How to become a biology tutor

I was making provisional enquires at a local tutoring agency earlier this year and, after submitting a short resume of my tutoring credentials along with personal examples of how to tutor biology, I was amused (maybe) to be told ‘I don’t think I can use you’. While I am very comfortable with the idea that I may not be a fit for a particular tutoring agency, I have tutored biology for over 20 years, I have tutored over 250 GCSE, A level and IB students, I have had 100% positive feedback from students and parents alike, I am DBS checked,. I was intrigued as to what it was that made me unsuccessful on this occasion. This experience got me wondering about tutoring agencies’ attitudes to their tutors.

1. Agencies charge fees (and sometime poach)

Prior to being able to share this anecdote, my personal experience of tutoring agencies has been overwhelmingly positive. Having had reason to approach agencies over the years on occasion be it when my number of personal recommendations has waned, or my financial needs increased, I have worked with a few lovely and supportive national and local agencies. However, here’s the but. I have also been approached by agencies who have found my details on other sites, and by agencies who charge a hefty commission fee on top of the modest fee offered to the tutor; in one case, I discovered the agency fee was the same as the tutor fee. Can that be right?

2. Choosing the right tutoring agency to join

On reflecting on this, I began to wonder if it is possible that my overall positive relationship with agencies is biased, a consequence of selective sampling of the tutoring agencies that I have been lucky enough to work with. Could my experience be atypical? I took a look back at the agencies I have worked with (including one for over 20 years, one for a few months) and I see that by chance or design, I have only approached those who have a robust selection process: stringent interview criteria, do background checks and who have safeguarding policies integral to their business models. And, are open to both parents and tutors as to how the tutoring fee is divided up.

3. New rules for tutoring agencies: transparency within the tutoring sector

There have been recent changes in the law regarding the conduct of tutoring agencies and tutoring businesses which will inevitably result in increased transparency within the sector. This can only be positive for our industry.

Ever felt like you’re being used?

Interested in becoming a tutor yourself? Contact Jude for further information.