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
FAQ's
What do I do when I have been given the details of a Specialist Teacher / Tutor?
What is the difference between a Specialist Teacher and Tutor?
Will the Specialist Teacher / Tutor come to my house?
How much will the tutoring cost?
What will the Specialist Teacher / Tutor do with my child?
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.