Membership

Terms & conditions

Membership fees & renewal

General

• Membership and renewal must be approved by The Tutor Collective in advance to ensure all members are a good fit for the group
• Members may apply to upgrade to a higher level of membership, providing they meet the minimum criteria. If the application is granted, this will not lock-out a visitor who had come to the group before the application was made, up to a duration of 3-months from the initial visit.
• Membership fees are paid annually on a pro-rata basis in line with the academic year.
• Membership fees are non-refundable. See the specific refund policy for individual events
• Former members who re-join or late payers will be treated as new members. As such, an onboarding fee may be payable, and they may be unable to rejoin if this would create a conflict with another member.  

Minimum criteria

All members should meet the relevant minimum criteria for their desired membership option. However, the business will be viewed holistically and exceptions may be made if a business that does not meet the requirements has demonstrated equivalent excellence and authority in other ways. 

Additionally, members:

1. should be working full-time in their business / area of expertise (even if they have other businesses on the side)
2. should be a natural referral for other members of the group, such as maths tutors, 11+ tutor etc
3. must not be operating within the exclusive area of another member for the same service, unless that member has given explicit permission.
4. should operate in a manner consistent with professional and safeguarding expectations for child focused services.

Exclusivity

Your exclusive subject(s) must be specific. For example, ‘ballet’ not ‘dance’, ‘guitar’ not ‘music’, ‘biology’ not ‘science’, ‘French’ not ‘modern languages’. 

School-types include institutions such as drama schools, music schools, tuition centres etc. Schools cannot lock out a member who offers something specific that their school does not regularly provide.
For example:

• a dance school that does not offer breakdancing lessons cannot lock out a specialist breakdancing school or teacher
• a drama school that does not offer classical singing lessons cannot lock out a classical singing specialist
• a tuition centre that does not offer maths lessons for primary aged children cannot lock out a provider who specialises in maths tuition for primary aged children
• a music school that does not offer bagpipes lessons cannot lock out a bagpipes teacher.

‘TTC: Discussion’ & ‘TTC: Recommend me on social media’ 

• Recommendation requests to the group may only be made in ‘TTC: Recommend Me On Social Media,’ not ‘TTC: Discussion’ or any other group post. Members who go against this policy may be removed from the WhatsApp group(s) and may have their membership terminated.  
• Members may only request support for their designated category. For example, if your category is ‘Maths’, you cannot ask to be recommended for ‘English’ even if this is something you also offer, unless a specific temporary exemption has been granted by TTC. As above, members who go against this policy may be removed from the WhatsApp group(s) and may have their membership terminated.  
• Members who overuse the ‘TTC: Recommend Me On Social Media’  may have a limit placed on the number of requests they are able to make, or be removed from the group at TTC’s discretion.
• Recommendations should only be made if you feel confident and comfortable to do so and members should not coerce others into recommending them over other TTC members. 

Code of conduct

• Harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated and may result in immediate termination of membership without refund
• Conduct that risks harm to children, young people or parental trust in child focused services may result in immediate termination of membership.

Standards, representation & safeguarding

• Members must represent their services honestly and accurately to parents, clients and the wider public.
• Where a member presents themselves as supplying, placing, managing or recommending tutors or teachers, they remain fully responsible for the quality, suitability and safeguarding of those individuals. This includes, but is not limited to, appropriate vetting, safeguarding checks and ensuring the tutor is suitably qualified and experienced for the work undertaken.
• Members must not outsource, subcontract or refer work to individuals without appropriate due diligence, particularly where services involve children or vulnerable young people.
• The Tutor Collective exists to raise professional standards within child focused businesses. Practices that materially undermine child safety, educational quality or parental trust may be deemed incompatible with membership.
• TTC does not carry out safeguarding checks on behalf of members and accepts no liability for the actions of members or those they engage. However, failure to meet reasonable safeguarding and professional standards may result in suspension or termination of membership at TTC’s discretion, without refund.

Liability

• The networking group is not liable for any loss, damage, or injury sustained during events or activities organised by the group
• Members are responsible for their own safety and for securing their personal belongings during events
• The Tutor Collective does not take responsibility for the work carried out by its members.