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I'm tutoring a student. Unfortunately he's not very good; for example, he has trouble with basic manipulations that one would expect a student of his level to have mastered. He scored 15% in a recent test, and that was a lucky score, since some of those points came from multiple-choice questions that he guessed correctly.

I don't believe he's beyond saving, but any rescue would have to involve close oversight and substantially more time spent studying, i.e., more classes. Furthermore, if one were going to attempt a rescue, then the rescuer had better start as soon as possible since the student's lecturer will be moving on to new material and not waiting for him to catch up.

However, if I recommend this to him/his parents, then I am indirectly recommending they hire me for more classes. This sounds like a conflict of interest. I could say "hire another tutor", but this looks artificial because from the point of view of the student, it's obviously better to work with the tutor who already knows you. Can I ethically recommend the student take more classes?

Related: Is it ethical to profit by having my students buy my textbook? which also deals with the teacher recommending students do something that benefits them financially.

CrimsonDark
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Allure
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  • Is the student required to take this class (and, possibly, follow on classes), or is changing streams / dropping out an option? – cag51 Feb 23 '24 at 03:36
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    @cag51 I'm not sure, would have to ask. I suspect changing streams is possible, but the cost of doing so would be substantial. Dropping out is always an option, but the cost of doing that to one's lifetime earnings is even more substantial. – Allure Feb 23 '24 at 03:47
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    Is the student in college? If so, why would you involve his parents? And if it’s him making the decision of whether to follow your advice, wouldn’t he be in a good position to understand that you’re giving him honest advice rather than out to scam him? (If he is so delusional that he can’t see the wisdom of your advice, that seems like a very bad sign and it’s possible he’s a lost cause.) – Dan Romik Feb 23 '24 at 05:21
  • @DanRomik No, the student is not in college. I don't know exactly how old he is, but based on the difficulty of the material, I'd guess ~16. – Allure Feb 23 '24 at 05:29
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    I think you can make clear that "take more classes" means "he needs more help than I can provide alone". Whether he needs a tutor for or in addition to those classes can be addressed separately. – chepner Feb 23 '24 at 14:49
  • Context is important here. If you are talking about student having trouble in passing class, you may suggest students where their knowledge gap is and fill it through peer-learning or tutoring. If he is not learning in class from you, then I am not sure how in-person tutoring with you would help him. If it’s about learning, is it even necessary for the student to learn everything for their future? Contents can be learned in the future as well when needed as long as student has interest and knowledge of basic principles. – Dr. Banjadebaje Feb 23 '24 at 14:54
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    15% after your tutoring in stuff you taught? Or 15% in a somewhat related class? If it is 15% after your tutoring... there is an enormous hole to climb out of. You are probably trying to teach him how to think and actually solve problems, but what he actually needs is a recipe to squeeze by on a test. Yeah, he will spend the rest of his life using a phone app to figure out how much a 10$ item costs after a 50% discount (even calculator is too complicated ... but some can't be helped). – Zizy Archer Feb 23 '24 at 15:07
  • If you have an explanatory rationale (that isn't rooted in your wallet) for your student needing additional tutoring by you and you can accept a no; then you can suggest it. – civitas Feb 23 '24 at 18:10
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    Is it ethical for a skilled tradesman to make recommendations that would benefit the tradesman? Its like asking for a plumber to look at your sink leaking but he comments about how he can hear your sump pump is about to fry itself. Or a carpenter that's there to put a cabinet in for you but notices a sagging floor. Maybe you hired an electrician to put in a dimmer switch in your bedroom and on the way in he says he can fix the fire hazard of a situation you have around your electrical box. That or you might be thinking of yourself as the mechanic offering to sell blinker fluid. – David S Feb 23 '24 at 19:34
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    Ever met some selling something thinking that selling something is unethical? You're selling something, the fact that the other side actually needs what you're selling is a bonus. Go sell something. – DonQuiKong Feb 23 '24 at 22:50
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    @ZizyArcher the 15% is in the topic I'm teaching. It is an enormous hole, yes, which is why the rescuer had better start as soon as possible. If the finals were literally tomorrow then I can see teaching "hacks" that raise the score without raising understanding by much, but there is still time to get something more substantial done. – Allure Feb 24 '24 at 01:44
  • @DonQuiKong Ironically, the fact that OP wonders this means there is not a problem making a recommendation. Conversely, the very people who don't give this a second can mean there is a problem. I used to work for a boss who felt it was always eager to try and and sell his services to friends because he felt was doing them a favour solving them their problem. But after working for him and seeing how he does things...I beg to differ. – DKNguyen Feb 24 '24 at 01:51
  • @DKNguyen you can be bad at your job, but selling it to other people is still your job then. That's not unethical. (Unless you start recommending stuff by lying, of course.) – DonQuiKong Feb 24 '24 at 08:14
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    I don't think it's unethical. It happens all the time with driving license classes, for example. The instructor is the one that decide when the student is ready to take the exam.... – Rmano Feb 24 '24 at 08:19
  • @DonQuiKong It's quite a bit different when you're the boss and you're selling products and services your company produces with the intent to oversell and overcharge. And if we're talking about ETHICS, then just because something becomes your job doesn't suddenly make it ethical to do. – DKNguyen Feb 24 '24 at 17:14
  • Why is suggesting more classes a conflict of interest? You could say the student needs to learn material A, which can be found on the internet - and you are there to help if they need you. Maybe even the parents could help with A (or good Internet material). – user111388 Feb 26 '24 at 16:49

6 Answers6

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I don't see a problem with saying what you think; indeed, some readers would consider it to be unethical not to say anything.

