Team Up

You’ll work in a London primary or secondary school with the same group of 2-3 young people for 12 weeks, tutoring them in English or maths. Each of your weekly tutoring sessions will last for 60-90 minutes.

The young people we work with are aged 9-16, from low-income backgrounds, and are at risk of leaving school without qualifications. The majority also struggle with low confidence or a fear of failure which impacts their resilience and ability to excel in school.

When you fill out your application form, we’ll ask you what areas of London you’re willing to work in. We’ll also ask you if there’s a specific school you’d like to volunteer at (this could be your own school, if you’re a sixth-former).

While we can’t guarantee a placement at a specific school, we’ll always do our best to offer what you ask for.

We look for good academic grades in (or other proven aptitude for) subjects related to either English or maths, depending on what you’ll be tutoring.

We like our tutors to have a passion for social mobility, making a difference and helping others. You’ll also need to fit in with our values of being reflective, building good relationships and loving to learn.

We look for:

• Resilience: the ability to persevere when challenged
• Commitment: integrity in honouring your commitments
• Humility: openness to learning and easy to relate to
• Inspirational: the ability to inspire others
• Communication: the ability to present and articulate concepts and instructions clearly, and deliver material in an engaging way appropriate for the audience
• Self-awareness: the ability to reflect on your performance and identify areas for improvement
• Excellent organisation: punctuality, good planning and the ability to arrange time effectively
• Leadership: the ability to guide and motivate others

We’ll provide you with everything you need for your tutoring sessions, including a bank of outstanding, tried-and-tested lesson plans and resources. No need for hours of searching online for materials!

Our programme managers, all of whom are ex-teachers or have worked in the youth sector, will also be in school with you before and after each of your sessions to support you and answer any questions. They’ll provide any ongoing training you need too.

Before starting, you’ll attend a Team Up induction day, where you’ll find out more about our programme, learn how to manage your pupils, and be trained on the Team Up curriculum.

All Team Up tutors between the ages of 16-25 are guaranteed a place on our 12-month mentoring programme. We can pair you with a mentor from the world of business or another field you’re interested in.

Your mentor can help you in a way that suits you. That could include sharing their valuable wisdom, planning out your career, filling in job application forms or practising your interview technique. You’ll meet your mentor every 12 weeks or so for an hour.

We accept applications on a rolling basis. The earlier you apply, the more likely you are to get your first choice placement. We strongly advise you to submit your application as early as possible as applications for DBS (criminal record checks) and references can take time.

You don’t have to leave us at the end of your programme! Many of our tutors stay on to do further 12-week tutoring programmes.

Doing more than 1 programme is a great way to increase the impact you make – you’ll get better in your role and build deeper relationships with your pupils. It’s also a good way to develop your skills and experience even further.

We’ll pay for your travel expenses to and from your tuition sessions up to £15.

The vast majority of our tutors are volunteers, and don’t get paid.

However, some of our university widening participation programmes do pay their volunteer tutors directly. Corporate sponsors also sometimes contribute to help make it possible for volunteers struggling financially to become Team Up tutors.