Page 1 of 2

TutorFAQ’S

Where do you operate?

We currently operate in:

  • Greater London (within the M25)
  • Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, Ayrshire, Dundee)
  • South Wales
  • Sussex
  • Kent (Maidstone and surrounding areas)
  • West Midlands
  • Manchester
  • Merseyside

What do you teach?

The UCanDoIT course consists of an initial Assessment of Need, up to 10 tutorials of approximately 1½ -2 hours each. These lessons cover the following:-

  • Basic computer usage, file management and word processing.
  • Sending and receiving emails.
  • Surfing the internet effectively – including e-commerce, banking, social networking etc.

The UCanDoIT course can also cover

  • How to use specialist computer programmes and devices that are needed in order to access a computer: for example, a screenreader such as Jaws, or voice recognition software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking

How long is the course?

We encourage lessons to take place once a week, so in theory a standard course should last 10 weeks. However, consideration needs to be taken for illness, holidays and other appointments (by both learner and tutor). Therefore the UCanDoIT course is very flexible.

What do I need before I can begin work for UCanDoIT?

If you are offered employment by UCanDoIT, you will be asked to sign a copy of our Terms & Conditions. You must also obtain a Disclosure and Barring Service EnhancedCheck.

If you would like, we can arrange this for you at additional cost (currently £54 including an administration fee from the umbrella organisation we use). If you have received one for another organisation in the past year, we are happy to accept this and would need to see a copy.

How are tutors employed?

UCanDoIT tutors work on a freelance basis and are entirely responsible for their own personal Tax and VAT where appropriate.

If you do not already work for yourself, you will need to register as self employed with HMRC.

You need to keep records of your income and expenditure so that you can complete your own Self Assessment tax return.

How much do you pay?

Tutors are paid on a monthly basis via BACS or cheque. Payment details are taken from each lesson report and an invoice is generated via the website. A draft invoice is available to you to make sure all lesson reports have been entered.

£40 is paid for each lesson, reports sent late are automatically reduced to £32.

We also pay all reasonable travel expenses:If travelling by public transport, and if more economical, please use a travel card (if you have more than one learner on the same day etc), or 18p per mile if using a car.

How do you monitor training?

At the end of each tutorial, tutors must submit a lesson report via the UCanDoIT website setting out how the lesson progressed, what was taught and what home study has been given.

Learners are contacted by the office during their course to see how they are progressing and to make sure they are happy with the training they are receiving. If necessary, any feedback will be sent on to you via email.

On course completion, UCanDoIT will contact the learner to complete an Evaluation Form which asks general questions about their satisfaction with the service provided.

How many learners can I train?

This depends on a number of factors, including your availability, whether we have learners available and if we have funding in place.

UCanDoIT does not receive Government funding and relies on donations from Charitable Trusts and Foundations. This means that we need to have funding in place before we can put people on the course. In some cases, learners require a computer or software, which we will fundraise for and give to them free of charge. Depending on funding, it can take between 1-6 months (sometimes longer) to get someone on the course.

Due to the nature of our funding streams we cannot guarantee that we will always have learners available for you.

We encourage tutors to undertake their own outreach/learner recruitment. This will help to ensure you have a steady flow of learners.

Will I be safe?

As our training takes place in the learners home, your safety and the safety of our learners is one of our top priorities.

Before we accept learners onto the course they must complete an application form. We screen for eligibility and character by taking up a personal reference and confirmation of suitability from their GP/Care Worker or another healthcare professional.

If accepted as a tutor you will be provided with a Tutor Manual which contains further information on keeping safe.