Additional Tuition is a scheme provided by the Federal Government and administered by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) whereby eligible children are entitled to government funded private tutoring. The purpose of the Additional Tuition scheme is to ‘level the playing field’ for those children whose studies may have been adversely affected by circumstances beyond their control, such as (for example) because a parent was injured in the course of serving for Australia.

Day in day out, Shield Tuition provides government subsidised tutoring services to eligible children all around Australia. Once approved for funding (which Shield Tuition can assist with), parents of eligible children can rest easy knowing that invoices are paid for directly by the DVA.

Providing services under the Education Schemes marks the cornerstone of our business and its purpose. We are proud to be involved in markedly improving the livelihoods of Veterans and their families/children. Please consider contacting our office if you believe that your child (or you) might be eligible for Additional Tuition under the Education Scheme.

Under MRCAETS:

A child of a member or former member who:

• is eligible, or was at some point, for the Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP);

• suffers an impairment that constitutes 80 or more impairment points; or

• whose death was related to service.

Under VCES (VEA):

An eligible child is someone who is:

The child of a current or former member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) who is receiving (or was receiving prior to their death) a Disability Compensation Payment:

• at the special rate (commonly known as T&PI);

• at the extreme disablement adjustment (EDA) rate;

• at an increased rate because of multiple amputations, or multiple amputations and blindness; or

• the child of a current or former ADF member whose death was war or defence caused; or

• the child of a veteran who was an Australian prisoner-of-war and is now deceased.

Currently, the DVA can approve $3,500 for additional tuition. A further $2,000 can be approved to a student where required.

The DVA requires working with children cards (WWCC) for all tutors and may request reports of how the tutoring is helping improve the student’s outcomes. We provide these reports to the DVA so you do not have to.

Yes, the funding can be used online tutoring. The majority of our tutoring is conducted online and we have had overwhelmingly positive results delivering our service online. Why?

Our tutors are very experienced in ensuring the online sessions ae engaging and carry the same social benefits as in-person. Online also offer flexibility and access to our best tutors. If parent have any concerns, we make dedicated efforts to mitigate any of their concerns about online delivery.

Yes, we help facilitate and liaise with DVA to apply for your funding and entitlements. We act on behalf of you to secure the funding and then provide you with one of our amazing tutors.

Yes, for a child to be eligible they must be fully or partially dependent on the veteran. For example, paying for school fees would be considered a financial dependency and therefore make a step child eligible.

Shield Tuition tutors are highly accomplished university students completing their Australian schooling subjects and ATAR in the top 99%. Our tutors come from vast backgrounds and interests with a passion to pass on their knowledge and instill a love for learning through a personalised 1 on 1 mentor approach. Our tutors can assist with anything from homework, writing essays, assignments, solving complex maths problems, or just enhancing your knowledge in a particular field. Our tutors are allocated to students based on suitability of subjects and parent/student preferences. All our tutors have Working With Children Cards. We have the best tutors in the country, our tutors undergo a selective interview, have to meet specific academic requirements and have a high proficiency in teaching. Unless you’re not happy or we see potential for a better suited tutor for your child, the same tutor will remain for the duration of their tuition with us.

Yes, our co-founder, Jesse is a veteran. Jesse enlisted into the Australian Army as a cavalry soldier at 19 years old. Jesse deployed on operations domestically and overseas. Because of these experiences and life in the ADF, Jesse saw first hand the shortfalls that arise in education that directly impacted the children of the veteran community due to postings and deployments. Jesse co-founded Shield Tuition with a goal to provide the extra educational support that defence families deserve. Jesse is passionate about helping as many veterans (and their kids) as possible. Jesse has a thorough understanding of the legislation, policy and procedures involved with the Education Schemes claims process.

Kye, our other founder, has been in the tutoring industry for 6 years and is a full time Medical student with aspirations to become a Doctor specialised in delivering veteran medicine. Kye placed in the top 99% of school graduates in 2020. Kye has a passion for learning and assisting others in their academic ambitions. Combining both sides of these experiences from both Kye and Jesse, Shield Tuition was formed. It is amazing to see how many veteran families we have helped, and the immediate impact our services have on the educational outcomes of veteran children.

“Shield Tuition have helped me understand the entitlements my children can receive through the DVA. They have been kind and understanding of the impact that my defence caused injuries have on my children’s education. Shield Tuition have made the process simple and stress free. Shield Tuition have provided a tutor that is allowing my kids to genuinely enjoy learning which is improving any concerns I had about their education. Jed, Mitchell and Emily have all benefited from 1 on 1 support with their schooling. I am grateful that the DVA has funding/support systems in place to help my kids reach their full potential in school. I look forward to ongoing support from Shield Tuition in relation to my kid’s education” - Tim

“Me and my wife Layla would like to thank Sheild Tuition for their assistance with our son Finn’s education. The tutoring services delivered by Sheild tuition have been amazing. Finn has been challenged, encouraged and assisted with aspects of English that he struggles with. I am sure this will show in his results this year. My mental health conditions have impacted the support that I have been able to give my children with school work and we really appreciate that there are programs through DVA that can assist our family.” - Mick

“My 16 year old son has been struggling with school for some time. He is diagnosed as neuro divergent and was disengaging from the academic aspects of senior schooling. I applied for funding for tuition through the VCES scheme which was approved however I had difficulty in locating a suitable tutor. I became aware of Shields Tuition and their focus on the children of ADF veterans. They were able to find us a tutor in our local area and also dealt directly with DVA on our behalf. Getting weekly personalised tutoring has been a very positive experience. My son is re-engaging with school and the feedback on his assessment from his tutor has seen a marked improvement in his results. I am very satisfied with the service provided by Shields Tuition and am happy to recommend them to other veteran families.” - Luke