As regular readers of my blog will know, catching up with our amazing tutors at Tutor My Kids is one of my favourite parts of my work. See the best bit of my job, if you need any further proof!
Following a chat yesterday with one of our teachers, who is one of our tutors in Ely, I was reminded just how much I enjoy what I do and how much the tutor does too. Which got me pondering as to what it is that makes us happy at work. A little research later showed the following things:
- Recognition
- Autonomy
- Interesting work
- Flexibility
Recognition is the highest of them all!
In our busy lives, we forget to say thank you to our employees, employers and colleagues. Work gets in the way. In some cultures, e.g. teaching with which I’m most familiar with, there is such a pressure from senior management, governors and parents that much of what is communicated is what is not right and needs changing, rather than what is good and needs celebrating.
At Tutor My Kids, we’re really lucky that our parents and schools really appreciate what we do and especially the extra mile that our tutors go to ensure the very best lessons for our students. This is an old blog, but one of my favourite because it illustrates this point exactly – when was the last time a parent said thank you to you?
So, action for today: Thank someone for doing their job well!
Autonomy
Autonomy – being in control of your own workload is another key one. If you’re feeling stressed at work, it may be down to wanting more control over how you do your work.
One of the key things that I think makes the tuition at Tutor My Kids most effective, is that we trust our teachers to plan the lessons to match the needs of our students perfectly, so our students get the very best tuition and our tutors are using their professional skills and experience to get the best results for their students.
Could you explore being able to tackle the tasks in your job in another way? Are there ways to lose the less important tasks altogether and focus on those that will make a bigger difference?
Interesting work
We all have bits of our work that are less interesting, but research shows that if we are intellectually stimulated that we are happier at work.
With less paperwork to do, our tutors can get on with the business of teaching. One of our amazing tutors was kind enough to offer this testimonial for us:
Working for Tutor My Kids has reminded me why I originally wanted to teach – to make a difference in children’s learning and confidence, and see them progress. As a senior manager for the last twelve years of my full time career, I got further and further away from the children and deeper and deeper into paperwork about why they weren’t progressing fast enough. Each child is an individual, has different needs and responds to different learning styles. The pupils I work with through TMK all benefit from a plan that I design specifically for them and deliver on a 1:1 basis. I see them progress and gain confidence through small steps – and realise that what I am doing is making that difference. Being a tutor with TMK is so rewarding – I have regained confidence in my teaching ability, working with delightful children and parents who enjoy seeing their children progress.
Sue, one of our heavenly maths tutors in Ely and Cambridge.
Are there bits of your job you can delegate, put off, minimise or remove to enable you to do more of the things that you are good at and love?
Flexibility
In our increasingly, varied and marvellous world, we all have demands upon our time. Maybe you’re a parent, or a carer and have to juggle these aspects of your life with your work?
Being a private tutor for Tutor My Kids is a great alternative to teaching for many teachers who are wanting more flexibility. We have teachers who tutor just an hour a week and those who work throughout the day with our school clients, so they can be at home for their kids after school. And those who tutor after school so they can indulge hobbies such as gardening in the daytime, care for relatives and a whole host of other things.
I read recently about a company that had introduced results-driven work patterns – they allowed their employees to chose their working hours, so long as the work got done. So some
Be grateful
Research also shows that we get more of what we focus on – in the same way you suddenly see loads of a car you’re thinking of buying on the roads.
So, focus on the great things in your life and you’ll see more of them.
And if you are a teacher who’s interested in finding out more about tutoring in Cambridge, Ely and surrounding areas, do take a look at our tutors page and get in touch to arrange an informal chat to see if it might be right for you and give you more recognition, autonomy, interesting work and flexibility!