With the election just around the corner, I was asked by Music Teacher Magazine to offer my opinion on some of the things private tutors might like from the next government. Here’s the contribution:
‘61% of those working in artistic, media and literary occupations are independent, self-employed professionals. The UK Government has traditionally failed to recognize and support freelancers, but in recent years their numbers have grown massively. That’s why IPSE – the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed – has launched its manifesto calling for a better deal for the self-employed.
‘The Tutor Pages is a website which promotes independent music teachers and other kinds of private tutors. For this reason we support IPSE’s new manifesto, and would like the next government to take the self-employed seriously. This would mean, for example, simplifying the tax system for the self-employed, making it easier for them to invest in their own skills, and ensuring they have the same rights as employed workers when it comes to maternity and paternity pay.
‘There’s also a specific problem for private tutors we’d like to see the next government address – the ongoing difficulty self-employed individuals face in obtaining a DBS certificate.
Henry Fagg, Director, thetutorpages.com’