Is this a conflict of interest?

[timetablechaos]

Looking for some advice or perspective on something that’s been really bothering me, as it’s had a huge emotional impact on my DC.
My child (14) has spent the last 6 years heavily involved in a high-level extracurricular activity (think 12+ hours a week). They’ve worked really hard and been fully committed. At the end of last school year, they had the opportunity to apply for a place to continue with the activity. Historically, all children who have done this activity for several years have been offered continuing places.This year, 6 applied and 5 were awarded places. The only one not accepted was my child. There have been no behaviour issues, no cause for concern or issues raised throughout their time in this organisation - this is not the point of my AIBU but I'm adding for context. This decision came completely out of the blue with no feedback and was really upsetting. Understandably, DC is devastated.

Now this is my AIBU- My child had paid-for private lessons in the main skill of this activity with a teacher who also works at the organisation that awards the places. I'll call him Mr X. He taught DC for 3 years and was always happy with my child's performance. At first, things were fine, but Mr X had a habit of being very unreliable (frequent cancellations, no-shows without warning, etc). After a lot of patience, we ended the lessons earlier this year and found a different teacher.

I’ve now learned that Mr X was involved in the selection process for awarding continuing places this year. I think it's important to also mention that he currently teaches 4 out of the 5 children who were awarded continuing places in the program in separate private paid-for lessons (outside of the activity) as he used to do with my child. I was not aware he was involved in this year's decision and only found out when I asked for feedback on why my child didn’t receive a place. I was told it was a 'group decision by key staff' including Mr X. I can’t help but feel this is a conflict of interest as Mr X had a previous teaching relationship with my child (which he possibly now perceives in a negative light), and he currently teaches the majority of the children who were successful in a private capacity. It is not unreasonable to assume that consciously or unconsciously he might favour his own pupils for these really sought-after places and that he should have recused himself. Teaching this skill is his main income. Am I wrong to think this raises questions about the fairness and independence of the whole process?

The others were better than your child, move on, it won’t do your child any good hearing you moan how unfair it is. They just weren’t the best on the day.

I definitely won't be going in all guns blazing and I will be finding out more about the process. The fact that we and the young people involved were not informed of the process and how selection took place is also of concern in ensuring a clear and transparent process. I don't see the relevance of one child who had no contact with this teacher being selected. What is relevant is that those who still have a good working relationship with him and are paying for lessons are in. We have had a less positive experience with him and are out. He has personal / financial interests at play, and that doesn't change whether it was one child or more.

Thanks for your input. Have a lovely day!

And as my post to you, that you've quoted, clearly stated "... based on the info' you've put out here, we simply don't know. And, more importantly, nor do ...".

So, 6 applicants and 5 spaces. Your child has the highest qualifications. Your child was the one not picked… and he just happens to be the only one who “fired” this Mr X.

Well, I would certainly be questioning it with this board as well as higher up in the charity.

I don’t think that my point was irrelevant, actually. My point was that you chose to have your child taught by someone involved in the selection process, and I expect that had you continued that tutoring, and had your child been accepted, you wouldn’t have been bothered about the advantage your child had received.

If that is not the case and you would have been concerned about the advantage your child had benefited from, I commend your integrity.

Nope. This is the first time he has been involved in the selection process (we finished lessons with him nearly a year ago) so I did not choose to have my child taught by someone to try and buy influence.

100% its a conflict of interest!

agree. completely aside from your child and your particular circumstances, it is a clear conflict of interest to have someone who privately tutors students in an activity involved in a panel to decide on their (vs. non-students) continuing involvement in a club of that activity.

I feel your pain. DS is at a reasonably high ranking independent schools. Many of the DC who get into the A team of a particular sport also happen to be the ones who attend a very expensive after hours session of this sport with one of the main sports teachers. I know of other excellent players who have been dropped from the A team shortly after they dropped his sessions! Luckily DS is not that committed to this particular sport but I’d be mad if it was one of my DC.

That's really tough OP and it does sound like something iffy is going on.

However, just to play devil's advocate (without being a dick that says 'your child wasn't good enough, get over it'🙄)

It's also possible to look at it from the other direction: yes, the teacher is money-grabbing and corrupt - but that corruption occurred at the point that he was taking your money for private lessons when he knew that your DC was never going to be good enough for the elite level.

You talk about “the organisation”, I assume that since the mysterious activity is so niche (and appears to be fairly local since one person manages to coach four out of the five children who attend) that other members of the awarding “organisation” are fully aware of who coaches who and so already know and approve of Mr X ‘s involvement and coaching responsibilities.

So I am not quite sure how you see this going forward. Is there a national body which oversees the “organisation” to whom you would appeal? Where does additional funding come from, is it funded by a charity, who would be beholden to the charity commission, or a recognised independent body, or a body funded by government subsidy?

Sometimes it isn't possible to form a selection panel and avoid all conflicts of interest due to scheduling and other procedural things (such as how many people need to be on a panel). What is important is that potential conflicts of interest are declared and taken into account and also that unconscious biases are also considered. Only Mr X will know if there has been a bias in his decision making and influence on the panel however in your situation i would be keen to know

1. how the panel is selected
2. if the conflicts were declared
3. what procedures will be put in place in future if 1&2 are not satisfactory

An example from my own experience - i was interviewed for a managerial position as an internal candidate. Therefore most of the selection panel knew me already and did not know some of the other candidates. This is worked around by always having an external member on the panel. However an added complexity was my PhD supervisor was one of the panel members and so he had a personal relationship with me. He had to declare this to everyone else on the panel and i think if a decision on me came down to some sort of tie his votes wouldn't count. I don't think that other people interviewed would be informed of all this as its personal to me though the procedures are probably public.

The rejection of your DC makes absolutely no sense then?

Im still unclear. Were there only 5 spots available? Could there have been six if they’d wanted to include your DC?

I'm thinking chess or ballet. Am I getting warm? Opera? 😀

Regardless of which applicants were successful, there is a conflict of interest.

Yes there could have been as far as I understand it.

I don’t know about high level sport but I know about performing arts, and at elite level for young people it does tend to be a small world with nepotism, networking etc. Is there a way you can appeal?

Yes, this is my understanding too. Conflicts have to be declared and then managed. I don’t think this has happened so will be asking about it.

Then they definitely need to explain his exclusion, especially as you claim he is better qualified than the other candidates for places.
This is bonkers!

It is more this way than sport. The nepotism is off the charts.

That’s my thinking exactly. It doesn’t matter if the ‘wrong’ or ‘right’ decision was made as if there is a conflict of interest the process itself is potentially skewed making a fair decision much harder to reach.

Sorry, it’s a crap term but I can’t say what it is without it being incredibly outing. The ‘organisation’ is branch of a large, extremely well-known charity / body that prides itself on fair values.

Her kid was out forward for, and passed, the highest qualifications out of all of them.

This tutor is responsible for entering his “tutees” for those qualifications but hasn’t entered anyone else in the higher ones… it really doesn’t sound like her kid has the lowest ability.

So it's something like Chance to Shine? If so, yes they will not only want everything to be above board, but they will need it to be seen as being above board. Anything, anything, which could have negative repercussions for the charity backing the activity will be a major concern for them.

it is good that you are challenging. Almost certainly the tutor will use it to his advantage that his students got places.