First of all, O2 have relaunched their O2 Learn Awards, where teachers can upload short video lessons for the chance to win £2000 for themselves and their school. O2 are giving away these prizes every week, thus helping them to build ‘Britain’s biggest classroom’ with ‘over 1,000 curriculum focused lessons available’ to view online. Only UK qualified teachers with a connection to a school can take part, so check the eligibility criteria first.

Secondly, aspiring pianists between the ages of 7 and 14 have the chance to play onstage with keyboard maestro Lang Lang, at the O2 in Berlin, and with 49 other young people. With the help of a parent or guardian, all you have to do is upload a short video of yourself playing one of three pieces:

• Beethoven: Für Elise;
• Schubert: Moment Musical 3F in F minor;
• Mozart: Piano Sonata in C major, K.545.

Then, you can get your friends to vote for your video. This must all be done before 29th April, so there’s not long. I’ve had a look on the website (www.langlangberlin.telefonica.com), and the amazing thing is that there currently seems to be only one UK entry – suggesting you’ve got a very good chance! This is in contrast to some of the other countries where there seem to be dozens of entries.

Good luck to all teachers and piano prodigies!

The media seems to be showing continued interest in our January report on private tutoring, Elocution in the new Britain: Trends in private tuition.

I was interviewed for today’s BBC Radio 4′s You & Yours on the subject, as was Rachel Preece, a voice tutor listed on The Tutor Pages.

You can hear the interview here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01dhhpv#p00q6s2v

On the broadcast, Natasha Gruneberg described The Tutor Pages as a site which ‘provides teachers for anything from A-level maths to the trombone’ – a pretty apt description of the service The Tutor Pages offers, I think!

Recently,the idea of a professional body or association for tutors has come up again, this time in The  Tutor Pages discussion group on LinkedIn (see above).

One of the major issues is the diversity of the industry which is by its nature unregulated. Tutors range from accountants coaching adults to pass ACCA exams to musicians giving fun workshops to the under-5s. It would be nigh on impossible to specify standards for joining across such a range of disciplines. Would an academic qualification be enough, or should a teaching qualification also be a pre-requisite? Those with teaching qualifications already have professional bodies, and most other subject disciplines already have bodies to represent them (such as the Musicians Union and the Incorporated Society of Musicians for music teachers). Some teaching unions which traditionally represent classroom teachers also allow private tutors to join.

Also, qualified teachers will be reminded of the difficulties faced by the General Teaching Council (GTC), England’s statutory body for teachers. This organisation has been generally unloved by the teaching profession, and will officially close in March 2012. Gerard Kelly, editor of the TES, wrote last year “Its remit was never clear: was it supposed to advocate or regulate, to police or champion?”. Even though membership to the GTC was compulsory for all teachers in the maintained sector, and despite huge funding and political will, it lumbered from crisis to crisis and failed to find a worthwhile agenda. The GTC’s ill-fated code of practice was a case in point (see, for example, http://jimsweetman.com/the-end-of-the-gtc).

A professional body of tutors would likely draw up a similar code of practice, but to what end exactly? There’s a danger of hollow rhetoric, since how is an industry of several hundreds of thousands of diverse individuals to be professionalized? One professional body I belong to insists on CPD (continuing professional development) to help maintain standards – but, considering the diversity I’ve mentioned, what could be the private tuition equivalent, since any meaningful CPD needs to be subject-specific?

I’m inclined to think there’s an argument for helping parents to assess the individual tutor themselves, based on the tutor’s qualifications, their track record and their references. Parents have assessed tutors in this way for decades or even centuries. For those who would like an extra level of service, there are tuition agencies which are required by law to perform CRB checks on tutors (if they are going to work with children or vulnerable adults) and also check their qualifications. But of course the cost of a parent getting an agency to perform these services is high, considering the levels of commission agencies charge. Then there is the issue of whether the agency itself is a good one: there’s no guarantee. Do qualifications and a CRB check alone turn someone into a good tutor? As a parent, perhaps you come a full circle and simply end up wishing you’d assessed the tutor yourself.

I’m not saying that a professional body of tutors wouldn’t work under any circumstances, but at the moment I am not convinced of the potential payoff, considering the amount of bureaucracy needed to set anything up that actually has teeth.

From the tutor’s point of view, there is indeed kudos (but perhaps little else) attached to belonging to an organisation, and I can therefore see why some would welcome it. It would certainly help with marketing, for example. However, as a parent looking to employ a potential tutor, I would be more likely to put faith in my own judgement of individuals over and above whether someone belongs to a particular organisation.

The Tutor Pages’ new report Elocution in the new Britain: Trends in private tuition received widespread media coverage yesterday, for example in the Independent, the Telegraph and the Daily Mail. It also attracted attention across BBC local radio and on television, featuring on ITV’s Loose Women.

