SEN tutors – highly valuable and in demand… here’s why
Published 20th February 2023.
Alongside teachers, SEN tutors provide vital assistance to help special needs and disabled children reach their full potential. Whether needs are related to disabilities, impairments or physical needs, the one-on-one attention provided by a tutor can prove greatly beneficial in helping many children to discover that learning can be a positive and enjoyable experience.
Parents of children with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Asperger’s syndrome, report that specialised SEN tutors have helped their children to overcome frustration with education and foster new enthusiasm and confidence.
Access to tuition is one of the key advantages, with changes in technology making it much easier to benefit from extra learning. Tutors can not only advertise and be booked online but the biggest change is the ability to deliver teaching ‘virtually’. This also means that UK-based tutors can work remotely from anywhere and not be restricted to evenings. For some SEN pupils, this is extra beneficial, as tuition can take place at home in comfortable and familiar surroundings. For others, online tutoring can prove difficult as many can’t sit still for long and are easily distracted. In these situations, tutors can visit children in a library or hired work space.
Unsurprisingly, the requirement for tutors has been high for a number of years. In 2019, the Sutton Trust tutoring report revealed 27% of 11-16 year-olds reported having been tutored – this rose to 41% in London. The same report showed that a quarter of secondary school teachers had provided tutoring.
Over recent years though, we’ve seen this demand rise even further, as the pandemic led to a dramatic learning loss and many students missed out on as much as a whole academic year of learning. Tutoring has proven itself to be one of the best solutions for addressing Covid-related gaps in education and the Government has been using tutoring as a response to COVID – for example providing 300,000 courses in Autumn term of 2022.
Data from Senploy supports this rise in tutor positions across the UK. Since 2020, we’ve seen a 354% increase in adverts for SEN tutors. Promisingly, the average rate of pay is on the up, too – in 2020, the average pay rate for a tutor position was £20-£30 per hour. This increased to £20-£45 per hour in 2022, with one advert reaching over £50 per hour for a Dyslexia Specialist Tutor in London.
A SEN tutor is the ideal position for an existing teacher looking to make extra cash, someone looking for a more flexible role that can fit around family or even a retiree looking to do something rewarding with their extra time.
For more information on our current tutor opportunities, check out our jobs board.