Super-Tutors are Worth So Much More – an Open Letter to the BBC
Dear Katie Hope
Business Reporter at the BBC
I have just finished reading your ‘Inside the secret and lucrative world of the super tutor’ piece and have a few thoughts of my own to offer. Aside from the immediate fact that there is much more that goes into the making of a ‘super-tutor’ than salary alone – any tutor can name a hefty price for their services, but if they can’t walk the talk they won’t last long in a placement – if you’re really going to measure expertise based on price-tag, your articles need to be better reflective of the real numbers.
At Tutors International, we currently have full-time residential tutors on our books who command upwards of twice the weekly salary quoted in your article. Our clients, typically high-ranking professionals and UHNWs, come to us because they want a truly exceptional and talented educator, painstakingly matched to the individual needs of both student and family, and they are willing to pay whatever it takes to meet those needs. One of our clients currently employs two tutors on a combined salary of £370,000 per year, with accommodation and meals provided. This is because these are talented tutors who tick every box for this client. You are highly unlikely to get the cream of the tutoring crop for £1,500 per week.
The alleged ‘super-tutors’ in your article, and the prices quoted are either grossly out of touch with the current tutoring market, or the tutors you are interviewing do not truly belong in that category. Tutors International operates in countries all over the world, and we have encountered ‘rock star’ tutors in Hong Kong and New York, as well as in the UK, who come with a price-tag more akin to that of a British Premier League football player, with one tutor famously turning down $11m.
Can you meet your full-time tutoring needs for £800-£1,500 per week? The answer is yes, and many families do, but to declare these numbers as being even close to the top salaries in the profession is inaccurate, and only serves to devalue the tutoring profession. These super tutors are experienced, highly-educated, and work extremely hard for their salaries, and are often required to uproot and travel for long periods with their client at very short notice. Because of this, they also often have little time of their own to socialise and maintain their own personal relationships. They never simply ‘clock out’.
The bottom-line is, whatever the budget, there is still a private tutoring option for any family who needs one – whether it’s hourly sessions for exam prep, extra-curricular support for special educational needs, or full-time residential tutoring aboard a private mega-yacht – but, for the top earning super-tutors who have that level of unrivalled talent, reputation, and experience, £1,500 per week just isn’t going to cut it.
Yours,
Adam Caller
Independent Education Consultant