In the last year, Tutor Trust has seen a significant increase in the number of applications from Qualified Teachers wanting to make the move to tutoring.  They have joined us for many and varied reasons, but all want to continue to put their teaching skills to good use and have a positive impact on young people’s lives.

In our latest episode of our Tutorcast podcast, we hear from two former teachers about why tutoring can be such a rewarding role.

James Brewer, a former tutor himself and Tutor Trust’s Recruitment Communications Lead, turns roving reporter to catch up with Lola Albarn (pictured) and Cailum Finnegan.  

Lola recently joined the Tutor Trust staff team as a full-time tutor, having also been a part-time tutor with us.  She started her teaching career in South Korea, and returned to the UK to study for her PGCE, working in a Rochdale primary school during the height of the pandemic. Cailum has a Masters in Physics and a PGCE from the University of Manchester, during which he undertook teaching placements in schools across Greater Manchester. Cailum then started tutoring part-time with us, before taking up the role of Full-Time Alternative Provision Tutor.  He also took on the role of Lead Tutor to support our tutors throughout the academic year and is now using his tuition and Science expertise in his role as Quality Manager-Secondary/Part-Time Tutor.

James finds out more about why they made the move – and what small-group tuition offers that really appeals. According to Cailum: "It's a very fulfilling avenue of work."

We hear from Cailum and Lola about the moments that have stayed with them, and gain valuable insights on the impact that tutoring has on the lives of the young people they work with, as well as on their own wellbeing. This episode is a must listen for anyone interested in education or considering transitioning from teaching to tutoring.

As Cailum says:

There's a reason you stayed in education in the first place. And it's what the outcomes are for those young people and how much personal satisfaction you can get from being a part of that."

Lola enjoyed being able to tailor each session to the individual pupils’ needs, allowing her to build meaningful relationships with them, as well as giving her more flexibility in her schedule.

And, having greater autonomy is a plus: "I get the chance to teach, which is something that I absolutely love. It's what I've been doing for the last five years. This gives me a chance to have a bit more control with being creative or changing lesson plans if that's what needs to happen."

According to our interviewees, those with a background in teaching are well-suited to the role of tutor: "You already have a strong background with this content, you are going to be effective at tutoring,"

And, for Cailum at least, there are other benefits, sometimes bittersweet, especially when the student he is working with doesn’t need him anymore, because they’re confident in their own abilities: “And that's really what I want to do as a tutor. I want to give them those skills, so that they can be independent learners, and they can take that on into their future education. So that for me is the biggest success.”