Tutor Policy

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    Last Updated: 17/09/2024

    Adopted by Driven Tutors on 1st of September 2024

    Pre-enrolment

    • All applicants must show the following before they are able to take sessions:
      • Evidence of university* enrolment via:
        • Showing an active university email address
        • A certificate of enrolment, or email confirming enrolment
        • A tuition fees statement
      • OR evidence that they have graduated from university via:
        • Showing a degree certificate
      • Evidence of having achieved A/A* in A-Levels of desired tuition subjects via:
        • Showing an A-Level certificate
      • Their CV
      • Evidence of their eligibility to work in the UK via:
        • Sending a photo of their British passport
        • Sending share code to prove their eligibility to work in the UK
    • Applicants should show their Enhanced DBS check if they have one. If they only have a Basic DBS check, they must upgrade to an Enhanced DBS check before starting out as a tutor at Driven Tutors.
    • Applicants must undergo Safeguarding training and Child e-Safety training before commencing tutoring.

    * The university must have been in the top 20 of the QS UK rankings at least once in the past 5 years before the year in which the applicant is applying or going to a Russell Group university.

    Pre-session

    • Ensure that the tutor establishes the following before the start of the session:
      • There is a strong Wi-Fi connection
      • They have logged into their skype /ClassIn account
      • They have writing equipment available (e.g. pen and paper, or iPad and stylus)
      • (For Maths and Sciences) They have a calculator within reach
      • Their microphone is working properly
      • They are in a quiet space where they are allowed to speak at a regular volume.
      • Their phone is on silent or turned off
      • The exercises for the session are read
    • Although not mandatory, it’s advised that the tutor:
      • Has drinking water available within reach.
      • Wears earphones or headphones during the session, so that tutor is able to hear the student clearly, and other students are not distracted by background noise
    • Ensure that they start the class on time.

    Absences and rescheduling

    • We require tutors to give us a minimum of 24 hours’ notice by phone, email, or text message, to rearrange a scheduled session if they are unable to make it. The notice can be made within 24 hours, but with at least 30 mins notice if it has been made for the following reasons:
      • The tutor has received an illness or injury.
      • One of the tutor’s close friends or family members has received an illness, injury or has passed away.
      • The tutor is not in the right state of mind to take a session due to other sudden circumstances.
      • The building in which the tutor was planning to take the session in has had to be evacuated or is suddenly not able to be used.
      • There has been over 30 minutes’ worth of transport delay on the way to the building in which the tutor was planning to take the session in.
    • If the notice has been made within 24 hours, but for none of the reasons above, or for a reason we do not deem valid, the tutor will receive 1 out of 3 warnings. Once the tutor has received 3 warnings, they will receive a ÂŁ2 reduction in their hourly rate.
    • If the tutor has had to reschedule a session more than 24 hours in advance, for 3 separate sessions within the same term, a call or meeting will be arranged to discuss a possible rescheduling for the day/time of the week for the session. Whether or not the session’s timetable has been rescheduled, if the tutor has to reschedule a session again after the rearrangement has been agreed, they may receive a ÂŁ2 reduction in their hourly rate. If the scenario in this paragraph occurs again after the first ÂŁ2 reduction, the tutor will be removed from their role.
    • If the tutor has had to reschedule a session within 24 hours in advance for any of the above reasons, for 3 separate weeks within the same term, a call or meeting will be arranged to check on their wellbeing, and if they require a break from sessions before rejoining when they’re ready.
    • If a tutor fails to attend a scheduled session without providing at least 6 hours' prior notice or, in the case of unforeseen circumstances, fails to notify within 30 minutes of the session start, the tutor fee for that session will be deducted from their total monthly pay.

    Resignation

    • If a tutor chooses to resign, they must inform us a minimum of 4 weeks before the final session they plan to take. For example, if a tutor plans to resign after the first term of the 2023/24 academic year, and their last session of the term is on Friday 15th December 2023, then they must inform us by Friday 17th November 2023.
      Please note that if the tutor is assigned a term of sessions, typically 10 weeks per term, or crash courses, these sessions must be completed before resignation.
    • If the tutor’s desired resignation date is under 4 weeks after the request date, unless we have found a tutor before the desired resignation date, we cannot guarantee that the desired resignation date will be the final day for their role. Instead, their actual resignation date would be exactly 4 weeks after the request date.

