Australia’s unregulated private tutoring industry is under scrutiny, with new research revealing serious concerns about safety, quality, and fairness for students and families.
A study led by academics from the University of Sydney and the University of Wollongong has found that the billion-dollar sector is largely unregulated, leaving tens of thousands of students exposed to unqualified operators and widening educational inequality.
The study, published in the Australian Educational Researcher, highlights that one in seven Australian students now engage in private tutoring. Despite its growing popularity, the sector lacks effective regulations to ensure safety, quality, or fairness.
“Tutoring has grown to become a billion-dollar industry in Australia, but it lacks accreditation, enforced codes of conduct, or real protection for students,” said Dr Ben Zunica, Lecturer in Secondary Maths Education at the University of Sydney.
“Parents seeking high-quality tutors are left to navigate a marketplace where anyone can advertise services, delivered online or even in private homes, without demonstrating qualifications or accountability. Many spend tens of thousands of dollars, with little assurance of quality,” he said.
Globally known as ‘shadow education’, tutoring is now a $96 billion industry. In Australia, the number of private tutors reached an estimated 80,000 in 2024, many of whom lack formal teaching credentials.
Dr Bronwyn Reid O’Connor, Program Director for the Bachelor of Secondary Education at the University of Sydney, warned that tutoring can entrench educational disadvantage.
“Tutoring can widen the achievement gap between high- and low-income families, as socioeconomic status often determines access,” she said. “There’s also mixed evidence that tutoring provides a clear academic advantage.”
The study raises alarm over the lack of child safety screening, with tutors not consistently required to undergo background checks. This poses significant risks to student welfare and the appropriateness of content being delivered.
Call for national regulation
Dr Katherin Cartwright, Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at the University of Wollongong, said the tutoring industry has been left to regulate itself.
“While many legitimate organisations such as the Australian Tutoring Association work hard to self-regulate and support tutors in gaining qualifications, this should be the role of the government. A more systematic, nation-wide approach is needed,” Dr Cartwright said.
The researchers are calling for discussion and further research on a coordinated, evidence-based approach to tutoring regulation in Australia.
Key recommendations include:
- a national audit of the tutoring sector to understand current practices and risks
- mandatory child safety requirements, including Working With Children Checks and advertised display of credentials
- the development of accreditation pathways for tutors, such as qualified ex-teachers, who meet professional standards
- the establishment of state-government agencies to regulate and enforce educational and safety standards.
Australia, they argue, has an opportunity to lead globally in creating a fair and effective tutoring system –avoiding pitfalls seen in countries like China, Japan, and the UK, where failed regulation drove tutoring underground.
“Smart, effective regulation can protect families, improve access for disadvantaged students, and lift standards of tuition,” Dr Zunica said.
“Rather than shutting tutoring down, we should work with the industry to drive reforms and improvements. We don’t allow unregistered people to teach in our classrooms, or work in a childcare centre. It’s time for greater oversight of our national tutoring industry.”
Download the study ,Whose responsibility it is anyway? Exploring the tutoring policy landscape in Australia using the Peters framework, here.
