We occasionally get requests for tutors to go to student’s home. It’s not the most popular choice as it is more expensive for the client due to a travel charge being added to the session fee. Additionally, with our online service being so popular, many parents will take that option instead.

Benefits

The benefit of tutoring in a student’s home is you get to enter the child’s world. You will gain so much more information regarding how the child thinks and feels, an idea of the family organisation and how the child relates to schoolwork with their main environment.

Also, all tutors who work in students’ homes get a much closer relationship to the student’s and their immediate family.

As long as you work on a professional basis, many tutors enjoy this closer relationship.

Travel Expenses

Your travel expense will be pre agreed. Travel is a fixed price from the nearest Westcountry Practice.

Travel expenses are claimed by adding an ad hoc expense to the requested tuition page. If you forget how much travel you can claim, it will be a part of the tutoring description.  You cannot enter more than you have been allocated. If you do enter more it will look like it has been accepted but, when we come to invoice, it will reject that invoice and our accounts manager will have to make a lot of manual adjustments to correct it.

Risk Assessment

You must conduct your own risk assessment when you go to a new family home. You don’t need to get your clipboard out and begin to assess every nook and cranny of the home, but you do need to do a quick visual inspection of where you will be working.

Pets

If the family have pets, you are within your rights to ask if the pets can be put in another room while you tutor the child.

If the family have an aggressive dog, you are well within your rights not to enter.

Lighting

Please make sure the space you are working in is well lit and will not cause a strain on your eyes when you work. You are within your rights to ask for extra lighting, such as a lamp or overhead light. If you do not feel comfortable asking, your client manager will request one in a way that doesn’t make it awkward when you next go back in.

Space

Please make sure you have adequate space when you are tutoring. There needs to be a desk or table for you and the student to both sit at.  There needs to be adequate space for you both to work comfortably and according to any COVID requirements.

Please never agree to tutor in a child’s bedroom. Or agree to tutor upstairs while the rest of the family are downstairs.

Leave doors open when possible and enable the parents or guardians to be able to pop their head around and see that all is ok.

Noise

If the home is too noisy then it will be impossible for the student and tutor to concentrate fully. Do report issues like this back to your Client Manager or mentor.

Respect for Home

We do always need to remember that we are guests in someone’s home. You should always act as if you are pleased to be in the home and that you are happy you are there. You also need to hold in mind that you are a representative of Westcountry SEN in someone’s home. You need to work within the policies and procedures.

Insurance

Whilst you are tutoring in the home you are covered by Westcountry SEN’s insurance should you accidentally damage something in the home, whilst a tutor damaging something valuable would be very rare, you are protected as long as any damage is in line with your tutoring role.

However, your cover with us does not extend to outside of the home, or while you are in the car. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen but just say you arrived at your student’s house and were slightly distracted, and hit their front garden wall with your car then your own car insurance will need to cover the cost of the damage, not Westcountry SEN.

However, for your car insurance to be valid and for any accident you might have on your way to work, you must have business insurance for your insurance to be valid.

Do speak to your car insurance provider as it often does not cost you anything to switch to business insurance.

Lone Worker

When you are working at someone’s home, you are classed as a lone worker. You should let your family know where you are going (whilst keeping the families name confidential) and ensure your family / friends know how to contact a Mentor or learning manager if you do not come home as expected.