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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Rise in students being tutors

96 replies

Daisypod · 31/08/2023 16:02

I've noticed recently a rise in people advertising either for themselves or their kids to be tutors when they have just passed their GCSEs as they've done really well. This is for younger children now doing their GCSEs. I have nothing against this but they are charging almost the same as local qualified teachers who do tuition. As well as not being trained to tutor at just 16 they are unlikely to have the skills to teach or the depth of knowledge of their subjects even if they did get grade 8/9.
So
Yabu let them crack on
Yanbu helping out younger kids is great but setting yourself up as a proper tutor is taking the mick

OP posts:
SpottedOnMN · 31/08/2023 16:05

My son tutored in sixth form (for a lot less money than a qualified teacher) and made a real difference to his students. The school organised and paid for some of it. It can work well but I wouldn’t pay full rates for a teen tutor.

Zanatdy · 31/08/2023 16:07

I think my son would be a great tutor for GCSE or A level, no he’s not a qualified teacher but it’s for the person / parent to check out the qualifications and experience before they agree to hire or not

tulippa · 31/08/2023 16:09

Guess it's up to the parents if they're happy to pay for that service. Knowing your subject is just one part of being a good teacher though.

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 31/08/2023 16:12

A lot of schools get 6th formers to mentor (tutor) younger year groups who are struggling with certain subjects and they do it for free. If they are good enough to do that then I have no issue with them charging for their time outside of school. I don't think they should be charging the same as a professionally qualified tutor with extensive experience though.

Andanotherone01 · 31/08/2023 16:15

JustHereWithMyPopcorn · 31/08/2023 16:12

A lot of schools get 6th formers to mentor (tutor) younger year groups who are struggling with certain subjects and they do it for free. If they are good enough to do that then I have no issue with them charging for their time outside of school. I don't think they should be charging the same as a professionally qualified tutor with extensive experience though.

I did this when I was doing my A Levels (25 years ago!) as part of an award scheme - all for free. Personally I wouldn’t pay an unqualified teacher or student to tutor my children

grass321 · 31/08/2023 16:18

YABU. Often the tutees feel more relaxed with someone their age and the students tend to teach in the same way as their school.

Crack on, I say. If parents are willing to pay the same rates, then that's supply and demand for you.

TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon · 31/08/2023 16:21

Yes, there's a really good company which only employs students or very recent graduates to be tutors.

It's brilliant. The tutors are closer in age to the kids and have recently been through the system themselves, their knowledge base is sound (there's a very rigorous interview process checking them) and it looks very good on a CV.

thecatsthecats · 31/08/2023 16:23

I tutored my friends at A level when we were doing the course. Four got 90+% in the exams (didn't repeat this in any other exam they took), and all achieved 85%+

I coached others in the class too when they asked it. I have a knack of understanding the exam requirements, and stacking the revision deck towards getting the grade.

Plus the recent experience of those direct exams.

Crack on, I say. My tutor group got better results than the teacher did by herself. I actually coached a girl to achieve a B grade, who the teacher tried to kick out of the class for underperforming, so I don't set much store by qualifications over aptitude and attitude.

wizzywig · 31/08/2023 16:35

@TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon what company is that?

roses2 · 31/08/2023 16:54

I agree - seems like a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon. Last year my friend had an after school nanny (University student 20 year old) who refused to read with her 6 year old unless she paid her a tutor rate!

EVHead · 31/08/2023 16:55

How much are they charging?

enchantedsquirrelwood · 31/08/2023 16:58

I was a tutor when I was in sixth form. It was quite lucrative and I enjoyed it. All my tutees got As in their GCSEs.

Hufflepods · 31/08/2023 17:00

There’s a sound argument that someone who has recently been through it and excelled at that specific curriculum is at least as good if not better placed to tutor it than someone who did O levels.

MMorales · 31/08/2023 17:00

After my GCSE's I tutored my younger sister and brother.

