Volunteering in retirement
Our retired volunteers are fantastic tutors and role models for our pupils. Volunteer as a tutor for one hour per week, and share your experience and wisdom with disadvantaged pupils who would really benefit.
APPLY NOWWhat can I offer?
You can make a huge difference to the lives of disadvantaged children in your community. Our retired volunteers bring a wealth of skills, commitment and motivation. Our tutors range in age from 18 to 82 and we’re incredibly proud of the diverse range of volunteers we engage.
You don’t need prior teaching experience to get to get started. We look for patience, empathy and an interest in the subject you’ll be tutoring (maths or English).
Tutoring provides great interactions with pupils, all with fantastic personalities, and I feel I am helping in a small way, even with the basics. Many of these children have not had the start in life that my own children did and I want to help in any way I can. All young people are entitled to a good education regardless of race, ethnicity, income or religion so of course I want to make a difference if possible. You learn that some have no private space to study or indeed sleep and many get very little, if any, help at home. This experience has even helped my own children to understand that they are lucky in so many ways – they all encouraged me to do it and are keen to learn from my experiences. My eldest daughter now mentors at work because of it!
Eileen, retired chartered accountant from London
What can I expect from volunteering with Action Tutoring?
As an English or maths tutor, you will choose one of our partner schools and work with 1-3 pupils for an hour a week, across the course 10-20 weeks. Sessions are either delivered on the school premises or online, at the same time each week. You can choose to support children preparing for their SATs (ages 9-11) or GCSEs (ages 14-16). We provide all of our tutors with training and workbooks to use in sessions, a DBS check and travel expenses up to £5 per session.
Click here for more information about how our programmes work.
We understand that the curriculum might have changed from when you were a pupil yourself. Our tutor workbooks are well-structured with tutoring tips and, most importantly, contain the answers!
What are the benefits of volunteering in retirement?
A valuable opportunity to give back
Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds aren’t less able, but they have less access to the tools that support them to progress in school and reach their full academic potential. Your support will help them grow in confidence, ask more questions and make progress step-by-step. The magic is in the small moments!
It’s good for the mind
Studies show that volunteering helps us combat stress, anxiety, depression and anger, and helps to prevent feelings of isolation. Meeting new people also increases confidence.
Meet like-minded people
Volunteering, especially in-person, helps you to meet new people and share experiences with people you might not otherwise have encountered in life.
Click here find a school near you. If you don’t live in one of our operating cities, you can tutor online from anywhere in England, Scotland or Wales. Full online training will be provided, and in-session support will be available from your Programme Coordinator.
Learn new skills
Retirement doesn’t mean the end of growing skills, or learning new things. Tutoring is a great way to develop your communication, confidence and resilience.
Interested in reading more? How to utilise your skills, whilst learning new skills in retirement
Watch our video below to find out why your help matters.
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