One has to deal with tutors with patience and flexibility. This is a lesson that I’ve learned over the years, and I would suggest you all do the same thing. They will make mistakes, they will be sick, they will be late. But the key to ensuring that things are being delivered are these two little words ‘patience’ and ‘flexibility’. It’s quite easy to type these words up, but living these and being an embodiment of their meaning is another thing altogether.    

During the Covid lockdown, we were lucky to have managed to move our lessons ‘online’, and that was all thanks to ‘Zoom’. We didn’t have a choice, so we had to quickly adapt and create an online presence. Thankfully, we managed to make it work, and thanks to my brother for his contribution towards it. At the time, I thought COVID-19 to be for a short while, but to my surprise, it was unreal how quickly the dynamics were changing with the disease spreading. Had I not moved lessons to an online platform, it would have been disastrous for the business. Business was not the same as before (that’s a given), but we were lucky to have something up and running at a difficult time. 

Eventually, we were back up and running with in-person lessons at the tuition centre (post-lockdown), with precautionary measures i.e. face masks, hand sanitisers, social distancing etc. Tutors did suffer from illnesses from time to time (no surprise there); but who would have thought they could also be ill for a very long time? 

During Covid, when we slowly started returning to in-person tuition lessons, I had a tutor, who wasn’t feeling well and called in sick. You would imagine it to be a one-off, but little did I know, it was going to turn into a long-term sickness. The sickness was not completely due to COVID-19, but Covid did certainly enhance its effects. 

It all started with this message here: 

‘Hi, Hope you’re well. I’m really sorry to do this at this time. I’ve been feeling very feverish this evening and don’t think I will be ok to come to work in the morning. I thought I might be ok later in the evening but seemed to have got worse. I will let you know if I’m ok in the morning. Sorry about this. Take care.’ 

Then next week, this is the message I received:

‘Good morning. I just want to inform you that I have still not received my PCR test result. Sorry.’

This was just the beginning. The tutor was then ok to return for a couple of weeks, only to then take more time off. This time, their daughter was unwell and they had to look after her. The message read:

‘Hi. I was going to call you shortly. She is still unwell and I think it might be better for me to stay with her tomorrow. Sorry about this. I can set some work if needed, but [Tutor Name] is usually quite good to plan the class. Sorry. Thank you for understanding.’  

In the space of a couple of months, I started receiving more and more messages with a recurring theme. Here is one message from the week after:

‘I have been overworked and stressed this week, and suffered severe headaches for last three days. I have not really been able to focus on anything. I thought it was migraines, but my GP confirmed today it’s because of high blood pressure and advised me to rest and take it easy for a few days. Due to this I am sorry that I will not be able to work tomorrow.’

This was then followed up with this message next week:

‘Hi. Hope you’re well. Want to inform you that I unfortunately tested positive for covid and been too unwell to complete the reports. Sorry, I will as soon as I feel a little better. This may also affect me coming to work on Sunday, as I need 2 negative results on 2 consecutive days. I will have to confirm. Thank you for your understanding.’  

Closer to the following week, when I chased to see if they were coming in, the message received read:

‘Hi. Sorry I’ve not tested negative in time for work tomorrow so will be unable to attend.’

Again, no show from the tutor. This time the message read:

‘Hi. Sorry about the delays in response. I’m still quite unwell, was in hospital yesterday and returned home this morning. I’ve been told I possibly have long covid. Sorry I’m unable to confirm anything for Sunday at this point.’ 

The following week, I then received this message:

‘Hi. Thank you so much for your continuous support. I understand that you need to arrange staffing for this Sunday but it is very difficult to confirm 2-3 days before. This is merely because of the way my health is currently, some days can be worse than others. I am still getting very breathless, tired and have swelling on my face again. I tried to work a couple of days at my weekday job this week, but unfortunately, it did not go too well. That is why I really am not in a position to confirm, even though I am looking forward to return to work. Sorry.’ 

This was followed by this message the following week:

‘Good afternoon. Sorry I’ve not been in touch with you since last Saturday. Some of my health issues since Covid have improved whilst others are ongoing, for which I’m receiving regular medical advice. I saw my GP again this morning and also had blood tests today. Evidence of my appointments today is below. I have also been prescribed another course of antibiotics today for an infection that has been ongoing. Therefore, I will not be able to work again tomorrow. I assure you that I am doing everything possible to help get myself better, as I do need to return to work as soon as possible. Sorry for the inconvenience caused. Thank you for understanding.’

In the end, it got to a point where they said that they wouldn’t be coming back to teach and instead were happy to come back in September at the start of a new academic year. They did come back, but only for a few weeks. I thought everything was going to be back to normal as they were feeling better. But it was not meant to be. There were a series of more messages about their illness. Again, I had to be patient and empathetic.

Should you be so patient and flexible with tutors? 

My view is that your work staff needs to be valued. It is very difficult to find good tutors that fit your culture, which is why I’ve always had this belief that people in your work environment need to be valued for their hard work. Appreciation and flexibility go a long way. 

Imagine how you would want to be treated if you were ill. Whatever approach you would prescribe for yourself is something you should be doing for your tutors. After all, they are people too. They have feelings, which is why it is highly important to show empathy.

If my brother was running the tuition centre, he would have fired the tutor after a couple of weeks. He doesn’t have the patience to put himself through such issues, and more importantly his business. I understand there is no such thing as loyalty these days when it comes to staff. I get that. Times have changed now as people tend to change jobs every so often. But if they can leave your tuition centre thinking good things, then there is a possibility they’ll spread the good word in the local community and recommend tutors in future, especially when they know people locally.  

What about people running the tuition business?

If a tutor doesn’t turn up, it affects the class and its students. If their regular teacher was always missing, just imagine how it would make the students feel. 

This is a message I received from a parent when the tutor wasn’t turning up due to illness:

‘Hi, We’re doing well thanks. We’re a bit concerned though with [student name]’s teacher still not having returned. I think she’s been away two months now. Any word on when she might return?’ 

For people like us, running the tuition centre, there is an added pressure to deliver the same quality as the ‘original’ teacher. Not only this but also to manage expectations with parents who start getting worried about the quality of education their kids are receiving. 

Conclusion

It is key that you show patience and flexibility towards tutors, and be fair in how you treat them. Ultimately, they are working hard for your business. I understand there is always a limit to everything, and sometimes you might reach that threshold, but I believe in giving people a chance (or chances). Life is not easy for anyone. We all have problems, we all have challenges. Unfortunately, we don’t know or understand what the other person is going through. These things are not openly discussed, so it’s very difficult to find out these things. But as much as possible, try and support your team members through difficult times.