The Tutors' Association

General information

The Tutors' Association was established to advance the private tutoring industry and encourage professional standards. The Association aims to support tutors in their work, by investing in continuing professional development and accreditation, and by informing the public of what should be expected of a professional tutor.

The Association was founded by six leading providers of private tuition — British Home Tutors, Carfax Private Tutors, Fleet Tutors, Enjoy Education, Harrison Allen and Knowledge Seekers — and now enjoys the support of many other industry leaders.

The Association held an industry-wide consultation between May and July of 2013, which was given widespread publicity in national and education sector media. The consultation engaged individual tutors, tutoring companies, and key stakeholders with its proposals. Over nine-hundred independent tutors responded through online forums, social media, email and telephone. Over two-hundred tutoring companies, managing tens of thousands of tutors, were contacted and provided further responses. The results indicated strong support for the Association’s initiative.

Having taken in the feedback we received, we have developed a membership structure and admissions requirements that we feel recognise the breadth of factors that contribute to excellence in tutoring, but which at the same time underscore certain minimum requirements in respect of selection, vetting and quality control, which are of paramount importance.

The formation of the association was catalysed by the Centre for Market Reform of Education, an education think-tank and policy unit that seeks to promote market-led solutions to issues in education. The direction of travel and decisions of the association are solely determined by the association's membership.