Our Tutors

Our tutors are the very best around. They may be school-teachers or university lecturers, other professionals with large experience in their subject, or involved in research. Some come from the country’s leading universities; some have had long careers in schools.

Tutor selection

We know that we are only as good as the tutors who work for us. So we take great care in selecting tutors. We interview all candidates and check their qualifications carefully. We only employ individuals with outstanding academic qualifications. Not only do we require a First Class Honours Degree and/or Masters Degree or other postgraduate qualification, but we require it from the country’s leading universities and institutions.

Quality of our tutors

We also make sure our tutors are excellent teachers and share our approach to learning. They have good communication and listening skills; they can enthuse students; they can develop student confidence. They are familiar with the demands of studying today for SAT's and school and university courses. They are professionals to whom students can relate comfortably. They must be able to assist the student to learn, and to grow academically stronger.

Our tutors are able quickly to recognise a student's weakness, be it in understanding the subject or analysing and structuring an essay or problem question. Because our tutors are trained precisely with that in mind, they are all excellent in achieving results.

Our three-stage recruitment process

Our teaching and tuition is of the highest standard and quality and we take the recruitment of our teaching staff very seriously.

All teaching staff working at City Tutors undergo the following selection process:

1. Stage One - First sift

We review over 300 applications each month. We insist on evidence of a high standard of academic achievement and intellectual rigour. We normally require a First Class Honours Degree, and/or postgraduate and professional qualifications where appropriate.

We generally insist on candidates having considerable experience of teaching and evidence of results obtained in respect of the same.

Fewer than a third meet our criteria and only those who do are invited to the interview stage.

2. Stage Two – The Interview

All candidates are interviewed by a panel made up of members with academic and professional qualifications and teaching experience at both school and university level. We have 3 stages to our interviews.

First, candidates are required to make a presentation to the panel based on a pre-set question which candidates will have had an opportunity to prepare in advance. The purpose is to allow the panel to consider how applicants communicate complicated ideas and concepts and test their ability to actually teach effectively.

Second, candidates are examined on the content of their CV. This is analytical and rigorous and will include questions on past teaching experience and consistency in academic or professional performance.

Third, each candidate is asked a question they have not been given the opportunity to consider in advance. This allows us to gain an understanding as to how they conceptualise and enables us to assess an applicant’s ability to ‘think on their feet’.

Fewer than half of candidates interviewed proceed to the final stage.

3. Stage Three – background checks

If we are happy with the way in which a candidate performs in interview, before they can undertake any work for us they must first provide:

• References (as to character, suitability and academic achievement)
• Evidence of qualifications (including degree certificates)
• A signed copy of our Tutor Code of Conduct
• A signed contract
• A CRB check (for those working with children under the age of 18)
• Photo Identification and a tax reference number