As you may know, we recently held our first event in our new Leaders in Tutoring series—a space for industry experts to share insights, spark discussions, and help tutoring businesses stay ahead of the curve.
For our launch event, we tackled two major topics shaping the future of tutoring: safeguarding & compliance and AI in education.
Matt Curnier from TutorOnboarder broke down the growing challenges around tutor vetting and compliance, sharing practical steps to streamline the process while keeping students safe. Meanwhile, Samuel Colvin, creator of Pydantic, explored the role of AI in tutoring—highlighting both the opportunities and the pitfalls of this rapidly advancing technology.
Here’s a recap of the key insights from both talks! 🚀
Talk 1: Matt Curnier, TutorOnboarder – Safeguarding & Compliance in Tutoring
The tuition industry is facing big challenges, and safeguarding is at the top of the list. Recent headlines have exposed major gaps in tutor vetting, and no tuition provider wants to be in the news for the wrong reasons. Ensuring tutors are safe, responsible, and properly checked isn’t just a legal requirement—it’s a moral one.
Then there’s the challenge of hiring. Onboarding a single tutor can take up to eight hours—that’s the length of a flight from New York to Paris! Multiply that by 35 tutors a year, and you’re looking at seven full weeks spent on admin. Many businesses hire a Tutor Manager just to keep up, adding extra costs.
And just when you think you’ve got compliance under control, the rules change. A three-year-old DBS check might have been fine last year, but now it needs to be renewed annually. Keeping up with prohibition checks, self-declarations, and Single Central Records can feel like a full-time job.
Key Questions to Ask Yourself:
✅ Are your interview questions assessing safeguarding knowledge effectively?
✅ How are you verifying Right to Work and qualifications?
✅ Are all tutors’ DBS certificates up to date?
✅ Who in your team is responsible for tracking compliance?
✅ Are you collecting enough references, and are they asking the right questions?
✅ Have all tutors completed safeguarding training and confirmed their understanding of Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)?
✅ Do you maintain an up-to-date Single Central Record (SCR)?
The Solution?
Matt introduced The Process by TutorOnboarder, a streamlined system for managing everything from CV checks and interviews to DBS screening and safeguarding training. It’s designed to ensure tutors are thoroughly vetted without drowning in admin.
If you’d like to discuss this further, Matt and Noor are happy to help! You can reach them at hello@tutoronboarder.com.
Talk 2: Samuel Colvin – AI in Tutoring
Samuel, founder of Pydantic, shared insights into the rapidly evolving world of AI and what it means for tutoring.
Key Takeaways:
🚀 AI is here—ignoring it isn’t an option. Businesses that don’t leverage AI risk being outpaced by competitors who do.
🛠 Early AI tools won’t be perfect. While we should embrace the benefits, we also need to stay objective and critically evaluate what works (and what doesn’t).
🔍 You don’t need to be a developer to start using AI. Try experimenting with:
- ChatGPT or Claude for admin tasks and lesson planning
- AI-powered assessment tools to create personalised student evaluations
- Automation for scheduling, reporting, and customer communication
The Bottom Line?
AI is moving fast. The best approach is to start exploring it now—even in small ways. Used wisely, AI can improve children’s education while making tutoring businesses more efficient.