As well as highlighting the increased interest in elocution tuition, our report gives a snapshot of the current state of the UK private tuition industry. Based on over 20,000 enquiries sent through thetutorpages.com in 2011, the report features a ‘top ten’ of the most popular requests across academic, languages and music/arts categories. For example, it seems that Chinese is now as popular as German for language study, and that piano and singing are currently at the top of musical tuition requests nationwide.

The report also highlights ‘trending’ areas – those subjects which on average receive more enquiries per tutor than any others. Interestingly, these trending areas are often vocational in some respect, including subjects such as elocution, accounting, AutoCAD, architecture and law.

Our report really does have something of interest for everyone. To download a copy (in PDF version) click here, or access it at the end of our most recent press release at www.thetutorpages.com/media-room

My post on Friday dealt with the staggering size of the US private tuition industry, and the uneasy tension between the personalized learning experience (which many would understand to be at the heart of tutoring) and the increasing encroachment of big business into this field.

Therefore, as an antidote, I thought I would share with you a new book by the American tutor/ author Marina Koestler Ruben entitled How to Tutor Your Own Child: Boost Grades and Inspire a Lifelong Love of Learning – Without Paying for a Professional Tutor (see above). The basic premise is that parents can be just as good when it comes to coaching their children, thus echoing some of the research I pointed to in an earlier post, Tutoring: A Tool for the Masses?.

Judging from some of the internet buzz already surrounding this book, it looks like a valuable (and entertaining) resource. The positive comments on the US Amazon site don’t just include parents, but also teaching professionals. I get a sense it’s going to be a useful resource for many private tutors too. The Chicago Tribune has just published an interview with Ruben, in which she very briefly outlines the 6-step method at the core of her tutoring. Below is an extract from the article:

Q: I don’t know how to teach. How can I tutor?

A: Teaching and tutoring are different. A teacher presents material. A tutor checks to see if the child has understood. A big part of a tutor’s job is helping a child learn how to learn, to come up with techniques to retain and clarify information.

Q: What tips might I adopt from professional tutors?

A: Show your child you love learning. You want your child to take on that feeling. Be calm. If the child has delayed or procrastinated, respond calmly to help him come up with a plan. Break down big tasks.

Q: What if I don’t know the subject?

A: It depends on the kind of help your child needs. Ask to see his notes to refresh your memory. Talk yourself through them as he observes. Prompt him to explain them. Sometimes just reviewing his notes, which students may overlook as a means of studying, will be enough for him to grasp the concept.

If it’s something like a specific math problem, it’s appropriate to seek outside help. Help your child find the proper resource. Walk him back through his notes, or guide him to similar problems in his textbook. Direct him to write the problem to ask a teacher, look it up online, or contact a student who succeeded in the class. Parents can contact a college or graduate student if it’s high-level math or science. It’s still cheaper than hiring a pro.

Q: I’ve got the basics to tutor: a large surface with equal access for me and my child, and the supplies. Now what?

A: A formal session follows six steps. 1. Give your child your undivided attention. 2. Open the session with an encouraging statement. 3. Ask what’s new in the subject since you last met. 4. Ask what’s happening now in his class. That’s your work for this session. 5. Ask what’s next, to plan for upcoming assignments or exams. 6. End on a positive note. You want your child to leave feeling empowered.

The author Marina Ruben’s own blog is here.

The article opens with an assertion that, at an estimated $5 billion, the ‘supplemental education’ sector in the United States is now worth a staggering ten times as much as it was in 2001. Although increased competition for university places is in part driving the unprecedented expansion (“Experts say the fastest-growing group of tutoring consumers is high school students, driven by cutthroat competition for college admission”), this does not do full justice to the phenomenon. In a set of concepts pretty alien to a British reader (at least for now), it seems that:

“Tutoring firms no longer offer just subject-specific help in, say, Latin or chemistry; increasingly, they’re marketing a dizzying menu of test prep, study skills, enrichment tutorials, scholastic summer camps and prekindergarten readiness programs.”

Moreover, according the article’s author, the tutoring field is now “increasingly centralized … and corporate”. Kumon Maths and Reading Centres is the largest US tutoring chain, boasting 1,400 centres nationwide. “The idea is not for Kumon students to be “tutored” per se but to “self-propel” through the material, says center director Naomi Suzuki, pointing to a wall of cubbyholes brimming with neatly stacked newsprint work sheets.”

If such an approach seems anathema to the spirit of private tuition, the article also cites plenty of critics. In fact, it was the tension between the tuition centre approach and personalized learning that I found to be one of the article’s most interesting insights:

“But talk to experts like Gordon [Edward E. Gordon, author of 'The Tutoring Revolution'] … and you start to hear the same mantra: Personal, one-on-one attention and customized teaching (not work sheet curricula) is the preferred way to help students deal with their academic challenges — especially since many youngsters need help and encouragement just learning how to learn”.

