At Tutor Trust, we love hearing about the difference that tutoring has made. Not only the impact on the young people we work with but also on our tutors. As we move into the new school term, we took the chance to catch up with some of our tutors to talk about what they get out of tutoring.

In our newest blog, we hear from three of our tutors about their experiences, and how they feel they’ve benefited.

First is Fran, a Qualified Teacher working with us as a Full-Time Tutor in Greater Manchester (and pictured above with tutees at Reddish Vale High School). With her experience, she’s able to offer a unique insight into the differences between classroom teaching and tutoring. She says: “Working in a small group setting (one-to-one or one-to-three) means you also get to know your pupils really well. In terms of relationship building, I’d liken a tuition assignment (typically 15 school weeks) to the equivalent of a term of being their class teacher; it’s quite intense but very rewarding!”

The impact of tutoring, for Fran, is two-fold. Firstly, it: “Gives pupils a greater chance of securing the grades they need to help with their next steps,” and, secondly, it: “Develops their agency as learners and encourages them to have confidence in their own abilities.”

Theo joined our staff team as a Training Coordinator in early January having had two years of experience as a tutor in Merseyside. For him, the #MagicOfTuition on tutees is very evident. “I think the impact of tuition is amazing. Whether you see the tutees' eyes light up as they understand a topic they’ve been struggling with, or when you notice their increased confidence over a series of weeks, those moments make tutoring so rewarding.”

Ada is balancing tutoring for us with her Philosophy and Classics studies at The University of Leeds. She appreciates the flexibility the role offers, and, like Fran and Theo, is relishing the impact her support is having: “When you’re tutoring small groups and focusing on specific topics, it’s easy to help your students to make progress.”

We know that tutoring can make a great impact on young people over the course of a short 15-week assignment.  It also has a beneficial effect on our tutors, enabling them to develop valuable skills that they take into all areas of their lives:

“Tutoring has also massively improved my time management. Planning your own lessons means you need to allocate time towards the job, which for me, was different to working in catering where I would go to work, complete my shift, and be finished. I found the extra responsibilities of lesson planning helpful as I feel I’m more productive in my university work when I have more responsibilities. The fact I knew I was making a difference for the students motivated me further to handle multiple responsibilities at once.” – Ada

“Tutoring has made me more self-sufficient as I’ve had to figure things out for myself and make judgement calls as to when to ask for additional help and when to trust my own instinct. Working for Tutor Trust within a school is essentially working remotely. It’s increased my confidence and has had a positive effect on my well-being, which in turn makes me a better tutor as well!” – Fran

“Tutoring has made me a more confident person, both in myself and in how I relate to other people. As someone who struggled a lot with anxiety as a child and teenager, I would never have imagined having the confidence to stand up in front of students and tutor them. However, in the same way, I have seen my tutees gain confidence through an assignment, I have seen it in myself.” – Theo

You can read more about our tutors’ experiences in our brand-new blogs:

• Fran - From classroom teaching to tutoring | The Tutor Trust
• Theo - How tutoring was a stepping stone into my new career | The Tutor Trust
• Ada - How tutoring helped Ada develop professional skills while at university | The Tutor Trust

Apply to tutor with us

If you want to make a positive difference to young people in your city and want to develop your professional skills while you’re at it, then why not apply to tutor with us?

We’re currently looking for Primary (Maths and Reading) and Secondary (Maths, English, and Science) tutors to support young people across the Greater Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, and Merseyside city regions.

If you have any questions, see if we’ve answered them already in our Applicant FAQs or get in touch with us: [email protected]