As for the problem of looking as if you are merely being self-serving, I think the easiest way is to tackle this head on. Have a conversation with the student and his parents, point to the evidence (e.g., the 15% grade) that you mention in your post, along with any other evidence that you have, and acknowledge that your comments leave them with at least four options:

  • to abandon all classes on the basis that they (student and parents) might be aiming for something that is unachievable
  • recognize that things are not going well but nonetheless continue the current classes until some natural end-point ... but not seek further tuition for the student
  • hire you to continue with more classes
  • hire someone else.

The parents, at least, are adults. They can think for themselves about what a 15% grade means, and what it means to have to study harder than your student appears to be doing. They might also have a better sense than you do about whether there is any external evidence that the student is even capable of achieving what they hope.

CrimsonDark
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    Good response. A good counter to conflict-of-interest scenarios is ruthless transparency. Putting the cards on the table, and making explicitly clear that this is your professional opinion and that they making their decision after careful consideration is the way to go. It is nonsense to exclude a careful and insightful tutor from the choices they have, but you have to put the possibility of a conflict of interest clearly in front of them to evaluate for themselves. – Captain Emacs Feb 23 '24 at 13:02
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    Great answer overall, though I'd add a fifth option: Find a study group at school / study with friends or classmates, i.e. more studying, but no additional paid classes. The more options that are not "more money for OP", the further OP is from any ethical issues. – Sabine Feb 23 '24 at 18:40
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If I have an electrician or a plumber at my house for some minor work, and they spot some major issue that they believe should be addressed, they absolutely should tell me, "even" if they would be the logical person to do so and get the business. What's the alternative? Not telling me, and me running the risk of having my house burn down, or a broken pipe, just so nobody could accuse them of trying to acquire more business?

If I as a customer suspect they are only trying to get more business, the way to go is to get informed, perhaps get a second opinion. And keep in mind that there is a continuum here - reasonable people can differ as to what motivation is stronger between helping the customer and getting more billable time.

In the present case, not saying anything would be unethical.

Stephan Kolassa
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A natural part of any advisory or teaching profession is to be candid with people about when they need more advice/teaching than they are presently using. Such situations are common in a range of professions and there is nothing inherently unethical with suggesting more advice/teaching if that is necessary. Indeed, it is common to give an initial set of advice or teaching and then provide an assessment about what further assistance might be beneficial. So long as you are not unduly influenced by a desire for more work that is not necessary to the development of the student, I see no problem with this.

Ben
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There is no ethical issue and no conflict of interest as long as you are delivering value in your tutoring. A medical doctor might also recognize that a patient needs for care from themself and recommend more frequent visits. This is only problematic if the doctor isn't improving the condition of the patient and is doing it just for the money.

So, the question you need to ask yourself, is whether you are effective with this student. What evidence do you have? The 15% is a worry for me. Are you taking the right approach? Do they have a condition (or an attitude) that makes you ineffective no matter what you do? Will more hours make a difference or does it require a difference in the nature of the interactions? Does the student want to succeed at this or are they being compelled?

Note that it is possible that a given tutor might be effective with some but not all students. That might be attitude from some students, but it might also be that the tutor needs to up their game, seeking a better match in tutoring technique. Either or both can be affecting what is going on.

I'll also note that some students do poorly in, say, a Calculus class because they are ill prepared to start. For some of them it is a result of poor (very poor) earlier teaching that left them without the resources to succeed later. I've seen students like this and even students who have deeply ingrained but wrong ideas about some facts because earlier teaching was harmful instead of helpful. It took me much of a year once to convince a student that I didn't hate him and wasn't lying to him about operator precedence in math and computing.

Sadly, some "teachers" think that explaining something (once) is enough to assure learning. Some teachers forget their own struggles with learning. Some teachers, especially bright ones, assume that all of their students learn easily, just like they did. Some teachers assume that their students all have the same interest in a subject that they do themselves. I had some of these misconceptions myself at the start of my career.

Buffy
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    I think what is missing from this otherwise useful answer is putting the possibility of a conflict-of-interest explicitly on the table concerning the suggestion to take more lessons. Note that OP specifically said they believe the student might be salvaged. I remember a case where I made no headway whatsoever, no matter what I tried; in another case, however, a change of tack literally got the student from 10 to - well not 100 - but ~80 and later even higher. Sometimes the approach matters. Sometimes the teacher matters. Sometimes nothing matters. – Captain Emacs Feb 23 '24 at 13:07
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First of all, it's not unethical to propose oneself if you have a conversation with the parents explaining the pros and cons. As for the reason not to go to other teachers because the student is comfortable with you is not necessarily true. Students in a school have various teachers who specialize in certain subjects. If they are good at what they do they can make a new student feel comfortable right away. Also, hearing different voices is a positive thing. You the tutor may know other teachers who are qualified in knowledge and temperament. If so that would be a better way. If you are concerned you can vet any teachers before they are accepted. Good parents will appreciate this and recommend you to others.

Carey Macleod
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If there is a mismatch between achievement and expectations then you should highlight this at the earliest opportunity.

Not doing so is unethical, and may cause upset for various reasons.

Both the bill payer and the student should know, unless there is a compelling reason to withhold information. e.g. if the student is young, or takes news very negatively, then it would be sensible to discuss with the parents first.

Note: they may opt to cancel the lessons, rather than asking for additional ones. If you think that additional lessons would be helpful then you should say so but you should only suggest this if you feel confident that this represents a good way forwards. Keep in mind that students don't have unlimited time and that self study is usually an important component to achieving progress. Doubling the tuition time won't double the self study time nor the support from school/lectures.

P. Hopkinson
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