How to find the best quality tutors and tutoring practice: The Tutors Association

July 9, 2014

• Advice for Parents

Launched in October 2013, the Tutors Association has been formed to ensure the best professional standards and practice throughout the private tutoring sector. Kings Tutors is a one of a number of leading tutoring companies who have joined the Tutors Association, recognising the benefits of membership to tutors, parents and students. Joining the Tutors Association is by membership only and there’s a strict level of minimum requirements that tutor companies and tutors must meet to qualify. These requirements are in place to ensure quality control across all tutoring. Tutoring is a dynamic and personal practice; a good tutor needs to communicate and connect with their student’s requirements in order to ensure the best possible learning and that target goals are reached. However, it’s also important to maintain excellent professional practice as this guarantees rigorous academic practice. Tutors need to make quality their priority, just as every student expects their private tuition to give them the extra level of quality they need.

The Tutors Association, and membership of it, helps to promote and secure this level of quality. An important element of this is their ten-point Code of Professional Practice. This is all about ensuring the high standards that private tuition must deliver, for example, all members must pledge to ‘promote and seek business in a professional and ethical manner’. This is a really important part of tutoring, for both tutors and students. Tutors should not seek to exploit vulnerable students or parents, or treat those in need of their help with a lack of respect. As a tutee, or parent it’s important to know that you’re getting the best value for your time, efforts and money. Members of the Tutors Association must be committed to ethical practice, as this needs to be a priority across the tutoring experience. Members must pledge not to encourage plagiarism or break confidentially codes, giving private tuition the same levels of ethical, rigorous academic practice you would expect from any high-quality education environment. Bad tutoring practice includes suggesting levels of tutoring which are not necessary, for personal or financial gain. It’s important to look out for selfish or exploitative tutors, as tutoring must always be focused on the genuine needs of the student. The Tutors Association is a good place to start looking for a tutor who will always give excellent, and ethical, tuition.

The Tutors Association does not just promote these high levels of professionalism and ethical conduct, but really focuses on the most interesting, relevant and progressive tutoring. The Code of Practice also requires that tutors, ‘Shall keep up to date with developments in tutoring pedagogy and practice’. This focus on ‘keeping up to date’ is a crucial reason why Kings Tutors, and other leading tutor companies, really value and agree with the Tutors Association. Tutoring is all about flexibility and development, ensuring each pupil gains individual and relevant tuition that will help them excel. Being part of the network that the Tutors Association provides is a great way to build on professional tutor development. This can be through providing assistance with gaining professional qualifications, setting up tuition courses or simply providing a space in which the best tutors can exchange ideas, strategies and resources.

This is great for giving tutors a wealth of knowledge to draw on, alongside regulation and guidance to ensure excellent professional practice. However, this is also incredibly useful for students and parents of tutees. As a network of companies and tutors, with the board of founders and advisees, the Tutors Network can answer any questions, provide extra information and give students or parents the reassurance that the tutor or company they’re working with is up to standard. It’s a great starting point for all parts of the tuition journey, whether you’re a prospective student or seasoned tutor. The Tutors Association illustrates the development of the private tutoring industry, recognising that tutoring is all about the highest possible standards of practice, in order to get the most valuable and worthwhile academic results.

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