February 2014
Tutoring
Tips for parents
Tutoring can help enhance your child´s performance at
school. However, choosing the tutoring service that´s
right for your child can sometimes prove a little
challenging. It is essential that parents do some research
beforehand.
Bogus offers
Questions to ask
be wary of overseas or interstate institutions
promoting their services on the internet
● be cautious when dealing with a company that relies
on web-based communication and doesn´t offer
telephone numbers or office locations
● read any contract carefully before signing, and be
aware of any cancellation conditions
● ask how `guarantees´ of success can be
substantiated.
Parents should think carefully before signing up and/or
paying for any tutoring service, no matter how good it
sounds. Asking a range of questions about the service is
a good way to help you decide if it is the right service for
you and your child:
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How long has the tutoring service been in business?
Does the service belong to a relevant industry
association with an enforceable code of conduct eg.
the Australian Tutoring Association?
Can the service give you the name of any other
parents that you can talk to about the quality of its
tutoring services?
Have the tutors been interviewed face-to-face by the
tutoring service?
What are the qualifications and experience of the
tutor who will be tutoring your child?
Are the tutors trained specifically in the subject area
in which they are tutoring?
Is the form of proposed tutoring relevant to the NSW
Education course requirements?
Have reference checks been conducted on the
tutors?
Does the tutor hold the appropriate Working With
Children check?
If the tutoring service is at a specific location is there
an opportunity to visit the location?
Question any deal, including tutoring services, that
sounds too good to be true because it probably is. In
particular:
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Contract conditions and fees
When you sign a contract for tutoring you are legally
bound by its terms and conditions. Once you have
signed, you usually can´t back out. Always read carefully
any document you are asked to sign. If you don´t
understand it, don´t sign it. Find out about things such as:
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whether the tutoring organisation has a refund policy
(refer to Refunds below)
how much you will need to pay in total for the tutoring
what will happen if your child is unhappy or you want
to cancel the tutoring, including what cancellation
fees or charges may apply
how much notice you will need to give in case you
need to cancel a tutoring session
whether you will be required to pay for any additional
support materials or books
what is the preferred method of payment
whether you will be provided with a receipt for
payments.
Types of tutoring
Face-to-face tutoring, either in-home or on-site, is a
traditional and common method of tutoring. However,
February 2014
computer-based and online tutoring is becoming
increasingly popular.
Computer-based tutoring
If you decide to go with a computer-based tutoring
course for your child make sure that it is compatible with
your computer hardware and software.
Many computer based training packages are made
overseas and may not be applicable to Australian
schools.
Ensure that you know exactly what the course involves
and how it is expected to help your child. Check whether
technical and/or educational support is available for the
course and how and when this is provided.
Online tutoring
Before deciding on online tutoring ask yourself the
following questions:
Does the age of my computer matter?
Is my internet connection fast enough?
How often will I be required to download?
Are the system requirements of the online course
materials compatible with my computer?
● Does it make a difference if I´ve got a Mac instead of
a PC?
● How does the tutoring relate to the relevant
curriculum requirements?
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False and misleading advertising
Be wary of high-pressure sales tactics as well as false
advertising. Advertising can be a useful source of
information but it can also mislead the unsuspecting.
You should receive accurate information about the
tutoring service you want to purchase. It is illegal for the
tutoring service to:
make misleading or deceptive claims about their
services
● advertise products or services with false
endorsements
● claim benefits they simply do not have
● make false representations about the standard,
quality or value of the service.
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Refunds
By law you may be entitled to cancel your contract and
seek a refund if an aspect of your child´s tutoring service
was wrongly described or misrepresented to you.
The Australian Consumer Law allows you to claim
compensation when a service does not meet a consumer
guarantee. You may be able to claim compensation for
your costs in time and money because something went
wrong with the service.
Not satisfied?
If you´re not satisfied with the service you have received
or how you have been treated, the first step is to make
every effort to sort out the problem directly with the tutor
or the tutoring service.
Be clear, firm and polite and state what the problem is
and how you would like it fixed. Make sure you put your
concerns in writing and keep all relevant documents,
such as contracts, receipts, warranties and quotes.
Where to get help
If you don´t reach a satisfactory outcome, contact NSW
Fair Trading on 13 32 20 or visit our website. We provide
free information about your rights and options to resolve
the dispute. This includes mediation of the complaint by
Fair Trading staff or referral to the NSW Civil and
Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) which provides
independent, low cost and accessible dispute resolution
in consumer disputes.
You can also contact the Australian Tutoring Association
(ATA) at www.ata.edu.au They may assist in conflict
resolution through mediation and negotiation, and have
fact sheets available on:
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Plagiarism
How young is too young?
In-home tutoring and agencies
Computer-based tutoring and online learning
Tutor and parent expectations.
February 2014
www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
Fair Trading enquiries 13 32 20
TTY 1300 723 404
Language assistance 13 14 50
This fact sheet must not be relied on as
legal advice. For more information about
this topic, refer to the appropriate
legislation.
© State of New South Wales through NSW Fair Trading
You may freely copy, distribute, display or download this information with some important
restrictions. See NSW Fair Trading's copyright policy at www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au or email
[email protected]