The brief

The client, a national tuition service, hire over 3,000 part-time tutors each year. Recruiting at such a large scale, they faced three major challenges with their onboarding process:

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1. Costs: The existing onboarding process was inefficient in terms of time spent and cost per head.

2. Outdated content: The knowledge and skills covered in the initial training had to align with the evolving school curriculum, which had changes significantly since their existing pathway was designed.

3. Changes to service: The service traditionally offered in-person tuition but had recently begun to offer online classes. This meant online tutors had different training needs to be met, and that staff now needed to be onboarded remotely as well as in-person.

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I was appointed to lead a transformation project to address these issues, improve overall efficiency and staff experience.

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The process

I began with a full review of the onboarding process, collecting key metrics, conducting staff surveys, and identifying bottlenecks. By mapping out potential failure points ("unhappy paths"), I uncovered gaps in the learning journey. I also conducted a training needs analysis to pinpoint the key knowledge and skills tutors needed to succeed.

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Finally, I examined the differing needs of in-person and online tutors, ensuring the solution differentiated for the two settings, whilst keeping the process streamlined.

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The solution

I implemented a gradual release model (I Do, We Do, You Do), designed to shift responsibility smoothly from manager to new hire, helping tutors reach optimal performance more quickly, and take ownership for their own learning. The programme blended in-person work, online classrooms, and self-paced courses, all packaged together in a staff journey that provided the necessary resources at the point of need.