Request a Specialist Teacher/Tutor

The Speld Qld Specialist Teacher referral service connects teachers with families seeking specialist literacy and numeracy support from highly experienced and qualified teachers and tutors.

Before making an application please keep the following important points in mind:

  • There is a limited number of teachers in our registry and you may only have one teacher in your local area to choose from.
  • Speld Specialist Teachers do not typically offer homework or assignment help.  They are specialist instructors who address the foundation issues relating to a students literacy and numeracy difficulties.
  • The majority of our Specialist Teachers and tutors work with primary and middle school students. While we do have a limited number of specialists who work with senior students, please keep in mind that this is a small number of teachers in our network.
  • Speld Specialist Teachers and tutors are highly skilled and experienced literacy and/or numeracy experts with many years of teaching experience and specialist qualifications and training.
  • All teachers are independent contractors not employees of Speld Qld.  You will need to negotiate the terms of sale and service direct with the teacher that accepts your referral request.
  • You must be a financial member of Speld Qld to access the referral service.  If you are not a member and you access a Speld Specialist, neither you or the teacher will be covered by public liability insurance.
  • All Speld Specialist Teachers should be able to show current, valid certification of their credentials both digitally or in hard copy.  Please check if you are uncertain.  Teachers will not be offended if you ask to see their credentials.
  • Parents considering this service are encouraged to read the FAQs below to ensure you understand the type of service Speld Qld Specialist Teachers provide. (Download this information in PDF form)

 

Specialist Teacher Applications can take up to 2 weeks to be processed.  If you have experienced delays in accessing the referral service or would like to check on the status of your request, please email tutor@speld.org.au

 

Financial Members can login and search the Specialist Teacher database here

 

Complete the Specialist Teacher Application Form

 

 

FAQ's

What do I do when I have been given the details of a Specialist Teacher / Tutor?

Please contact the teacher directly to make arrangements for the time and day of the lessons to take place. Bear in mind that there is a shortage of quality teachers and some sacrifices/ changes in timetable may be required to fit in with teachers. Please try to contact the teacher promptly to ensure the session is not reallocated.
 

What is the difference between a Specialist Teacher and Tutor?

 A Speld Specialist Teacher is a current Qld Registered Teacher with a minimum of two full time years of classroom experience. A Speld Tutor will have a minimum of two years full time classroom experience or equivalent.  Both hold a current Blue Card to work with children. Both Specialist Teachers and Tutors undergo an interview process with the Coordinator before they are placed on our register and are required to attend Professional Development sessions to maintain their Membership.
 

Will the Specialist Teacher / Tutor come to my house?

Some of our SpT / Tutors will travel to students’ homes. Some teachers require families to travel to them, or will meet for lessons in a local library, some are willing to go into schools to conduct the sessions. We do try to refer families to someone who can meet their location needs; however, sometimes this is not possible. Some schools allow Speld Teachers to come to the school and we would try to refer you to someone who can work in school hours.
 

How much will the tutoring cost?

Speld does not employ the Specialist Teacher, but acts as the referral service. The recommended hourly cost is $70.00 - $90.00 for Specialist Teacher's and $60.00 - $70.00 for Tutors. The Speld Teachers will let you know their fee when you call them. Some Teachers may charge for missed lessons as they have allocated that time slot to a particular student for the whole term.
 

What will the Specialist Teacher / Tutor do with my child?

It is expected that the Specialist Teacher will do some basic testing initially and will then devise an individual support plan for the student with manageable goals. Progress can then be recorded against the base testing.
 
‘More of the same’ type of work given at school, and even in support programs at school, many times is not helpful for students with learning differences. A multi-sensory approach is needed, and ‘going back to basics’ is required to ‘fill in the gaps’. For reading, explicit teaching of phonics, going back to single sounds, then progressing to blends and digraphs is required. Speld Specialist Teachers will not usually just help with school homework for a Primary student, but will rather design an intervention program in literacy or numeracy. A Teacher may follow programs such as Alpha to Omega, Hickey Multi-sensory Language Program, Cracking the ABC Code or Learnersaurus. Speld Specialist Teachers are required to inform Speld when they start and stop working with a student referred to them through us and must complete a Report Summary at the end of each Semester. This report must also be given to the parents.
 
 

Why do I need to join Speld Qld to be referred to a Specialist Teacher / Tutor?

Speld Qld has a responsibility to ensure that a quality teaching service that adheres to the ethos of the organisation is delivered to each student. The only way that this can be achieved is by both the teacher and the student being members of speld and the program implemented is monitored by the Executive Officer and Specialist Teacher Advisor of Speld.

Speld Qld receives many requests for Specialist Teachers and Tutors. Due to the number of enquiries and in order to continue to provide a quality service, this referral service is limited to members only.

As a Member, both student and Teacher/Tutor are covered by Public Liability Insurance and membership must be maintained over the course of the tutoring to keep this cover.

 

What if I am not happy with the allocated Specialist Teacher / Tutor I am referred to?

In some cases there may be a miss match between a child and a Specialist Teacher/Tutor. We encourage you to get back to us at any time if you feel this has happened in your case. We are very keen to make sure that everyone is happy with the professional service provided by Speld Qld. Please contact the Specialist Teacher Advisor at tutor@speld.org.au or the Executive Officer at executive@speld.org.au to ensure this situation is remediated immediately.

 

How does online teaching work?

Speld Qld promotes face to face teaching and only one to one ratio of teacher to student.

However, for students in remote and rural Australia who may wish to access our Specialist Teacher tutor service an online program may be the only option.

In this case with consultation from the Speld office this form of tutoring can be offer with the use of Elluminate and Blackboard Collaborate which are free software programs that operate much like Skype. The teachers and students can see each other, hear each other (with a slight delay) and can both read and write off an interactive ‘whiteboard’. This has proven to be an effective way of helping students with learning difficulties/disabilities.

Speld has a very limited number of Teachers able to offer this service.

 

Home requirements for online teaching

  • Laptop/computer with good quality broadband internet access
  • USB microphone headset - Logitech is a good brand
  • Camera installed on computer
  • Student to be familiar with the keyboard
  • Online teaching must take place with a parent present in the same room for the duration of the lesson.

 

Download this information in PDF form.