Hello, I am Dounia. I am an English Tutor at Tutors United. I joined TU last September as I was looking for some flexible part-time work to fit around my university schedule.

I am currently studying a BSc Psychology with Counselling Psychology and hope to work with children in the mental health sector in the near future. So, this role was the perfect opportunity to build my experience with young people and develop key skills needed when working with such a vulnerable age group.

A key skill I have developed as a tutor is my creative thinking and problem-solving skills. The fact of the matter is that when working with children, things tend to not go to plan. Despite planning, which ultimately does make the session easier to deliver, there will always be something that comes up which requires you to change your lesson plan or deliver it in an alternative way.

Be it a child who does not understand the lesson objective, or technical issues in the world of zoom, or the inaccessibility of a link needed for the task, there are always little bumps in the road. A tutor’s job is to ensure that the lesson continues no matter what happens and that the children are benefiting and learning as much as they can in the time provided.

As a tutor, you also need to be flexible. Each child has their own amazing character, has their own strengths and areas they hope to improve.

Throughout the sessions, and even in the feedback given to students, we are required to be flexible in our teaching methods and way of delivering feedback according to the needs of each student.
We want to make sure that no student feels unseen or left behind, being adaptable is important.

 Lastly, an element of the role that cannot be overlooked is the unconditional support provided for tutors by the team. Be it the training we receive, or the personal support provided, the team has our wellbeing and development at heart. This is rare to find in any corporation and has shaped my experience at Tutors United greatly!

If you would like to gain valuable work experience whilst making an impact on the lives of young people please take a look at our tutor tab on the website or get in touch to find out more.