I needed a job.
It was 2013 – my final year of studies at university. One of my friends told me she was planning to quit her job tutoring at a local school. The timing couldn’t have been better.
I called the school and offered myself up for the work. They invited me in for a spin.
Private schools often hire external tutors trained in a particular skill. For instance, a performing artist might be invited to work with students each week-or-so, supplementing classroom theory with development of a technical skill. Sometimes, parents will pay for their kids to have extra private lessons with these tutors – even when they haven’t met them.
This was how I got my first tutoring job. There was no interview. There was no resume. There were no references to be called.
“Just arrive 10 minutes before the lesson so you can get yourself set up. It’ll last for an hour, and you’ll be teaching a small group of grade five kids.”
Can’t be too hard, I thought to myself. And after that lesson, I was called in for the same time the next week.
This was how I got my first tutoring job. There was no interview. There was no resume. There were no references to be called. And, perhaps most importantly, nobody supervised me as I taught that very first class. In fact, there hasn’t been any supervision throughout the three private schools that have hired me since.
I’ve tutored infant and primary school kids every year since my first day. And each time, the process has been the same. I think it’s time to talk about how easy it was for me to get a job. How easy it was for me to be placed alone in a room full of children, positioned in a role of authority and responsibility, with no experience and with trust as the underlying basis for my employment.
In Australia, teachers are required to obtain qualifications depending on their level of skill and the level they teach. In Tasmania, the basic tutoring requirement is a Working with Vulnerable People registration with the Department of Justice. The process was quick: I handed over my hundred-or-so bucks and, voila, the paperwork was filed and I got my card.
It defies logic that this little piece of plastic, which we hide in our wallets, should somehow protect children from potential predators, and inexperienced or irresponsible educators in schools.
Tutoring is a grey area in our education system. It’s thanks to a simple play on words that we’re largely exempt from legislation and regulation: we’re not “teachers”. We’re “tutors”. Of course, we still enter the same classrooms, and teach the same kids. But the name of our role entitles us to the benefit of not having to spend years learning how to do the job.
Despite my respect for my job, I have issues with the systemic lack of regulation surrounding my ability to obtain it.
Each state has its own laws, and each school its own system. But major bodies such as the Victorian Institute of Teachers, the NSW Education Standards Authority, Teachers Registration Board Tasmania, and Teach Queensland inform me that “tutoring” is outside their jurisdiction.
There is one major representative body – the Australian Tutors Association. But why would we pay for ATA accreditation when we don’t need it to work? I don’t know any tutors in my networks who have.
Despite my respect for my job, I have issues with the systemic lack of regulation surrounding my ability to obtain it.
The ATA estimates there are 70,000 tutors practising in Australia. How can we know they’re all acting within our children’s best interests, and are qualified enough to teach (especially when the Australian government lists ambiguous training paths and experiences recommended to those researching how to become tutors)?
When it comes to the legwork, parents, it’s on you. The NSW Government asks parents to undertake a police-like investigation to check up on tutors, even suggesting you chat with other parents – strangers – about reliability. It’s a simple way to redelegate responsibility when there’s little structure to safeguard kids in the hands of tutors.
So where does this leave us?
In my small community, I have been fortunate to work alongside tutors I trust and admire. It’s so far been a safe space for us as colleagues and figures of authority: we openly communicate about our students’ progress, and often bring our individual students together to witness them interacting and putting their new skills into practice. The students I teach appear happy and healthy, and I wouldn’t hesitate to send my child to one of my schools.
When it comes down to it, I’m proud to tutor your kids. I might have no training for it; I’m just doing my best to learn on the job. But I’m thankful that I’m in a position to teach. Because you can trust that I am doing everything I can to help your child develop, and keep her or him safe from harm.
I’m just sorry that you have to take my word for it.
Disclaimer: Individual schools in Australia may have in-house policies for hiring tutors.
