Change a life between meetings: Why corporates love volunteering with Action Tutoring

In today’s fast-paced corporate world, finding time for meaningful social impact can feel impossible. Action Tutoring changes the equation with a flexible, structured model that allows your team to make a meaningful impact in just one hour a week, either online from their desk or in person at a local partner school. In fact, our offer is so popular that employed individuals make up 40% of our brilliant volunteer tutors.

Read on to see how our corporate partners and busy professional volunteers are seamlessly fitting life-changing tutoring into their busy schedules. 

How does it work? 

Our volunteering offer is simple, but impactful: 

• Commit to just 1 hour per week for 10–20 weeks and volunteers choose the day, time and subject they would like to tutor.
• Employees can choose in-person tutoring at local partner schools or online tutoring from their desks.
• Action Tutoring handles all tutor training, provides the structured curriculum workbooks, and manages the essential DBS checks.

What do our corporate volunteers and partners love about our volunteering offer? 

1. Developing skills 

Our volunteering is skills based, making it a great opportunity for our corporate volunteers to develop transferable skills that can be directly used in their day to day jobs. 

“The main benefit for me has been with the increased confidence working with pupils. I’m hoping to build on that in the future when representing my profession and industry.”

Dave, volunteer tutor and Amentum employee

As well as the chance to develop new skills, tutoring offers a change in daily routine that many of our volunteers find energising. Not many volunteer roles allow you to change the trajectory of a young life and still be back at your desk in time to start the working day!

“Volunteering for one session does not take up too much time. It is a rewarding use of your time and will enhance the enjoyment of your other activities.”

Ian, volunteer tutor and OPC employee 

2. Seeing the impact first hand 

Arguably, the most special thing about volunteering with Action Tutoring is being able to witness first hand the impact you are making on a young person’s future. In academic year 2024/25, Action Tutoring pupils were 29% more likely to reach expected standards in Year 6 reading, and 20% more likely to reach expected standards in Year 6 maths, while secondary pupils were 10% and 13% more likely to pass their English and maths GCSEs respectively.

Tutors not only see this academic improvement week by week, but also watch their pupils’ confidence, self-belief and motivation grow alongside it. This stays with pupils for the rest of their lives, and nothing is more rewarding than knowing you were the one who started it all. 

“When I discovered Action Tutoring, I knew I’d found a purpose. I could support young people who really needed tutoring help but weren’t as lucky as I was. Enabling pupils to see they belong in maths and can succeed feels vital, because I personally know how powerful that belief is.”

Sofie, volunteer tutor and NatWest employee

3. It’s easy and flexible 

Don’t have any tutoring/teaching experience? No problem! Action Tutoring provides comprehensive training and resources as well as ongoing support throughout your tutoring journey. Our dedicated Programme Coordinators will be there to answer any logistical questions, while our Curriculum Team is on hand to help with subject related questions. Volunteers are also provided with carefully constructed workbooks, meaning that minimal session planning is required. 

“I was a little apprehensive when first starting the tutoring sessions. I was really pleased that Action Tutoring provided such great workshops and material to enable me to stay ahead of the lessons. Given that 20-something years have elapsed since I left school, I was concerned my knowledge and understanding were outdated. It’s not been an issue, and it’s been fun re-learning maths!“

Dave, volunteer tutor and Amentum employee

Our volunteering is also brilliant for those with busy schedules. We offer a range of sessions, both online and face-to-face, throughout the school week, so volunteers can choose the day, time, age group and delivery format that works for them! 

“The programme is workable for busy professionals because the core commitment is clear and manageable—typically around an hour a week, delivered either online or in-school depending on the programme. That flexibility makes it far easier for our people to participate consistently alongside project delivery and working patterns, while still providing reliable support to pupils.”

Luke, Head of Social Value at Amentum

4. It supports social value goals 

In addition to the personal benefits, volunteering benefits your business, too. Partnering with Action Tutoring offers a ‘ready to go’ solution that delivers measurable social value to your local community and future workforce. Our personalised impact reporting is highly valued by our partners, helping them to achieve their social value goals as well as giving their staff an impactful volunteering experience. 

“Action Tutoring’s impact reporting gives us credible, outcomes-based evidence we can use internally to demonstrate that colleagues’ volunteering time translates into tangible educational benefit. Being able to point to published results and scale – such as the volume of tutoring sessions delivered and attainment outcomes reported for pupils – strengthens the case to our leadership that this is not “nice to have” volunteering, but measurable social impact.”

Luke, Head of Social Value at Amentum

Apply now or get in touch 

One hour a week is all it takes to help unlock a pupil’s full potential and change their life forever. Apply today via our website. 

Alternatively, if you think our volunteering may be of wider interest to your organisation, we’d love to hear from you! Contact mollie.vessey@actiontutoring.org.uk to find out more about our corporate partnerships. 

Other ways you can support us

We know how demanding corporate life can be, so if regular volunteering doesn’t fit into your calendar right now, here are a few other fantastic ways to champion our mission. 

• Fundraise for us – we regularly secure spaces on popular running events, such as the Royal Parks Half Marathon and the Great North Run. Find out more and register your interest. 

• Organise an event – You can also champion our mission within your workplace by organising a corporate or team fundraising event, transforming a fun team-building activity into life-changing support for disadvantaged pupils. Find some ideas in our fundraising pack. 

• Donate – Just £6 could cover the cost of one life changing pupil workbook, while £100 could cover the full cost of two tutoring sessions. Donate here. 

• Recommend us to a school – Know any teachers? Let them know about Action Tutoring! By helping us find more schools to partner with, you will be directly supporting more pupils facing disadvantage to get the support they need to succeed. 

