Yes, all our tutors have valid DBS certificates (enhanced level). Some have existing certificates that have been requested by another organisation, which we then carefully check for validity and suitability as part of our recruitment process. Others have certificates that we’ve requested ourselves via a UK government approved provider.
The list of requirements for online tutoring isn’t as long or as complicated as you might think. Let’s have a look at the essential requirements, and then the additional items that are nice to have…
Essential
Preferable
That’s it!
If you’re not sure whether the devices you have are suitable, or whether your internet connection is fast enough, we’re happy to schedule a free online tutoring demo with you. We’ll carry out some checks, and if necessary, recommend some purchases or upgrades you can make to meet all the requirements for seamless online tutoring.
Our online tutoring works by allowing our tutors and students to see and hear everything they normally would during a face-to-face lesson. We have developed our own specialised system of software and hardware that replicates face-to-face tutoring as closely as possible. Our system connects to the internet using either a Wi-Fi connection or mobile data, which allows for reliable transmission of all the audio and video signals.
We also have a highly skilled technical team who provide training to all our tutors and students. A free setup session is conducted by someone on this team before each new student starts online lessons with us. This is done so that any technical issues are resolved before tutoring begins, ensuring the first lesson goes as smoothly as possible. Having effective systems, training and setup sessions allows our tutors and students to focus on what they do best – teach and learn!
We’re of course very happy to schedule fortnightly lessons, and to keep these going for as long as we can. You just need to be aware that at some point in the future, we might need to give preference to a weekly student. This means that if someone wants a weekly time, and the only option that works for them is your fortnightly time, we’ll need to contact you to discuss your options.
If this happens, your options will be:
a) move your fortnightly lessons to a different day/time (if available)
b) switch from fortnightly lessons to weekly
c) switch from regular lessons in the term time to condensed lessons in the school holidays (only suitable for academic students)
If none of these options are suitable for you, then regrettably we’d have to give you 4 weeks notice and give your regular time to the weekly student. However, if we can find a suitable fortnightly time for you with another tutor on our team, we can explore this option as well.
We hope you understand that our tutors need to keep their schedules full. Please be assured that giving notice to stop fortnightly lessons will only be done as a very last resort.
We provide two or three trial lessons for all new students, usually one per week for three consecutive weeks. It’s very important that your child gets on well with their tutor, and trial lessons are the best way of testing this.
The lessons will contain a mixture of assessment and teaching. It’s important to have two or three lessons so that your tutor can assess how well your child retains information between the lessons, and also how they get on with their homework/practice tasks. This isn’t possible with just a single trial lesson, which is why two is the minimum number of lessons you can book. Your tutor will provide feedback from the assessment when the trial period is complete, and share their recommendations for the most suitable frequency and length of lessons going forward.
Some of our tutors are able to travel to your home, and usually there is a charge for travel costs. In our experience, however, tuition is more effective when conducted in the tutor’s home. It’s good for your child to be tutored in a dedicated learning environment that is free from the distractions of life at home. Even if the home environment is quiet, there will often be visual stimuli or thoughts related to home life that can negatively affect levels of concentration. By travelling to the tutor’s home, all these distractions can be left behind, resulting in enhanced concentration and more efficient learning.
If bringing your child to a tutor’s home simply isn’t an option, we’ll always do our best to accommodate your needs. Please get in touch to discuss travelling and charges in more detail.
Regular lessons are payable in advance, one month at a time. They are normally once a week, 60 minutes long for academic students, and anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes long for music students (depending on their age and level). However, our tutors will always give their professional opinion if they see that longer or more frequent lessons would be beneficial for the student. Whether or not you accept their recommendation is of course entirely up to you.
We ask for 4 weeks’ notice in writing if you’d like to stop regular lessons.
Yes, most of our tutors will be able to offer both trial lessons and regular weekly lessons during the school holidays. These tutors will also be able to offer condensed tuition during the holidays if there’s no suitable weekly time for a particular student.
Although term-time lessons are compulsory, lessons during the school holidays are optional. For students with an upcoming exam, we always recommend that they continue lessons in order to keep the momentum going.
Meet The Tutor is an informal appointment that we provide free of charge as part of the trial lessons. Once payment has been received for the trial lessons, your tutor will invite you and your child to attend a 10-15 minute appointment, usually a few days before the first lesson. Rapport is a key ingredient in effective tutoring, so Meet The Tutor provides the perfect opportunity for your child to start building rapport with their tutor. You and your child can also ask any questions you may have about the lessons. We know from experience that your child will feel much more relaxed at their first lesson if they have already met their tutor, and have started to building a good rapport.
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