    Safeguarding

    • All sessions must be recorded for two main purposes: Revision and Safeguarding. The session can be played back by students to look back at the session’s content, but they may also be played back by the Driven Tutors Team in the event of an incident (see Behaviour section).
    • Tutors are required to record the entirety of the session for the above reasons, so if the recording is cut short, the tutors will be asked after the session about why they did so. If the reason is not deemed valid, they may receive a warning.
    • For groups, most communication between the tutor and the students must take place within the designated group chat for the sessions. The group chat consists of all the students, the tutor’s main account (“<Tutor’s Name> Driven”), the tutor’s iPad account (“<Tutor’s Name> Driven Documents”), and a member of the Driven Tutors Team (“Driven Tutors”) who ensures that sessions run smoothly.
    • Private messages between the tutor and the student may only occur if:
      • The student has initiated the conversation by asking an academic-related or session-related question
      • The student had asked a question in the session and you are sending them a response to it
      • They are recordings of the sessions.
      • They are personalised mock exam results.
    • Messages sent from the tutor’s account will be monitored by the Driven Tutors Team at the end of every month for safeguarding purposes. The tutor will be informed of when this occurs.
    • For 1:1 sessions, all conversations must take place within the designated Skype group chat for the sessions. The group chat consists of the student, the tutor’s main account (“<Tutor’s Name> Driven”), the tutor’s iPad account (“<Tutor’s Name> Driven Documents”), and a member of the Driven Tutors Team (“Driven Tutors”) who ensures that sessions run smoothly.
    • Any violation of the above may result in either a warning or a termination of the tutor’s role in Driven Tutors, depending on the severity of the violation (see Behaviour section).

    Behaviour

    • In the extremely rare event of a tutee claiming to have been verbally abused by their tutor during the session, they or a fellow classmate must report this to Driven Tutors via Safeguarding Reporting Form, indicating the session and, if possible, exact moment of time in which it occurred. Members of the Driven Tutors team will then observe this, and take the necessary actions as mentioned later in this section.
    • If the abuse has taken place through messages on Skype/ClassIn, members of the team will look through the group chat or private chat to observe this.
    • Verbal abuse constitutes of the following (with a severity rating next to each of them in brackets, with a higher number indicating a greater severity):
      • Direct injury or death threats (2)
      • Direct references to self-harm or suicide aimed at the tutee (2)
      • Direct rape threats (2)
        Other comments made in a sexual nature (2)
      • Racist/xenophobic comments (2)
      • Homophobic comments (2)
      • Transphobic comments (2)
      • Misogynistic comments (2)
      • Ableist comments (2)
      • Bigoted comments (2)
      • Direct references to radicalisation (2)
      • Direct references to extremism (2)
      • Subtle implications of abuse of severity 2 (1)
      • Jokes indicating any abuse of severity 2 (1)
      • Using generally derogatory vocabulary towards the student, regarding (1):
        • Their appearance
        • Their voice
        • Their intelligence
        • Their level in the subject
        • Their ability to answer questions
        • Their work in the session
        • Their social lives
        • Their friends and/or family
        • Their financial status
        • A sensitive aspect of their personal life
      • And others
    • A list of verbal abuse is non-exhaustive, so any other evidence of what the Driven Tutors Team considers verbal abuse will also be taken into account, along with the appropriate consequences.
      • If there is clear evidence of the tutor committing verbal abuse of severity 1, they will be given 1 of 2 warnings as long as they give a formal apology to the student. If the tutor refuses to apologise properly, or if the tutor has received 2 warnings, their role at Driven Tutors will be terminated.
      • If there is clear evidence of the tutor committing verbal abuse of severity 2, their role at Driven Tutors will be terminated immediately.
      • If the tutee has claimed that their tutor has abused them through messages on Skype, but they have also claimed that the tutor has deleted the messages, then the tutor is required to allow a member of the Driven Tutors team to access their Chat History in their account settings. The appropriate action will be taken from there.