The conclusion of the article also revealed some home truths about what really may be necessary, echoing some of my thoughts from a previous blog post:

“Ironically enough, for all the money and time families are spending on highly specialized tutors, some families need something much simpler. Some firms now offer “homework helpers” who, for an average of $20 to $50 an hour, will sit with a distractible child when, say, both parents are working, to make sure he doesn’t gravitate to Facebook before finishing his fractions and maybe help him get unstuck from a confusing problem … “It’s serenity in the home now,” says the [parent], who’s usually right there preparing dinner when the tutor comes. “And the job gets done.”

I do recommend the full article. It is perhaps a sign of things to come in the UK.

The Tutor Pages is certainly popular among musicians, so we’re really pleased to be featured this month by Music Teacher Magazine, which is the premier publication for music educators across the UK.

On account of our large bank of tutor articles and acclaimed e-book, the Music Teacher article describes The Tutor Pages as ‘useful and fascinating to browse’ and ‘more than simply an online listings service … a resource of real value’.

We’ve just updated our free guide for private tutors in the UK which can be downloaded from The Tutor Pages website.

Several sections have been updated, including the all important information on sorting out your self-employed tax (see my previous post on the current relevance of this).

Recently, The Tutor Pages LinkedIn discussion page has also become pretty popular. For example, there’s been a useful discussion on how tutors can establish clear terms & conditions when working with students and/or parents. In fact, Sara Chatterton’s comments on this topic were so good that we’ve included them in our e-book!:

I have been stung a few times in the past so I now always give new pupils a pack when they start. The pack includes my CRB (though in the past no-one ever asked to see it), my business card with all contact details and my terms. If anyone cancels with less than 48 hours notice then I reserve the right to charge in full for the missed lesson. I am running a business and I don’t see why I should have to lose out if someone is ill or forgets. That said I do have some families that have been with me for years and been very fair with me. If they are ill then I would try to rearrange if at all possible. Since I have given out the pack I have less cancellations.

I’ve been hearing from various sources that HM Revenue & Customs is planning a crackdown on private tutors who aren’t paying their tax.

First, there was an article in the Daily Telegraph in which an HMRC spokesperson told tutors (in bizarrely colloquial terms) that “Now is your chance to come forward and ‘fess up. It will be more expensive if we come and find people.”

Then, there was another article highlighted by a tutor on our tutor forum (thanks, Carrie), which reported that HMRC is using “cutting-edge tools such as ‘web robot’ software” to crawl Gumtree and other websites to home in on people who are trading without telling HMRC.

Finally, I’ve heard reports that tuition agencies are receiving letters from HMRC asking them to provide the names and addresses of tutors who have received payments of £1000 or more, going back over the last three years.

Since tutoring work is often cash in hand, and since it is commonly done in addition to a full-time job, it requires real self-discipline on a tutor’s part to make sure all earnings are appropriately recorded and declared. To help with this, our free e-book for tutors gives extensive advice on tutors’ tax obligations and how tutors can record their income appropriately.

HMRC clearly think that private tuition is a substantial risk area for tax evasion, and have therefore set up a new campaign entitled ‘Private Tuition and Coaching (PT&C)’ which according to their website ‘covers people providing private lessons, regardless of whether they have a teaching qualification, and could include, for example, fitness/dance/lifestyle coaches through to national curriculum subject tutors and others’.

I was curious about what the campaign was about, and so gave their new helpline a call. I was told that, when the campaign gets going in the autumn of this year, private tutors will for the first time be able to come forward and voluntarily disclose earnings which they realise they should have been paying tax on. I was told that a similar initiative has been running for other professions (such as plumbers). It seems a little bit like an amnesty – except that individuals who do so will still be subject to a penalty for tax avoidance.

So why would anyone wish to come forward under such a scheme? The answer was simple – the penalty for voluntary disclosure is lower than if HMRC discover through other means that you have undeclared earnings.

And with their increasingly sophisticated online and offline methods for catching tax avoiders, if you’re at all unsure about your tax affairs, now seems the right time to make sure everything is above board.

Music teachers may be interested to hear that Trinity Guildhall is offering a series of free presentations across the UK and Ireland on their graded music exams. Upcoming presentations are in Manchester, Truro, Exeter, Tunbridge Wells and Cambridge, and there’s even a series of free concerts showcasing the new piano and woodwind repertoire as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August.

This would be a good chance to find out about the Trinity Guildhall approach to music exams with their emphasis on performance, and also hear about aspects such as technical work, supporting tests (aural, sightreading, musical knowledge and improvisation etc), and teacher support.

Apparently, you’ll also be able to buy their publications at a discounted price.

Just visit www.trinityguildhall.co.uk/discover to register to attend an event, or to suggest locations for future events.