Finding the right job as a student can be tricky. You have your bar work, your shop work, your I-tried-it-for-two-shifts-but-they-made-me-work-Saturday-nights work. Finding a job that you enjoy and that fits around your studies and lifestyle can be challenging—and that’s without considering the prospect of any transferable skills you might wish to acquire whilst on the job. That’s where becoming a tutor at The Tutor Trust has it all. Not only are you working around your own schedule and doing something to support others in achieving their goals, but you also gain an innumerable amount of skills and first-hand experience that can be invaluable when going forward in your professional life.

If finding a student job that works for you is tough, it stands to reason that what comes after might be an even more confounding affair. Not for everyone of course; some people grow up with a singular vocational ambition that leads them through school and further education straight to their dream job. Others, like myself, find themselves making decisions on what GCSEs to take and what degree to pursue based on a less defined course of action. Some go on what they excel at, others on what they enjoy, and many people hope that ultimately, they will be pointed in the direction of their destined career. Unsurprisingly, this shining moment of realisation does not always occur, even after you’ve collected your cap and gown and all your friends and relatives are continuously asking ‘so, what comes next?’

For a lot of students who work for the Tutor Trust, a career in teaching is their next chosen step—and what better way to prepare yourself for teaching? Not only do you familiarise yourself with a position in education, but you also give yourself a head start with Teach First and a whole host of impressive things to put on your CV. I’ve yet to meet a tutor who hasn’t found the work they do with young people at the Tutor Trust rewarding, and for many it can affirm their decision to go into a career involving young people. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that all those who tutor want to continue with this line of work in the future. The reasons that people end up in certain careers are as varied as the careers themselves, but for those fortunate enough to have spent time as a tutor, the things you learn whist working in schools remain relevant even if you aren’t working in education. 

When I finished University, I hadn’t got a clue where I wanted to go next and neither did a lot of my friends. Those who had done nursing and midwifery were on a directed path, but for the Anthropology, History and English graduates, things were a little more up in the air. This was the point when I appreciated my Tutor Trust background more than ever. Whilst I may have been unsure of my exact career plan, my work as a tutor had given me a range of skills and an insight into my own abilities and preferences. It had also prepared me for the world of job applications and interviews, providing me with ample examples of times when I had used initiative, thought on my feet, overcame challenges and done all the other things that recruiters are keen to hear about. Your role as a tutor is to help your pupils to learn and to grow, but when and if you decide to move on to something else, you might be surprised by how much you have learnt and grown along the way.