Telegraph Article
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The Tutors
Telegraph Article
As a tutor, registered on this site recently, I disagree with the siteowners quoted statements:
"These people (tutors) are milking the system"
"Demand far outstrips supply and the tutors are playing on fear"
Do we milk the system? We charge £18 per student per hour, far less than the £50 per hour figures emotively suggested in the article. We attract children from poorer communities and have always had a policy of keeping our prices as low as possible, whilst at the same time keeping our standards high by only employing experienced teachers.
Tutors do not initially create demand for tuition, it is parents who create demand. We have never attempted to create fear or anxiety in marketting
our business. We have high student numbers and high retention rates because, after ten years experience, we are good at what we do and believe that we are respected by both our past and present parents and students.
We do not teach students to "jump through hoops", in recent weeks we have been discussing with a number of parents the suitability of their child sitting the 11+, as a result these parents have decided not to proceed with the entrance test, but are now focussing on SATs tuition.
"These people (tutors) are milking the system"
"Demand far outstrips supply and the tutors are playing on fear"
Do we milk the system? We charge £18 per student per hour, far less than the £50 per hour figures emotively suggested in the article. We attract children from poorer communities and have always had a policy of keeping our prices as low as possible, whilst at the same time keeping our standards high by only employing experienced teachers.
Tutors do not initially create demand for tuition, it is parents who create demand. We have never attempted to create fear or anxiety in marketting
our business. We have high student numbers and high retention rates because, after ten years experience, we are good at what we do and believe that we are respected by both our past and present parents and students.
We do not teach students to "jump through hoops", in recent weeks we have been discussing with a number of parents the suitability of their child sitting the 11+, as a result these parents have decided not to proceed with the entrance test, but are now focussing on SATs tuition.
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IKK
Firstly you should be aware that most newspaper articles, especially those that quote, are not fully representative of the dialogue that ensued at the time. Journalists work with sound bites and these sometimes appear out of context, and articles are not offered for review prior to print.
The discussion at the time was with regard to certain tutors in London that charge £55 per hour per child in a class of three, and even then they will cherry pick the children for their class to ensure their reputation for success remains in tact rather than as you suggest take children from a broad selection of ability. The context was also based on discussion on peer group pressure generated by parents drumming up demand for tutors to the extent that this year we are aware of tutors in the London area charging £70 an hour on a one to one basis, minimum twice a week, for up to 18 months in advance.
Of course rates vary from region to region and tutor to tutor across the UK, but press articles always home in on the extreme cases otherwise they do not have a story.
The discussion at the time was with regard to certain tutors in London that charge £55 per hour per child in a class of three, and even then they will cherry pick the children for their class to ensure their reputation for success remains in tact rather than as you suggest take children from a broad selection of ability. The context was also based on discussion on peer group pressure generated by parents drumming up demand for tutors to the extent that this year we are aware of tutors in the London area charging £70 an hour on a one to one basis, minimum twice a week, for up to 18 months in advance.
Of course rates vary from region to region and tutor to tutor across the UK, but press articles always home in on the extreme cases otherwise they do not have a story.
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The Tutors
I did say that I disagreed with the siteowners "quoted" statements and fully appreciate how the media need to construct stories of extreme content to sell papers. My purpose was to balance the situation rationally by showing how the way we and many tutors contrast with those who would seek to "milk the market" or "play on fear". We care about our students, and that message should be put across, whether on this site (which is possible) or through the media (which is unlikely).
