Volunteers

Phil, volunteer maths tutor and retired IT technician

A retired IT technician, Phil found himself at a loose end and wanted to give something back to his local community. He believes maths is crucial for all pupils to master and so began volunteering with Action Tutoring.

Phil says:

“I used to work in IT [and] I retired eight years ago so I’ve had a lot of free time which feels like a privilege. I wanted to do something to help people who are less fortunate and one thing I’ve always been reasonably good at was maths. I have always found it quite easy so I thought tutoring maths could be something I could do to help other people.

With Action Tutoring the advantage is it’s very organised and structured so the first session was quite easy because you’re with a number of other tutors and there’s a coordinator so a lot of support was provided. You also have a workbook to work from so you’ve got a lot of material, it’s quite structured and you know what is expected of you.

Particularly with maths I feel it’s an important subject, it’s viewed as important by employers. As well as being practically quite useful in everyday life, a lot of jobs involve mathematical content so it is a useful skill for people to acquire.

My impression is that a lot of people don’t acquire it, a lot of pupils leave school with not very good maths which holds them back in terms of career. If I could do it and make a positive difference I think it could be very helpful. A lot of hassle is removed by the support that Action Tutoring gives.

The benefit is that it’s so structured and organised. The pupils are encouraged to turn up. Action Tutoring provides online resources and the workbook that they provide gives a very structured format for tutor and pupils.

As a retired person with a lot of free time, I wanted to do something where I felt I was being active and contributing. I think everybody wants to feel that they are using their time in a positive way, which is more of a challenge when you’re retired. For me, tutoring has made me feel as though I am continuing to contribute.”

Gustav and Mateo, volunteer tutor and pupil

Gustav is a law student in London and finds tutoring a refreshing change from his degree. It gives him the chance to meet all sorts of different people, and working with primary school pupils has really improved his communication skills. Every week he works with Mateo, a Year 6 pupil who wants to be an engineer. Mateo thinks Gus is great and likes that tutoring gives him a chance to ‘step up’ his knowledge of maths and English.

Gustav says,

“I’m studying law at university and tutoring is completely different, such a contrast, and that’s mostly why I picked it. I saw it at a careers fair and thought this will be something very different to my degree, much more rewarding. It’s such a great escape, it’s so enjoyable. I’m thinking completely differently. Being able to communicate with a ten year old is a very useful skill!

I’ve definitely noticed a change in my pupil. The questions [my pupil] is asking are far more analytical and also the confidence, that’s another thing – at the beginning, obviously anyone would be frightened to ask certain questions and now he’s realising that there’s no stupid questions.

It’s nice to see that we’ve built a rapport and he doesn’t feel afraid.

My pupil is quite confident anyway, but even by his standards I could see he was quite timid. If I prompted him he’d talk but then outside of that he wouldn’t. And now he actively might interrupt me and ask a question which is good. That’s exactly what I want.

Lots of volunteering is working with people that you wouldn’t normally work with, or you can’t work with in a corporate setting. The thing that I’ve found the most is that it’s an escape from my degree – high pressure, constant work, dealing with people all the time and also very stressed. This is a world apart from that, people that are down to earth and that are learning themselves.

There’s so much to love about it. There’s lots of support from Action Tutoring in particular. The workbook makes it easy to get through the work and there’s also a lot of scope to do things you want to do. If you want to take it a step further you can, but if in some weeks you’re busy and you don’t have the time you can just stick to the workbook.  I think Action Tutoring is a very good option.”

Mateo says, 

“I like tutoring because they kind of like step it up. They teach me words that I never really experienced. They let me read textbooks and sometimes they have extra information that I can use if I have to do English lessons.

I think my tutor is very nice. He makes it simple for me to understand and he’s great.

I want to be an engineer. I want to make some things, mechanical parts! English doesn’t really help with it but I would like to study English at university. I like to read books from authors’ imaginations or sometimes real books about people, autobiographies.

[I think other people should have tutoring] because it could help them a lot if they don’t understand certain things, because you have a baseline assessment – so they kind of go through things we need to go through and I think tutoring just helps with that a lot.”

Justina, volunteer maths tutor and consultant paediatrician

“A volunteer advisor introduced me to Action Tutoring. I had been looking for opportunities for some time to learn and engage with my community and work with children. Since signing up in September 2019, I have tutored two Year 6 primary pupils in maths. I always look forward to this day of the week. My pupils arrive on time, full of enthusiasm and determination.

There is nothing better than to see a child overcome their challenges and make progress.

On a personal level, volunteering has allowed me to develop new skills, be creative, meet people from different professions and backgrounds and interact with children in an educational setting. Volunteering is all about making a positive contribution to community and society, which is incredibly rewarding and is so necessary in the current climate.

There are thousands of bright young articulate children across the UK in our schools from disadvantaged regions that cannot afford the resources I was so fortunate to benefit from – I urge anyone who has an hour per week available to step forward, contribute to helping children in English, maths or reading and to reap the rewards of helping to create a positive future for others.”

Cara and Sobia, volunteer tutor and pupil

Sobia is in Year 6 at Walnut Tree Walk Primary School, London, and has maths tutoring each week with Cara. Sobia wants to be a doctor or a scientist when she grows up, and she says working with Cara has given her a ‘boost’ and makes her feel more confident . For Cara, watching her pupils make progress has been incredibly rewarding. 

Cara says:

“I work for a bank, working on international compliance, so that keeps me really busy.  I come [to tutoring] before work. Fortunately I work in central London so this is nice and convenient. It’s on the way in.

Maths is a really great subject, but how you get pupils excited about it – I was a little apprehensive about that. Maths is so important to get right and if I can instil in them at this age an enthusiasm and really encourage them through this, then this is a really great start before secondary school. This is the time when they can really learn and catch up.

I was quite nervous but the children were so lovely and enthusiastic. I learned early on that if I play a little game with them then they are quite competitive with each other in a good way. It helps to break up the session. [I can see] the joy in their faces, they enjoy it.

I get a lot of support from Action Tutoring. The workbook helps me plan my sessions and I receive regular emails. The Programme Co-ordinator is always on hand to answer any questions I might have.

As they first came in, they were reserved but now they are much more confident and fly through the questions.

I would encourage anyone who was thinking about getting involved to just do it, it is really rewarding.”

Sobia says:

“My favourite part of tutoring is working the questions out together.  Cara is very kind and she always helps me out. Whenever we get stuck on a question she will always be able to help us out.”

I think I want to become a doctor or a scientist but I still can’t decide. I would be a medical scientist, because I want to help out people in the world. Imagine if there’s like a new disease then I would be able to figure it out.

Action Tutoring really gives you a boost at school. You feel more confident.”