Due diligence in private tutoring placements
Once again, a family has contacted me in tears because a private tutor placed with them by another company has been a disaster. Then the agency neglected to provide the ongoing support all parents and tutors should expect, and prompt remedial action if it transpires that the placement is not going as well as planned.
You may wonder why they call me about it. There are several reasons – one being that they hoped I could fix this sorry mess swiftly and efficiently and with the least impact on their child. The second reason being that I have been in this situation before with this particular agency.
Tutoring Futures, formerly Quintessential Tutors, has a history of placing poor-fit tutors with families, and then failing to provide adequate support for both the tutor and the family.
Due diligence is absolutely essential to the placement process to ensure the continued safety and wellbeing of both children and tutors. At Tutors International we take this process extremely seriously and we never rush it through or skip over, misrepresent, or withhold crucial details in order to find a quick match. We’ve heard from both clients and tutors who feel utterly abandoned by their tutoring companies, begging us to help.
As you may know, last month I withdrew my membership of The Tutors Association. Following extensive dialogue with Board members (among them, I must point out, is Emma Swanson, the owner of Tutoring Futures) I felt I could not continue to be associated with a professional body that is willing to overlook such crucial aspects of the tutoring placement process and condones such poor behaviour by individual tutoring companies.
Following my resignation, I have received correspondence from other tutors and companies that share my concerns, feel misled, and either have or plan to follow suit in withdrawing from The Tutors Association.
A professional tutoring body should strive for an exceptional standard of care and support – for both tutors and clients – and I do not believe that this is what is currently being offered. That is unacceptable in my view, and puts families and tutors at serious risk.