Scaling social mobility in the West Midlands

Why collaborative philanthropy is the future

The “Inspiring Futures” initiative, led by The Rigby Foundation, isn’t just a grant – it’s a ground-breaking £3 million blueprint for place-based change. As a key partner in this nine-charity consortium, rising to 11 next academic year, Action Tutoring is proving how strategic, multi-year investment can transform educational outcomes in the UK’s highest-poverty regions.

The power of place-based collaboration

Poverty in the West Midlands is a complex challenge; the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s 2025 report highlights that the region faces the UK’s highest poverty rate at 27%. Tackling this requires more than isolated interventions.

Through the Inspiring Futures programme, Action Tutoring works alongside eight other charity partners to support the holistic needs of pupils in Birmingham.

Proven impact: beyond the numbers

Over the course of the partnership, Action Tutoring will be supporting 480 pupils in maths and English across the West Midlands, currently targeting the critical transition points of Year 7 and the high-stakes environment of Year 10 in Year 11 of the partnership.

Investment in this programme at partner schools like STAR Small Heath Leadership Academy is already delivering a measurable “confidence dividend.” During a recent site visit, representatives from The Rigby Foundation witnessed the “palpable intensity” of the classroom – a direct result of pairing trained volunteer tutors with pupils who have the drive to succeed, but lack the resources of their wealthier peers.

“Entering the classroom, the intensity of the pupils’ focus was palpable. What stood out most was the sense of genuine connections; tutors who clearly care deeply and pupils who are keen to grow.” 

Jemima Waltho, The Rigby Foundation Partnerships Manager

A call to action for Foundations: why partner with Action Tutoring?

For foundations looking to drive systemic change, Action Tutoring offers a scalable model that combines:

• Evidence-backed delivery: Our rigorous annual analysis ensures that every pound invested is backed by the numbers. 
• Operational excellence: As seen at STAR Small Heath, our Programme Coordinators manage the logistics, allowing school leaders to focus on teaching while we focus on closing the attainment gap.
• Data transparency: We provide reporting on pupil progress and engagement, giving our foundation partners a clear view of their social ROI.

“I was very anxious and reserved at the start, but my tutor helped me come out of my shell and build my confidence. I really connected with how he explained things to me.”

Pupil at partner programme

Following our success in Birmingham, we are seeking partners to replicate this collaborative model in other areas across the country. Contact our Head of Philanthropy, Hannah O’Neill (hannahoneill@actiontutoring.org.uk), for more information about partnering with us, or discover more about our work:

Who are our volunteers? Celebrating the faces behind the impact

This Volunteers’ Week, we are turning the spotlight on the incredible individuals who make our mission possible. At Action Tutoring, we often talk about our brilliant volunteer community. Behind that term are real people – tutors who give an hour of their week to ensure that a child’s background doesn’t define their future.

So, who exactly are our volunteers? The truth is: there is no “typical” tutor. Our community is a vibrant tapestry of retirees, corporate professionals, university students, and aspiring teachers.

The career explorers

For many, volunteering is the “keystone” that turns an interest in education into a career. Jack Smith, a student at Liverpool Hope, joined as soon as he turned 18. For him, tutoring provided a “head start” on his PGCE, offering a deep dive into pedagogy and behaviour management that a textbook simply couldn’t provide.

Similarly, Khusbu transitioned from a university work placement to a teacher training course. “Being exposed to pupils within a school environment gives you experiences that cannot be gained elsewhere,” she notes. She found that watching pupils move from finding maths “boring” to genuinely enjoying their progress was the ultimate reward.

The lifelong learners

Retirement isn’t the end of a journey; for many of our tutors, it’s a new chapter of impact. Paul Webster, a longstanding senior editor at The Guardian, spent decades championing the disadvantaged through journalism. After retiring in 2024, he decided to move from the newsroom to the classroom.

“After many decades in journalism, I decided I wanted to give something back,” Paul says. For him, the experience has been “fascinating” and “stimulating,” offering a fresh perspective on the educational issues he once covered as a reporter.

The corporate changemakers

We also have a dedicated cohort of professionals who balance tutoring with their busy working lives. Adam, a corporate volunteer who leads a team at work, found that the classroom is the best place to hone leadership skills. “Tutoring exaggerates the lesson of ‘you get what you give’,” he explains. For Adam, volunteering is a practical way to tackle growing inequality: 

Aimilia, another corporate tutor, reminds us that you don’t need a teaching degree to make a difference: “The material has everything you need to tutor… but you do need to have the sensitivity and the willingness to connect with the pupils.”

The subject enthusiasts

For others, tutoring is about sharing a passion. Natasha, an Open University student, wanted to share her love of Literature and Creative Writing while preparing for her own teacher training. For her, the impact was personal as well as professional.

“Volunteering supported me in my recovery by helping me to build a structure… it reminds me that having a disability doesn’t limit me,” she shares. Through online tutoring, she developed “emotional awareness” and confidence that have filtered into every other area of her life.

A common thread

Whether they are 18 or 70, in a boardroom or a dorm room, our volunteers share one common belief: every child deserves a chance to succeed. Our tutors are role models, motivators, and mentors. They provide the “sticky knowledge” that helps a child pass a SATs exam or secure a Grade 5 at GCSE, opening doors that might otherwise have remained closed.

Join us this autumn

Our summer term is currently full. We are now looking ahead to the next academic year and building our autumn 2026 cohort.

Will you join the faces of Action Tutoring? You don’t need to be a teacher – you just need an hour a week and a desire to make a difference.

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