Teachers - Part 2

Can-you-simplify-Shakespeare?

Posted on 9th August 2018 by Rachel Law

With the new English Literature and Language exams we’ve got huge demand for GCSE English tutors who can simplify Shakespeare, de-mystify Dickens and untangle Keats (my alliteration fails me with Keats!).

We’d love to hear from you.

Do take a look at our For Tutors page, one of our recent blogs – Are you a teacher who’s forgotten what a joy teaching is? To find out what some of our tutors think of working as a Tutor My Kids tutor, take a look at their stories. For an informal chat, please email Rachel Law or call her on 01223 858421.

Could-you-earn-enough-by-tutoring-alone?

Posted on 9th August 201816th August 2018 by Rachel Law

TutorMyKids private tutor

This is a question that we’re asked quite often, especially when teachers are thinking of leaving a teaching post. It is a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string question’ as it almost entirely depends upon how much you need to earn, however a number of our tutors at Tutor My Kids only work as private tutors. These tend to be teachers who tutor English, maths and science in Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, Newmarket and surrounding areas, but there are options that can supplement income too.

Daytime and evening tuition.

At Tutor My Kids we have tutoring opportunities in the daytime and evening. We usually tutor students after schoool, for our private clients, but we also work with home educated children to support parents in the teaching of their children during the daytime. We also work with schools in Cambridgeshire to support their inclusion work, alternative provision and providing tutors to support Looked After Children. This provision can be after school or during the school day. We’re increasingly needing teachers who have daytime availability to satisfy this demand for Alternative Provision work.

Combining tutoring with other options.

Many of our tutors in Cambridgeshire combine their teaching with other options. Some teach part-time and/or supply teach in the local schools in Ely, Cambridge and surrounding areas. Some have caring responsibilities for elderly parents or young children. And a number mark exam papers which provides additional income as well invaluable insight into the nitty gritty of exam marking schemes! Private tuition provides great options to work in a more flexible way.

Curious?

How-to-choose-a-good-tutoring-agency

Posted on 2nd August 2018 by Rachel Law

TutorMyKids private tutor

Choosing the right tutoring agency is a combination of a number of factors – where they’re based, what they specialise in, who they recruit, what they’re like to work for and their fit with you.

Geography

Check the geography that the agency covers and, most importantly, where most of their clients are. Tutor My Kids teachers tutor in Ely, Cambridge, St Ives, Huntingdon and Newmarket.

Specialism

Does the agency specialise in certain subjects? What do they have most demand for? Most agencies will have most need of maths, science and English tutors, but will also need other tutors too.

Teaching Experience

Some agencies are very happy to take on a wide variety of tutors, other specialise in just teachers. If you’re a teacher, you may find yourself better valued in an agency, such as Tutor My Kids whose tutors are almost exclusively teachers.

Size of agency

Large agencies may have more opportunities, but you may get lost amongst the many other tutors, or it may simply feel less personal. A smaller agency is more likely to know it’s tutors and clients well and offer a more friendly service. At Tutor My Kids we think all our tutors are amazing and because we’re small get to know our tutors well.

Clients

It’s also worth asking what a typical client is for the agency? Are they largely independent school or state school – you may have a preference. We’re really lucky at Tutor My Kids as at least 60% of our clients are referred to us by other clients. This means that we tend to have like-minded clients and typically our clients want their students to have more confidence in the subject but also generally. We feel that they’re arranging tutoring for their kids for the right reasons.

What are they like to work for?

This can be hard to work out, but check out their testimonials and ask to be but in touch with existing tutors if in doubt. We’re always delighted when we get testimonials from clients and tutors. Check ours out by clicking the links. I’m also a firm believer in trusting your gut instinct when you chat to them.

Get in touch with Tutor My Kids

For more information on becoming a tutor click the link, email Rachel, or call Rachel Law on 01223 858421 for a chat.

Can-you-demystify-Dickens?

Posted on 2nd August 2018 by Rachel Law

Tutor My Kids is hiring GCSE English teachers for tutoring opportunities in Ely, Cambridge, St Ives, Huntingdon and Newmarket areas.

For information about becoming a Tutor My Kids tutor, click the link, email Rachel Law or call Rachel on 01223 858421 for an informal chat.

Why-tutor-through-a-tutoring-agency?

