Tutors and Home Teachers – a Transitional Position in the 19th Century

Abstract

This paper is a plea and an invitation not only to locate the tutor as a historical figure in the pre-modern period, but to explore him as an integral part of the private education market of the 19th and still early 20th century. To this end, it begins by considering why historical and pedagogical research has so far paid little attention to the continuing existence of this figure after 1800. It then discusses empirical approaches to this precarious phenomenon and the possibilities offered by accessing it through protestant candidates for pastorates. Finally, using the advice literature, it attempts to show how the discursive processing of the home teacher experience as well as their social position changed in the course of the 19th century. As a transitional figure, both in biographical terms and in terms of pedagogical history, it can serve to open up the flourishing private education market of the 19th century and, what is more, to give contemporary homeschooling experiences a historical depth dimension.