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:
“I find the political decisions being made by the Government very difficult when it comes to growing inequality and the lack of investment in people. Action Tutoring has been a comfort… I can tell myself ‘well at least I’m doing something.’”
Adam, volunteer tutor
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.
