Who are they?
Who are they? Clarendon Tutors
Michelin House
81 Fulham Road
London SW6 3RD
Tel: 0207 971 1326
Email: info@clarendontutors.com
Web: www.clarendontutors.com
We have met with Clarendon Tutors’ staff. In addition, 24 clients and 21 tutors have completed an on-line survey (sent to 117 clients and 84 tutors) and we have followed this up with additional short phone interviews with some of those surveyed.
Clarendon Tutors staff
Founding partners are Orlando Simon and Henry Serocold, who met at Eton. Both are very hands-on - a major plus point, according to families we spoke to: ‘You get to speak to the owner who understood our situation quickly and worked hard to find a good fit.’ ‘Sensitive, intuitive, intelligent.’ ‘It’s not just the tutoring that’s great – it’s knowing you can pick up the phone and they’ll fix anything at any time.’ ‘They became our friends!’ Tutors say they ‘constantly evolve’, ‘excel at training’ and ‘make you feel very valued.’
Before setting up Clarendon in 2015, Orlando (BA in modern history from Leeds) worked for numerous top London tutor agencies. ‘I loved the tutoring, but the agencies just didn’t seem to have the right values,’ he recalls. ‘They didn’t support the tutors or seem to really care about the students. Some didn’t interview me or even ask to see my degree certificates. They just saw I went to Eton and that was enough. Others asked me to get as many hours as possible out of the families.’
When he asked Henry (BA in history from Bristol, QTS), who was currently teaching in state primaries, if he was up for combining their tutoring and teaching experience to set up a brand new London agency, he was game.
They launched with just five clients, but now hit over 100 per year – pretty impressive when you consider it’s nearly all been by word of mouth, with a whopping 86 per cent of parents we surveyed having heard about the agency via another parent: ‘When I spoke to Henry on the phone, he just grasped what we needed straight away so I’ve had no hesitation in recommending them,’ was a typical comment.
Their office – where a third team member has recently joined to grow the business further - is now based in Chelsea, having previously been based in North London.
What do they offer?
A core group of around 80 tutors (there are 350 on their books altogether) tutor across all London postcodes, with families in Stoke Newington to Wimbledon and most places in between. Even with online tutoring, clients tend to be mainly London based, with pockets further afield in eg Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and India. For entrance exams at 7+, 8+, 11+ and 13+, 80 per cent of the tutoring is in person, the rest online; for GCSE, IB, A level, Pre U (where they cover all subjects) and degree level, less than 50 per cent is in person, the rest online. ‘For younger children, we recommend in person – online can be too draining,’ says Orlando, ‘but for older ones, who often prefer it, online tutoring allows for a much wider choice of tutor.’ Among the families we surveyed, GCSE tutoring was most popular, followed by entrance exams, then A levels.
Minimum age for tutoring is year 1, though they’ll consider more playful learning-based tutoring in reception. At the other end of the spectrum, they’ve helped students doing postgrad work, as well as supporting adult learners with eg accounting and writing skills. A small number of the tutors are trained SEN specialists who have helped children with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia, as well as ADHD and autism.
Home schooling is available – either for the odd tutor or organising the whole shebang, including the curriculum and booking the exams. They also send tutors out to stay with families on residentials (eg to oversee homework and supervise outings through to helping prepare for entrance and public exams) – mainly in the UK countryside, but also worldwide.
‘Very good’ was the most commonly ticked box by families when it came to rating the tutors – 95 per cent said this about their personality, 91 per cent about their skill, 100 per cent about the relationship with the tutee and 91 per cent about their reliability. Average was the lowest it got. ‘We went to Clarendon for increased confidence and they couldn’t have found a better fit. I had a strong feeling I was in very good hands.’ ‘They really made an effort to support our children and especially for our oldest daughter to pass an entrance exam.’ ‘Our tutors covered maths, literature and photography, as well as organising wonderful days out around London including Westminster Abbey, art exhibitions, the Glove and hockey training – my children grew in confidence, independence and academics.’
