June 30, 2022, by aeyam24
My Experience as an Online Tutor for Action Tutoring
By Anna McConachie, English student blogger
As someone interested in the charity sector, but finding it increasingly difficult to secure volunteer roles owing to time constraints and limitations of the pandemic, I discovered volunteering as an online tutor was a perfect fit for me.
If you want to work in charity, ideally you need to have some experience. Volunteering is a perfect way of demonstrating your commitment to the sector. However, as a third year student, I wanted to find a volunteer role that would suit my schedule.
I found Action Tutoring by browsing the English Community Hub page on Moodle. Take a look at your own school’s Moodle pages to see if they have something similar! The Careers team also have a dedicated volunteering webpage that signposts lots of opportunities, and contains advice on how to find more.
What is Action Tutoring?
Action Tutoring is a charity that supports disadvantaged young people to achieve academically, with a view to enabling them to progress in education, employment or training. Their principle aim is to close the attainment gap, which happens when pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds have less access to tools and support that enable them to reach their full academic potential.
They are looking for tutors (both online and in person) for English and Maths, at primary and secondary school levels. I applied to be an online English tutor through their website. I chose to be a virtual tutor for South Chingford Foundation School in London; all from my bedroom in Nottingham.
I was thrilled to be volunteering for an charity whose values align so closely with mine. The intersection of education and social mobility is something I am very interested in, which is why Action Tutoring provided the perfect cite for my first bit of volunteering experience. I would recommend looking for volunteering that can be tailored to your specific career interests and aims.
My Experience as an Online Tutor
I was assigned two GCSE students. I was worried at first that working remotely would make it impossible to keep control over my pupils, or even connect with them at all. It was a little awkward at first, but we quickly got used to the format, and overall it was a really rewarding and enjoyable experience.
Action Tutoring ensure their tutors have all the resources they need to work effectively. We followed a work book, but had freedom to plan extra activities, and tailor the sessions to what the pupils were struggling with most. We used an online classroom software called Vedamo, which allowed me to see what the students were working on. It also functions like a whiteboard, making teaching easy as I could highlight different parts of the board and do extra demonstrations and explanations.
Developing your skills (and your CV)
Not only is tutoring rewarding and relatively straight forward, but it has really developed my confidence, enhanced my communication skills, and increased my organisational abilities. Moreover, volunteering is something a bit different to add to your repertoire, as it shows dedication and flexibility.
Making a difference
On top of this, tutoring the same students each week allows you to watch them progress. Its amazing to watch them grow in confidence once they have been given a little more attention and support. One of my students told me they achieved their highest mark in a test, and honestly it made my day. These kinds of things make the hard work worth it.
Further Careers
Working as an online tutor has solidified my interest in the intersection between charity and education. Its always worth exploring whatever opportunities come your way, as they could inspire a long-term career choice on top of enriching your CV. I have recently applied to one of the paid roles at Action Tutoring and I am waiting to hear back. If you can turn a passion into a career then that’s always a good thing!
Take a look at the volunteering webpages for ideas on where to look for available opportunities. If you want to discuss your volunteering goals and ideas, book an appointment with one of our careers advisers.
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