Posted on 26th July 20182nd August 2018 by Rachel Law

7 reasons why working through a tutoring agency is a great solution.

You don’t need to be your own sales and marketing department

Most teachers are not experts at marketing themselves – if fact usually it’s the other way round. At Tutor My Kids, we know all our tutors personally and can ensure that the client is aware of all your strengths (even the ones you haven’t spotted but we have!) You can sit back and be assured that you’ll be put with great students who are on your wavelength.

We match you to the perfect students for you

We meet clients and tutors in person and take the time to work out what everyone wants. This enables us to match you with some amazing clients. See our client and tutor testimonials to see how well we achieve this.

You’re paid regularly

When parents are busy, it’s sometimes difficult to ask to be paid. At Tutor My Kids, we invoice our clients directly and pay our tutors separately, so you can focus on the important business of the teaching without worrying if you’ll be paid and any awkwardness that can result. Agencies vary, but don’t assume that you’ll lose part of your fee by working with an agency. At Tutor My Kids we paid in full.

You’re still able to have private clients too

Check the small print, but all reputable agencies should allow you the freedom to take private clients too.

Clients aren’t axe murderers!

OK, I’m being a bit silly, but on a serious note, working through a reputable agency give you the reassurance that the parents and students that you’ll be working with are safe to work with and aren’t going to waste your time.

Obviously agencies vary hugely – take a look at How to choose a good tutoring agency. At Tutor My Kids, tutors in Cambridgeshire, we always visit our clients in their homes prior to us working with them. One of the many reasons we do this is to assess if it’s a safe place for our tutors to work.

Safeguarding

As teachers, safeguarding is very much part of our DNA. We check that our tutors have a current DBS and also ask their current or latest head teacher for a safeguarding reference too. It’s one of the ways we look at safer recruitment. But what about staying secure yourself? At Tutor My Kids, when we arrange tuition we talk about safeguarding with parents – we insist that there is an adult in the house and that tutoring occurs in a downstairs, family friendly room – we’re a great fan of dining room or kitchen tables. It ensures that our tutors are visible and reduces that likelihood of any false allegations.

Get out of jail free card

When you’re working with a client, it’s very difficult to say if you feel it’s not working out with the student for fear of upsetting the family. Working through an agency enables the agency to have that conversation with the parents to help resolve a situation or remove the tutor from it. At Tutor My Kids, because of the great work we do before you meet the student, it’s very unusual that we need to have these conversations, but occasionally we do and we find it’s a great relief to the teacher for us to be able to help in this way.

For further information, take a look at our tutoring page, email Rachel Law or call Rachel on 01223 858421 for an informal chat.

Are-you-a-teacher-who-is-happy-at-work?

Posted on 19th July 2018 by Rachel Law

Research regularly shows that the three main indicators for being happy in your work are freedom to plan your own work, feeling like you’re making a difference and feeling valued.

Do you feel valued?

As a one-to-one tutor in Ely, Cambridge and surrounding areas for Tutor My Kids, our teachers are regularly thanked for helping their child to learn. Perhaps parents of classroom teachers intend to or think to at the end of the school year, but we’re blessed with fantastic parents who appreciate what we do every single visit.

Do you feel that you’re making a difference?

Teaching 30 pupils, makes it really hard to feel like you’re making a difference. You are of course, but it’s not so easily measurable. That or you spend your time measuring and proving that your class has progressed rather than focusing on the planning and teaching. Private tuition is very straightforward in that way – you can see the difference that you’re making very clearly. Our tutors in Cambrisgeshire regularly see and love those light-bulb moments when their student gets it.

Are you teaching what you feel are the right things for your pupils?

Teachers are under a lot of scrutiny at the moment, from school managers, governors, parents and the government. I’ve had several conversations with teachers in Cambridge and Ely areas who feel that they are no longer able to plan lessons that they think are the right ones for their students. With one-to-one tuition, it is completely possible and necessary to follow exactly what is right for the student. There is time to go back to fill in gaps that would be impossible to achieve in a classroom situation.

Interested in finding out more about private tuition?

For more information on becoming a private tutor in Ely, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Newmarket and surrouning areas with Tutor My Kids, click the link here or email Rachel Law or give her a call on 01223 858421 for a friendly informal chat to see if it might work for you. You might also want to see how much our other tutors enjoy tutoring for Tutor My Kids by reading their stories.