Background and basics
Tutors – a young bunch with average age of late 20s - fall into three main categories: those with a teaching background (practising teachers, those between schools or retired) who suit the more traditional tutoring jobs; postgrads who suit the more scholarly tutoring posts; and actors, musicians etc who excel at tutoring at the more creative tutoring roles. ‘The common bond is that they all really care about education,’ says Orlando. ‘The CVs always blow me away with their stellar credentials,’ said a parent. ‘You just know you’ll get an excellent tutor who is great at communicating with young people, as well as being professional and prompt,’ voiced another.
All have a 2.1 in the subject they teach, with the odd exception of undergraduates ‘who have advanced maturity and professionalism.’ One parent told us, ‘I’m quite happy to give less experienced young people a go and it’s paid off – these undergraduates have been perceptive, thoughtful and appropriate.’
Any wannabe tutors send in their CV and covering letter and those that look promising fill out pre-interview questions before being asked to present a lesson plan face-to-face. ‘They choose the level, subject, topic and exam board, showing us how they meet their learning objectives.’ Clarendon also grills them about outside interests ‘so we can get an idea of their character which really helps with matching.’ (Thumbs up from us for this - we always approve of agencies that match not just on academic subject and level but also personality and learning match.) ‘Recruitment is quite intense, which I see as a good thing,’ said one tutor.
Once on board, all tutors undergo training in soft skills and the Clarendon ethos via their own online platform. This sets out how to improve a student’s determination, focus, drive, organisation and curiosity, as well as making the best possible impact on learning. Again, more thorough than many agencies we review.
Unusually, Clarendon doesn’t insist on prior tutoring experience. ‘If I get a sense that someone is a good educator, I know I can help turn them into a good tutor with training and resources, whereas I’ve interviewed tutors with masses of experience but who I have been quite underwhelmed by,’ explains Orlando. Also uncommon is the fact that Clarendon tries to meet each child. And, where possible, they conduct academic assessments too. ‘Gets them off to a running start,’ reckoned one client.
Parents like that they get a full written report at the end of each month, outlining what’s been covered, what’s gone well, what’s been a struggle and how the tutor will address that, along with attitude to learning and targets for the next month. ‘It comes with the bill and provides a really helpful update,’ said one. After the first month, parents are asked for feedback.
By and large, tutors feel well looked-after too: ‘Clarendon treats me with more respect than any other tutor agency I’ve worked for.’ ‘Orlando cares deeply about pedagogy and has been involved in different ways with each of the children I’ve taught.’ ‘They’re very holistically minded – constantly asking how you’re feeling and if your workload is ok.’ But one tutor felt there could be more check-ins from Henry and Orlando.
Clarendon are members of The Tutors’ Association. Charity wise, they have helped vulnerable children with tutoring via the Children’s Society during lockdown.
Money and small print
One-off registration fee of £95. One-on-one tutoring starts at £30 per hour, rising to £100 per hour for more specialist jobs. Rates depend on whether the job is in person, online, as well as the experience and qualifications of the tutor. ‘Value for money’ is highly rated by parents – ‘We’ve worked with much more expensive agencies and this is just as good, if not better,’ said one. Clarendon’s cut varies but is usually around 25 per cent and never more than 30 per cent, with tutors’ rates starting at £25-8 per hour when they first start with the agency, rising the longer they work for them and the more experience they accrue. The majority work at a rate of £42-49, and the most they get is £80 per hour. There’s a 24-hour cancellation policy, left to the discretion of tutors.
Clarendon Tutors say
‘What sets us apart is the care and attention we pay every family and every child, understanding their specific needs and helping to maximise their potential. We also train our tutors to work on soft skills with their tutees – we think this is so important as we want our tutees to pick up working habits that will make them successful in life, not just for the next term.’
Remarks
A growing London agency that’s more thorough than many, especially when it comes to supporting tutors and taking care to get to know the child and their individual needs. Brownie points too for the soft skills training for all tutors, which ultimately affects everything from the student’s motivation and confidence to effort and self-sufficient learning. ‘They deliver on their promise and offer a bespoke service with a catalogue of impressive tutors, as well as being an extremely helpful and knowledgeable company,’ summed up one parent.