The inspiring role of tutoring: Shamaila's story

Shamaila talks about the joy of tutoring and how it prompted her decision to become a teacher

Being able to work in smaller groups, and creating a positive, safe environment, students are likely to open up and be honest with what they are struggling with.”
Shamaila Tehseen, Trainee Teacher
  • 4

    years at Tutor Trust

Student Teacher - Shamaila Tehseen - credits tutoring with Tutor Trust for inspiring her to go into teaching

Shamaila, who graduated from the University of Manchester in 2022 with a degree in International Business, Finance & Economics, was looking for work with flexible hours to fit around her studies when she discovered Tutor Trust in 2019.

While she had given informal support and peer mentoring to fellow students at secondary school, Shamaila hadn’t tutored formally, and was initially a little apprehensive at taking on the role. However, with support from the Tutor Trust team she rapidly gained confidence and a growing skillset.

Between 2019 and the summer of 2023, when she finished tutoring with us, Shamaila supported hundreds of young people in mainstream primary and secondary schools across the city region, as well as pupils needing the additional support offered by our specialist Tutoring Plus service.

In all, Shamaila notched up more than 1,000 hours of tutoring. And supporting her tutees to thrive in small groups, or one-to-one in the case of Cared for Children, gave her a new perspective on her career. She starts a teacher training programme in September. The pupils she supported were an inspiration, she says:

Without tutoring for the Tutor Trust, I would never have considered a career in teaching. During the four years I worked as a tutor with them, I worked with students of different ages and from different backgrounds. Their continuous resilience and attitude toward learning, regardless of how difficult a topic was for them to grasp, is what continues to motivate me.”
Shamaila Tehseen, Trainee Teacher

Working in small groups also had a real impact on her:

A lot of tutoring involves pausing, and constantly checking in – something that their teachers do not have the privilege to do in class. Being able to work in smaller groups, and creating a positive, safe environment, students are likely to open up and be honest with what they are struggling with.”
Shamaila Tehseen

Reflecting on her work, Shamaila has a sense of pride at what she achieved:

Working with young people is such a privileged role as you witness them grow and become more confident in themselves. And not just in academic confidence – especially as Tutor Trust works with schools with students that often qualify for Pupil Premium funding, or are from socio-economically challenged backgrounds. By spending time with these students, and supporting them, especially in the last few months of their formal education, is impactful.”
Shamaila Tehseen
A male tutor wearing a burgundy jumper is sat tutoring a group of primary school-aged pupils wearing bright red school uniforms.

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