First in your family to go to university? Our pupils need to meet you.

How recruitment works

We believe in the potential of every individual, so we focus on getting to know each applicant. We offer:

• An accessible recruitment process
• Paid, enriching work
• Training from our team of qualified teachers to develop tutors’ skills
• Transferable skills, in-person school experience and ongoing training

We encourage tutors from Widening Participation backgrounds to apply because we believe in relatable role models.

Michael's Story

Michael watched talented young people in his neighbourhood sit their GCSEs without the support they needed, while other pupils at his school had private tutors from Year 7 onwards. After completing his degree, he joined Tutor Trust as a tutor. He was clear about his motivation: a family’s income should not determine how far a young person can go, and he wanted to help change that. Once he had experience tutoring, Michael used it in his application to start a Masters; he was successful and is currently studying Education at the University of Manchester and will graduate in 2028.

Deficit thinking assumes that disadvantage means a child lacks ambition or ability. Tutors with lived experience understand that this is not the case. They combine deep empathy with high expectations. Having faced similar structural barriers, they can recognise potential where others might mistake struggle for disinterest or poor behaviour.

And there are more examples:

“One lesson, I worked on creative writing with my Year 7 student, and she enjoyed it so much that she went away and continued writing, turning it into her own story.”

– Widening Participation Tutor, Eleanor. 

What tutoring does for tutors

National data shows that graduates from working-class backgrounds are less likely to secure professional jobs than their more affluent peers, even when they have the same degree in the same subject. Many opportunities come through internships, which can favour people whose families already have professional connections.

Tutor Trust offers a different route. We’re looking for people who know their subject well enough to teach it, not people with the right connections. That’s why we are committed to providing something that our tutors describe best: ‘A chance to promote equity in the community by making sure no child is left behind by a school system that isn’t designed for them’  Ashley, Widening Participation Tutor. 

Our recent partnership with Liverpool John Moores University is another example of how we work to create more equal opportunities by connecting pupils with tutors who can relate to their experiences.

What Does Our Mission Mean to Our WP Tutors? 

Gurveer, Widening Participation Tutor: “Bridging the gap in education between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils, giving each pupil a fair chance at education” 

“The key aim is to offer as much support to the students, to enhance their learning and help them to achieve their potential, as well as developing your own skills and gaining valuable experience.” Sofiyan, Widening Participation Tutor. 

For many young people, having a tutor can feel out of reach. Our Widening Participation tutors help make learning more relatable and provide a consistent source of support.

If you're studying or have recently graduated, and you're thinking about teaching or if you want paid work that makes a difference, come and tutor with us. You'll receive training before you start. The work is part-time and fits around a degree or your first job, during term time, across Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Tees Valley and West Yorkshire.

If you share experiences with the pupils we work with, you can bring a valuable perspective to the role. Come and use it.

*Tutors who have provided quotes for this article have been anonymised for their privacy. Still, all quotes are from real Tutors who have qualified for Widening Participation schemes at their university.