a few years later

And for someone who asked upthread, DP has a first from a non-Oxbridge but Russell Group uni, in a subject that is not taught at GCSE but is applicable (I suppose like if he studied linguistics and could teach English language?) Trick seems to be to be able to engage with the students - and find a good agency. DP generally did 1 hour a week tutoring instead of 1 day per week bar work, and earned about the same

Do you teach your kids a work ethic so they don't think 5-6 hours work a day is carnage.......

It's not 5-6 hours of work a day, it's 5-6 hours of teaching a day. Adding in the preparation, admin and commuting between clients it's about eleven hours of work a day.

Duh bluefolder , the OP already said she spends as much time travelling as teaching! Plus you can't really imagine that the job involves no prep, admin or marking work on top of the contact hours?

I did similar work for a while and 4 hours of contact tutoring time equated to about a 10-hour day (assuming nothing went wrong with the public transport system).

Fair enough. But long days for 17 weeks a year? It's hardly carnage. And I'm still amused at the idea of a super tutor who goes to their tutees for £70/hour when the ones round here often charge more than that for the tutees to go to them, sometimes in groups.

Something I should have clarified about my fees - £70 is my take home pay. Obviously the agency is "hiring me out" at more than that because they take a cut (usually about 25-40% depending on the agency).

so the agency is probably charging £100, maybe up to £120. It's still not a particularly high rate if you go to them. As I said, in NW London £80/hour is absolutely standard and the kids go to the tutor, so they earn that every hour - the famous Arlette charges £80/child in groups of four going to her. I'd really associate the term super tutor with one who doesn't need an agency as they are so in demand and charges well over a hundred pounds per hour with no agency.

I'm really not meaning to be nasty, I'm sure you're an excellent tutor, just not a 'super-tutor' in the generally understood meaning of the word.

Speaking as a teacher of 20 years I would advise you not to describe yourself as a"super tutor" if you do decide to apply for a job as a school teacher. The sound of teachers laughing themselves silly will be heard for miles.