Get New-Term Ready! Tips for tutors for September

Get New-Term Ready! Tips for tutors for September

Whether you are a full-time tutor; tutoring part-time alongside other commitments; or an undergraduate who tutors as a ‘side hustle’, the start of the new academic year is the time to get yourself new-term ready.

Here are our top tips for tutors to help you get ready for the tutoring year ahead…

Get organised

For any professionals working in the education sector, September has the same resonance that January holds for most other ‘normal’ people. For teachers and tutors, September is the best time to set yourself new year’s resolutions.

Don’t worry, we’re not talking about the usual gym memberships or advocating Dry September or Veganember here – although, go for it if that’s your thing…

No, we’re just highlighting the importance of getting yourself organised and set for the year ahead.

September is the month when tutor referrals are at their busiest. It’s the time to fill your diary up! But make sure that you don’t take on too much. 

Whatever your circumstances are, make sure that you only accept referrals that are right for you. In most cases, your teaching timetable will be the same until next May/June. It’s not like a timetable for a full-time teacher working in a school – which is pretty much imposed on you. 

This is a genuine opportunity to create a work schedule that really suits your needs. Don’t waste it!

Gen up on exam results and course changes 

One of the benefits of not working in a school full-time is that you miss out on the annual avalanche of data, data, data that falls in September in most schools – the dreaded exams analysis.

But while we can be thankful that we are swerving ‘Spreadsheet September’, tutors can do well to keep abreast of what the exam boards are saying. The Report on the Exam – written by Chief Examiners of every subject – gives insightful information on how students fared on the summer exams, and often gives helpful tips and advice for teachers to use.

Professional development for tutors tends to be lacking. In fact, it tends to be DIY – but it is always helpful. An educational professional should never stop learning. Keep up to date with current pedagogy and thinking and use it to make yourself a better and more effective tutor.

Don’t forget the reason you are doing this!

Sometimes tutors can feel a bit sluggish in September. After all, it’s always hard to get back into the swing of things after a few weeks off.

But don’t forget the reason you are here – to help young people achieve their true potential. Teachers can sometimes get bogged down by mandatory frameworks, incessant data collections, rules and policies, and the ever-present threat of OFSTED.

As a tutor, you cunningly miss out on the ‘bad stuff’ but still get the privilege of helping students get to where they want to be.

You are free to exercise your professional judgement on a daily basis, and really make a difference.

Make the most of it – and most of all… enjoy every moment!