The ATA protects tutoring clients through the Code of Conduct. Furthermore, the ATA provides information about tutors and tutoring for consumers to make informed choices. Whilst there are government bodies such as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the various State departments of Fair Trading that do regulate the conduct of business, the ATA specifically addresses issues relevant to the education of students by tutors and tutoring organisations.

Key Questions to ask of the Tutoring Organisation

Staff:

• Are your tutors screened for child protection? If not, how do you screen your staff to know that they are safe to work with children?
• Do you conduct face to face interviews with every member of staff before they get work here and how many reference checks do you make?
• What are the qualifications and experience of the tutor or tutors who will be tutoring my child?
• Is the tutor trained specifically in the subject area in which they are tutoring?

Fees and contracts:

• Do you have a refund policy?
• How much can I expect to pay in total for the tuition?
• What will happen if my child is unhappy or we want to cancel the tutoring? Are there any cancellation fees or charges?
• How much notice will I have to give in order not to be charged for a session of tutoring?
• Will I have to pay for any additional support materials or books?

Education and Programmes:

• Do you follow the formal school curricula or have your own? If you do have your own - can I view them?
• How will your programmes be relevant to my child?
• Is there any additional work expected of my child in the form of homework or other after hours study?
• Do you give reports on my child's progress? If so, how often?
• What do you do if a child does not seem to be benefiting from the programme you apply?

Operations

• Can I view the tutoring when it takes place?
• Is the tutoring one to one or in a group? If it's a group situation how large is it and how will the needs of my child be catered for?
• Where will the tutoring take place - can I view the room(s)? What materials and methods will they use/experience?

Key Questions to ask of Tutors

Child Protection

• Have you been screened for child protection purposes? If no - why not?
• If yes - by whom and when? Can I see your paperwork?
• Where do you work - in my home or yours?

Education and Experience

• Could you tell me what your qualifications and experience are, that are relevant to the area I am seeking tutoring in?
• Do you have a university qualification in the field of education?
• What is your awareness of the requirements of the Board of Studies in this State/Territory?
• How long have you been tutoring/teaching this subject for?
• Do you have satisfied clients that I can call and ask about your tutoring?

Resources and Materials

• What resources and materials do you use?
• Will there be an extra charge for any resources or materials?

Programmes and Reports

• Do you follow a set programme of study or curricula?
• Do you write programmes of study so that I know what and how you intend to tutor my child?
• Will there be additional out of hours work expected of my child?
• How often will I get verbal/ written progress reports?
• If my child is not meeting your expectations how will I know?
• If my child asked you to do their assignment for them - what would you do?

Payment and Receipts

• How do you like payment?
• Will I be given a receipt for any payments I make?
• What is the total cost of tutoring?
• If my child cannot or does not want to continue tutoring will there be any cancellation fee or other charge applied?

Questions to ask of ALL tutors or tutoring organisations

• Are you a member of the ATA?
• Is there anything I need to know that I haven't been told or any question I should ask that I have not asked?