They did really well much better than they would have otherwise.

I was up to date with the current curriculum and ensured we worked on their exam technique.

I think it's up to the parents.

Just cos they're students doesnt mean they arent a good choice.

Original poster
Daisypod · 31/08/2023 17:06

Ok some good points there and I can certainly see the benefits but I still think charging the same as professional tutors (£30+ per hour) is a bit much

OP posts:
Smoky1107 · 31/08/2023 17:07

My daughter was tutored by a university student and without her she wouldn't have passed maths. I think it's great!

Hufflepods · 31/08/2023 17:07

Daisypod · 31/08/2023 17:06

Ok some good points there and I can certainly see the benefits but I still think charging the same as professional tutors (£30+ per hour) is a bit much

Why? What makes someone a “professional tutor”? Surely once you become paid you are a professional tutor by default?
Do you just mean older?
If someone wants to pay for it and is happy with the service provided then why should the tutor charge less?

TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon · 31/08/2023 17:10

wizzywig · 31/08/2023 16:35

@TheLongGloriesOfTheWinterMoon what company is that?

My Tutor.
I've just told DD she should sign up!

EVHead · 31/08/2023 17:16

£30+ per hour is outrageous for someone with no formal teaching/tutoring qualifications. But market forces … they can’t charge that if no one will pay it.

Araminta34 · 31/08/2023 17:30

Daisypod · 31/08/2023 17:06

Ok some good points there and I can certainly see the benefits but I still think charging the same as professional tutors (£30+ per hour) is a bit much

What is it that makes a tutor a 'professional,' other than the fact that they have some experience?
As far as I know, there are no specific qualifications for being a tutor. Most are teachers, but I'm sure a student could do the job just as well. They have recently been through the process themselves and will have up to date knowledge.

BiscuitsandPuffin · 31/08/2023 17:31

YANBU. If teaching was that easy, we wouldn't need 3+ years of training and supervision to do it. I think there is a place for student tutors but that's not at the £30 an hour payscale (although I suspect the ones advertising at the higher price points aren't getting manyor anystudents). Certainly when I was at sixth form it was voluntary and the high school my children will go to does the same. I know I made a difference but I also know I didn't have the skills or experience to manage the worst of my challenging students.

It's generally understood that you need to be qualified to one full level higher than you intend to teach. These sort of unqualified tutors should charge less as they have fewer qualifications and less experience working with students, and if they do it badly they could turn off a child from learning for life. It's like those people who hothoused their kids through the 11+ then try to charge other people to "teach" them when they don't actually know the meaning of the word "teaching" (clue, it's not filling empty vessels with "knowledge").

But then I also think our education secretaries should actually have had an education and successive governments/shadow cabinets don't seem to agree for some reason.

Original poster
Daisypod · 31/08/2023 17:46

What I mean by professional is that they have a teaching qualification. That's generally the definition of a professional, I could give someone advice about buying a house because I'd just been through the process but that doesn't make me a conveyancer.

OP posts:
Hufflepods · 31/08/2023 18:17

Daisypod · 31/08/2023 17:46

What I mean by professional is that they have a teaching qualification. That's generally the definition of a professional, I could give someone advice about buying a house because I'd just been through the process but that doesn't make me a conveyancer.

I would say the majority of tutors are not professional teachers though so they will not have a teaching qualification regardless of whether they are still students or not.

Neolara · 31/08/2023 18:22

My DD tutored GCSE maths while she was doing her a levels. The tutee was predicted a 5 but got an 8. Her mother was ecstatic!

FloweryName · 31/08/2023 18:24

At my DC’s school they expected all the higher achieving sixth formers to tutor the younger students and they were given a little bit of training and supervision through it. I wouldn’t have a problem with any of those students setting themselves up as a proper tutor who charged decent money.

It’s up to parents who they want to tutor their child and how much they want to pay. I should imagine there are lots of students who will respond better to an older student than they would to a qualified teacher.