I developed an interest in teaching and education while I was doing an internship at the Department for Education. I applied to be a maths tutor with Get Further to help students achieve life-changing qualifications, and to see if teaching was right for me.
For a few hours each week, I provide catch-up tuition to a small group of young people who are resitting their GCSE maths exam. Get Further provides high-quality materials for the sessions which I delivered in a way which was appropriate for the ability of the group.
Tutorials involve quick-fire sessions on times tables, followed by longer sessions which I lead using mini whiteboards. When students are confident in their understanding of a concept, we move onto mock exam questions. Students are also set online challenges to do at home, which many find to be a good alternative to traditional written homework they were given in lessons.
I receive great feedback from students in the sessions. Some told me that our sessions had enabled them to finally understand a concept which they had always struggled with, and others said that they found the sessions fun.
One of the best aspects of being a tutor is seeing a change in students’ confidence in maths. Several of my tutees came to the sessions with the belief that they could not pass their exams, or that maths was not for them. I saw several of my tutees grow in confidence throughout the sessions, and many became keen to tackle some of the most challenging exam questions.
I find tutoring with Get Further extremely rewarding. The training provided is brilliant, and the role can easily fit around other work or study commitments. As well as this, I met some fantastic people through the programme, and would consider teaching as a future career.