My name is Hollie and I work at the Ashton-Under-Lyne centre as a Tutor. I heard about the role through the University of Manchester careers service whilst studying for my degree. I wanted to apply for the role as I felt that it was great experience and a job I would really enjoy. Before working at Explore Learning, I had experience in retail and hospitality, as well as having completed work experience in a school. I got the job at Explore Learning in December 2012 and worked at the Ashton centre alongside completing my degree. Working at Explore was a welcome distraction from the stress of my degree and being away from home. A typical day at Explore Learning involves tutoring a zone of 6 children, signing the children in and out, offering feedback to the parents, playing games and ensuring Surf Club is as fun as possible as well as supporting Additional Content classes. My favourite thing about being a tutor at Explore Learning is witnessing the progress our members make first hand. It is very rewarding to see the children grow in confidence and develop their skills in front of you! I also love the atmosphere within the centre, created by the management team and the tutors. Everybody is very supportive and committed. The highlight of my time at Explore Learning was winning Tutor of the Year as this made me realise how much my hard work was appreciated. When I began at Explore, I found behaviour management was one of my weaker areas. However, with the support of the management team and regular training sessions, I feel I have learnt a range of behaviour management techniques and have grown in confidence within this area. I feel like I am an effective tutor as I have good time management skills, patience and can remain calm under pressure. The advice I would give to a new tutor would be not to panic, each child is only with you for an hour so don’t spend your time worrying, just make the most of it!
