Tips for Hiring a Safe Private Tutor

Despite the fact that one in four families in the UK employs private tutors for their children (University of London, Institute of Education 9/05), tutoring is an unregulated “industry”.  This means that, unlike teachers who work with schools, private tutors do not have to have a Criminal Records Bureau check or even a university degree to teach.  With the recent controversy surrounding sex-offenders in schools, how can parents ensure that the person who calls themselves a tutor is in fact a reputable professional?  If parents choose to hire a tutor directly rather than through an agency, they face a myriad of checks they will need to understand and undertake on their own.  If a tutor goes through an agency, a reputable and professional agency should have performed these checks for the client.  What exactly are all these checks?  Which is the one that really counts?

Police check:  A police check which will have “National Identification Service” at the top of the form is performed by a local police department and will only disclose convictions in a local area.  If an individual has been convicted of a crime outside the local area, this check will not pick this up.  This check is insufficient for work with children

Standard CRB disclosure:  This check is performed by The Criminal Records Bureau which is an Executive Agency of the Home office.  This check will match a person’s details match those held on the Police National Computer (name, driver’s license number, national Insurance number, date and place of birth as well as five year address history) and will identify any criminal convictions but not allegations or cautions.  This disclosure will also check if the person is on List 99.  This check is for people who work around children (e.g. school secretaries) but not sufficient for people who work indirect contact with children such as teachers and tutors.

List 99:  This is a list maintained by the Department for Education and Skills which consists of convicted sex offenders and any others permanently excluded from working in schools

Enhanced CRB disclosure:  This is the most thorough and comprehensive check available and is designed for people in direct contact with children such as teachers or tutors. This is the only check that queries not only the national police database and List 99 but also the local police departments, an important additional step.  In the local searches, police are asked to reveal any “additional information” which may make the tutor unsuitable for work with children.  For example, if the person had a history of allegations in any area or indeed cautions for sexual or other offences, the “additional information” in the enhanced disclosure will reveal it.   This check is valid for three years. 

Parents need to be aware of the risk and administration behind hiring a self-employed independent tutor rather than one through an agency or your own school.   The main risk is that, even though the parents can request an enhanced CRB, they will not be able to look at the “additional information” section which accompanied it and neither will the tutor.  Hopefully, this section was left “blank” indicating no cautions or allegations.  This “additional information” section of the disclosure form is only available to the organisation (e.g. school or agency) originally requesting the check and not to the tutor or parent.  The fact that a  reputable and established agency will screen enhanced CRBs for additional information is a major reason why finding a tutor through an agency is a safer and more convenient option than directly hiring an individual tutor who advertises on a local or even web-based notice board. 

How do parents ensure the agency is reputable and established, especially as even agencies are unregulated?

Choose an agency which is a CRB registered body (Ask them for their CRB registered body number)

Confirm that the agency requires enhanced CRB’s of their tutors (as opposed to ordinary CRB’s or police checks)

Ask what their policy is when the tutor has “additional information”?  Do they categorically, eliminate all tutors with any allegations or cautions and require that this section be blank or is there a “grey” area, where they make exceptions.

Ask whether the agency requires the tutors to have degrees in the subjects they teach and/or teaching certificates?

Ask how long the tutors have been tutoring through them? 

Do the tutors have references?

Are the tutors qualified?  Qualified tutors should have degrees in the subject they teach and/or teaching certificates.  They should have successful experience of teaching one-to-one.

Despite all these precautions, it is important that parents resist paranoia.  In reality, sex offences are reasonably rare.  Finding a qualified and experienced tutor through an agency which has been in business for several years, who abides by the policies above is likely to be one of the best investments you can make in your child’s future.

Mylene Curtis, Fleet Tutors, CRB Registered Body 20528800006,  Fleet Tutors is a private tuition agency  with 29 Years Experience Helping Students Reach Their Potential, For More Information, Visit www.fleet-tutors.co.uk Telephone 0845 644 5452