"When I heard about Team Up’s work, I wanted to join so that I could help students, like myself, who may not have access to the opportunities that others do."
I’m currently a third-year student studying Mathematics and Economics at LSE. I joined Team Up in my second year and enjoyed it so much that I decided to continue tutoring in my third year.
I come from an ethnic background that is underrepresented within higher education. I went to school in an area that has notoriously low progression to higher education and I often had to teach myself parts of the syllabus without the luxury of having a tutor. When I heard about Team Up’s work, I wanted to join so that I could help students, like myself, who may not have access to the opportunities that others do.
The pupils that I have worked with over my three placements have been amazing, they have all been incredibly engaged and it is clear to see that they really understand the value of our tuition sessions. They always try to make the most of the time we have, and it is really nice being able to build rapport with them and help them to understand the value of maths.
I have really enjoyed getting to know my students and seeing them progress. It’s a great feeling when you teach a subject to a student and you can see their progression and the moment when that particular topic clicks for them. It makes you feel as if you’re really making a difference.
Before you tutor on a programme with Team Up, you are required to do training which helps with how to deliver lessons and engage with students, not just educationally but also with safeguarding issues. It means that even if you have little to no teaching experience it really doesn’t matter since you are trained and your programme manager is always there in case you have any questions.
There are also resources provided for every single topic you may want to teach which really helps with preparation time as you can use and adapt those as you wish. The programme managers that I have worked with have also been extremely helpful in making me feel comfortable, they’ve given me feedback on things I could’ve done better and it's clear that they also care about the students we are working with.
When I first started tutoring it was virtual, so as you can imagine there were some internet and tech issues at the start but the programme managers did a great job in resolving these quickly. It was also harder to build a rapport with students since many were more comfortable without their cameras on which I absolutely understand, it just made it slightly harder to build those relationships but we got there in the end.
I’ve developed many skills throughout my time at Team Up: communication, adaptability, organisation, presentation and much more. Across my three programmes I’ve met lots of people and been able to improve my teaching style so that I can make most of the time I have with the students.
I would definitely recommend joining Team Up to anyone who is interested. The skills you can learn are invaluable and you get great support from your programme manager so don’t worry if you feel like you don’t have much experience. Working for Team Up, you also have a great opportunity to make a difference in your students lives and in tackling inequality.
On behalf of the Team Up team and pupils, we say: Thank you Aadil!