Why The Tutor Department is a Member of The Tutors’ Association

Written By Hannah Lake

When parents ask how they can tell a trustworthy tutoring agency from one that simply looks the part, the honest answer is: check who holds them accountable. Anyone can put "fully vetted tutors" on a website. Far fewer are willing to sign up to an external code of conduct and be held to it.

That's why The Tutor Department is a Corporate Member of The Tutors' Association — the UK's professional membership body for the tutoring sector.

What The Tutors' Association actually is

The Tutors' Association (TTA) is a non-profit professional body representing tutors and tuition businesses across the UK. It exists to raise standards in an industry that is otherwise unregulated — and that word matters. In the UK, anyone can call themselves a tutor or set up a tutoring agency tomorrow. No qualifications required and no checks or oversight.

The TTA is the sector's answer to that. Membership isn't automatic: members must subscribe to a formal Code of Practice, hold an Enhanced DBS certificate (or subscribe to the DBS Update Service), and provide professional references.

Why we chose to join

The Tutor Department exists because families deserve a genuinely careful, personal matching service — not a directory that leaves you to take your chances. Joining the TTA was a natural extension of that.

It holds us to a published standard. The Code of Practice covers safeguarding, honesty in how tutors' qualifications are described, fair dealing with both families and tutors, and putting children's wellbeing first. These were already our values — but signing up to them publicly means you don't have to take our word for it.

It keeps safeguarding front and centre. The TTA requires members to understand child protection and safeguarding measures, and provides ongoing safeguarding training and guidance. Every tutor we place is already DBS-checked, qualified, referenced and interviewed — membership adds an external layer of accountability on top of our own vetting.

It keeps us sharp. Membership brings professional development, up-to-date safeguarding and compliance guidance, and a community of serious tuition professionals. Tutoring changes — curricula, exam boards, best practice for online lessons — and The Tutor Department is committed to staying ahead of it, not coasting.

What this means when you choose a tutor through us

Practically, TTA membership is one more reassurance stacked on top of what we already do:

  • Every tutor holds an Enhanced DBS check

  • Qualifications and experience are verified, not taken on trust

  • References are followed up and every tutor is interviewed personally

  • We operate under the TTA Code of Practice

Most of our tutor–family matches run weekly for the long term, and our retention speaks for itself. Families stay with us because the match is right and because they trust the process behind it. Corporate Membership of the TTA is part of that process — a public commitment that we hold ourselves to the highest standards in the profession, not just our own.

If you're comparing tutoring agencies, our advice is simple: ask whether they're a member of The Tutors' Association, and ask what their vetting actually involves. Any good agency will be glad you asked.

Looking for a carefully matched, fully vetted tutor in Dulwich or South London? Get in touch — we'd love to help.

Hannah Lake