Helping everyone achieve their potential

What are you most looking forward to about being a volunteer tutor?

I am looking forward to working with young people who are discovering chemistry. It reminds me of why I fell in love with chemistry in the first place. I hope they will also fall in love with it. Or, if they do not fall in love, at least they do not perceive it as scary or difficult!

What was your favourite thing about the training session?

It was very interactive, plenty of opportunity to ask questions. It really helped me to see how my role as tutor fits with the bigger picture, with the work with the young person and the school they are based on. We even did a bit of role playing, designing a tutorial plan and testing our plan with another attendee.

Did you have any particular questions or concerns going into the session? What were these? Did the session successfully address your questions/concerns?

I signed up almost as soon as I received the email from the RSC with the information about the project. By the time the training session arrived, I confess I was having some second thoughts. As much as I loved the project, I was concerned about the time commitment. Also, the responsibility of working with a young person, helping them develop academically, was a bit scary. The questions "do I have enough time?" and "will I be able to do a good job?" were weighing heavily in my mind when I joined the session.

The training really helped put my mind at ease. I found it very reassuring that the students enrolled in the programme have a University Access Officer, who provides mentoring support. Although to a certain extent we act as role models, our purpose is to help young people with chemistry – the guidance for university applications, etc. comes from the UAOs, who work at the student’s school.

It was very reassuring to see how closely the project works with the teachers at the partner schools – we will even receive an email from the young person’s teacher, with a suggestions of topics to cover. Also, it was also very useful to hear the wealth of resources available to prepare tutorials – several were discussed during the session, including the RSC educational resources.

It was very clear that there was no need to reinvent the wheel, there is plenty of material to draw from. For each weekly tutorial (1 hour) we were asked to do 30 min of preparation. The whole session really helped me to put in perspective the level of commitment expected from us – it definitely made it more "doable".

What led you to become involved in volunteer tutoring?

I heard about the opportunity from the RSC and thought that it was very important to try to "give something back". I have received great support from the RSC but I only knew of this support from people pushing me in its direction. It frustrates me that opportunities seem unachievable for people from a disadvantaged background. I wanted to not only provide academic support but also to help instil the belief that their goals are very much achievable. 

What are you most looking forward to about being a volunteer tutor?

I think there is something particularly effective about 1:1 tuition. You have the ability to get to know the pupil well very quickly. Sessions can then be quite dynamic in responding to their own particular needs.  

What was your favourite thing about the training session?

I found it interesting to hear about the different backgrounds and careers of the other volunteers. The session was also very thorough and it was clear that there would be more than sufficient support throughout.  

Why do you think it’s so important to provide tutoring support to disadvantaged young people?

It is really important to try to "level the playing field". I like to tell myself sometimes that a particular pupil may need your support to help them to unlock their true potential. They may have the mind that finds a cure for a disease or makes a groundbreaking discovery, but just need steering in the right direction and made aware of their options. I don’t think every story will be such a dramatic one, but helping someone develop skills they never thought possible is a wonderful thing to have the power to do.