The Problem with Tutoring Scholarships and What We Do Differently
In the world of tutoring, scholarships are few and far between. We’ve written about inequal access to tutoring before, but today we dive into the harm that scholarships themselves can cause. In an industry which prides itself on making dramatic differences to childrens’ lives, we ought to be certain that we’re producing positive results.
Despite Australian schooling being available for free, many people are choosing to pay for it. About one third of students attend a private school and one quarter receive private tutoring. These students who have secured extra support often benefit greatly and achieve much higher academic outcomes than their peers. For students wishing to access competitive tertiary education pathways (like medicine) this is a crucial advantage.
The Problem with Scholarships
Shockingly few tutoring companies offer free or subsidised programs for tutoring itself. Scholarship opportunities often come with free lessons, coaching and resources, but these classes come at a cost. Companies will use the names, photographs, and personal stories of these underprivileged students in promotional material to benefit the tutoring company’s brand.
There are many and obvious reasons to object to this:
Firstly, childrens’ digital footprints, the information publicly preserved about them on the internet, is a matter of growing concern for parents. Publicising information about your child’s whereabouts - school, tutoring facility, or otherwise - exposes them to risk from bad actors. Images of children online can be saved and used for any purpose well into the future, and there is the emerging risk of being incorporated into AI training databases without permission. Furthermore, even if these children experience unsatisfactory treatment from their tutor, their likeness could be used in advertising material for the company indefinitely.
Secondly, tutoring is stigmatised and students may wish to keep their extra support secret to avoid bullying on the schoolground. For many there is a perception that only “dumb” kids need extra help, and children might want to avoid this label. By publishing articles including identifiers, recipients of scholarships may have their privacy jeopardised.
Finally, although scholarship students may need different support to paying students, the extra pressure and requirements placed on them may lead to lower quality support. Scholarship students may be obligated to share their exam results publicly in order to produce impressive “before and after” comparisons. This pressure to perform stemming from the threat of adults’ disapproval and even public criticism creates increased anxiety and an unhealthy learning environment for the child. Scholarship students may also be locked into more intense study routines than other students. Multiple lessons per week, regular progress meetings and copious homework may be assigned to the child in order to produce flash results over the near-term of the scholarship at the expense of their long-term study skills.
What We Do Differently at Future Tutor
The Future Tutor Scholarship avoids many of these issues by treating recipients just like any other student. There is no media package, no push for promotional material, no prescribed study routine - just an expert tutor making personalised lessons that suit your needs.
Students awarded our scholarship receive 10 hours of tutoring to use however they want within one school term. Term 4 recipients doing the HSC may wish to have a lesson every second day for 3 weeks in order to prepare for their exam. An athlete may wish to have 2 hour sessions every second week to avoid competitions throughout the term. Most students, however, simply need one hour per week to help them stay on top of class work. Whatever accommodation you need, we will strive to provide it.
At the end of the scholarship there is no publicity. Feel secure keeping your work and your grades to yourself. Students that need more help can apply be selected again and again, subject to the needs of other applicants.
The Future Tutor Scholarship brings tutoring in its purest form to students in need. In-person lessons are available in Sydney and online tutoring can be delivered to students anywhere in Australia.
Could you or a student you know benefit from the Future Tutor Scholarship? Find out more and apply for our Term 1 2024 scholarship before the 8th of January: