Confessional

What your child’s tutor really thinks about you

I’VE been a private maths tutor for eight years and I earn every penny of the £30 an hour I charge. I used to go to pupils’ houses, but trying to teach a 15-year-old in his stinky, cluttered bedroom because his parents wanted to watch TV downstairs was difficult.

Now, they come to me. I insist they hand over their phones — one GCSE pupil who was set for a fail told me I was ‘violating his rights’. I said he could come back to me on that when he’s a lawyer. If I don’t take their devices the hour is interrupted by messages and they lose all focus.

Generally, the teens are fine, but their aspirational parents can be a nightmare. Some think that just hiring me means their child is guaranteed an A*. They’ll stand on my doorstep, asking: ‘Can you promise me she’ll get into her top choice of university?’ One girl didn’t, she got a C, and her dad was on the phone, shouting: ‘I hold you accountable for this mess!’

It’s usually fathers who have high expectations. Mums will say: ‘I just want him to be happy’ or ‘So long as she scrapes a B’, but the fathers are always talking about their own incredible exam results and how hard they worked 30 years ago.

I find it rather pathetic. Exams are important, but some children are just crushed by the pressure. I wish parents would back off a bit and let their kids know their lives won’t be over if they do fail.

I like my job, but I’d enjoy it a lot more if I could just teach the children. Laziness and lack of focus I can cope with. What I can’t stand are entitled parents who see their child’s achievements as an extension of their own.