“That ICPA Qld lobbies State Government departments to introduce a Home Tutor ‘Distance Education Teaching Allowance’ as financial remuneration for the essential work the distance education Home Tutor performs in geographically isolated distance education home classrooms.”
Distance education for geographically isolated students who have no access to daily face-to-face schooling is founded on the assumption that a ‘Home Tutor’ is available to supervise the students in their home classroom. While most distance education services are well structured and ably staffed, the successful delivery of distance education requires students to have ready daily access to a Home Tutor who can teach and supervise the program in the home classroom.
The Home Tutor must be present to commit six to eight hours a day in addition to necessary preparation time. This role requires dedication and commitment and can last many years. The Home Tutor must be capable and confident in delivering the distance education program in order that their students can achieve educational parity with their peers in face-to-face schools who have daily access to professionally trained teachers and support staff. The delivery of distance education is not possible without the commitment of Home Tutors who are responsible for the face-to-face delivery of educational support, supervision, and educational evaluation of their students. While distance education tutors spend about the same time as a teacher in a face-to-face school preparing daily lessons, teaching, and supervising their students, they receive no remuneration for the work they do. Particularly for geographically isolated families, the role of Home Tutor often falls on the mother, which means they are then not able to participate in, or have to juggle, other day to day work, either in the family business, on the property on which the family lives or elsewhere. They often forego their own careers and earning capability to teach their child/ren enrolled in distance education. Some families may employ a tutor or governess, but this comes at considerable cost and finding a governess/tutor is often difficult in isolated areas.
Further, over the years the roles women assume in the operation of family businesses in rural and remote areas have changed and increased, so performing the position of Home Tutor multiplies their workload. This adds pressure on other family members and may require the employment of additional staff.
Consideration must be given to the burden on approximately 1,500 families in geographically isolated areas for whom distance education is the only option to educate their children. The vital role of the Home Tutor should be remunerated through an allowance, which recognises the essential work they perform.
While the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Distance Education (DE) Allowance helps geographically isolated distance education families with some of the incidental expenses of educating their children, this does not include covering the cost of someone to teach the children in the home classroom. Under the AIC Guidelines, the AIC DE Allowance was not established to cover costs for providing a tutor in the distance education home classroom.
The table below shows the average financial loss and implications of a mother or other family member undertaking the distance education Home Tutor role[1].
Average hours per day 6-8 hours per day, approx. 40 weeks per year
Average years spent as DE tutor for one child 8 years (kindy/preschool plus primary school)
Average total hours spent tutoring one child 9,600 –12,800 hours
Minimum Wage $21.38 per hour
Unpaid Work/Wages forgone (number of hours x Minimum wage) $205,248 - $273,664
Superannuation @ 10% foregone $20,525 - $27,366
[1] Isolated Children's Parents' Association Inc (Australia) 2023. Distance Education Portfolio 2022-23 Briefing Paper.
