Extra tutoring while teaching - have you done it?

[Bronwynbay]

Hello, I teach full time and I have been asked to do some tutoring at a student's home. I don't know this person, but they contacted me through a mutual acquaintance. This person isn't connected to my school in anyway.

At first I thought it would be fine as a small bit of extra income, but having read some comments on a FB group I'm in, everyone tutoring seems to have two different types of insurance (public liability and professional indemnity), and endless terms and conditions. Also, if I earn over £1000 a year (which at £30 a week ish, I probably would), I'd have to complete a tax return which is all extra work. I'm not trying to avoid paying tax, of course - just wondering if it's worth the bother! I don't want to start doing this as a business.

Is the insurance etc. really necessary? I'm thinking of backtracking, but just wanted to see what others experiences are, please.

Yes I teach full time in primary and also teach one of the students face to face/8 students online.

Registered SE too 😊 happy to help!

Just bumping as also interested!

Who is best to get insurance with?

I'm getting some ridiculous quotes :S

Yes I live in an 11+ area and when I taught full-time, I did a couple of hours tutoring a week. To be honest I never had public liability insurance. I was DBS checked and worked in the students' homes. If you are in their home or tutoring online, I can't see the need for insurance.

PL insurance is not a legal requirement. I tutor full time from my home and do have it, along with professional liability but I probably wouldn't bother if it was a couple of students a week and in their own home.

The need for insurance is in case someone sues you because their child didn't pass the 11+!

I will preface this by saying I don't live on the UK mainland, so work under different rules (in case that matters!)

But I tutor (secondary/GCSE) in my own home. As far as professional indemnity insurance goes (for parents who aren't happy with their child's results) I don't have any. I looked up advice from tutoring sites online, and you can just write it into your Ts&Cs something alone the lines of "I cannot be held responsible for the final exam results of individual students" (along with any other things you think need to be covered in your own Ts&Cs, such as what to do if you or the student has Covid, how/when you will invoice them etc.)

What I do have is an enhance DBS (it's on a rolling renewal annually now I no longer work in a school) but no one has ever asked to see it!

What you do need to be aware of is the amount you get paid per hour 'officially' will not cover the extra time you will need to spend prepping resources and lessons, marking work etc. That relatively 'high' hourly rate isn't so high when it has to cover the extra time, so you do really need a few students, mostly doing the same kind of thing (e.g. GCSE maths syllabus) so that you quickly build resources and lesson plans which are general, and which then need minimal time spent on them to 'tweak' them for individual students.

You can do worse than give it a go and see how you get on, but don't worry so much about the insurances if you can tie your Ts&Cs down tight.

DM me if you'd like me to send you some wording from my Ts&Cs if that would help.