Tutorfair profiles: Meet Beth
Educator, communications professional, therapist and DJ, Beth brings the freshness of diverse perspectives to tutoring.
Tell us about yourself and what led you to tutoring.
I’m an educator, comms professional, and therapist-in-training, specialising in sex education and human sexuality. I´m also a DJ and musician - a bit of a jack of all trades!
I worked in both corporate and consumer comms for many years, then took a break, moved abroad and became a teacher. I recently completed my Master´s Degree in Psychology with an emphasis on human sexuality, and over the last couple of years, I´ve been working on my specialism and working with various nonprofit organisations in this field (with a short break in between as I just had a baby!)
I got into tutoring because I wanted to do some voluntary work in an area that linked my educational background to my proposed career change into mental health. I came across Tutorfair via my university´s hub for career and work experience opportunities and was impressed by their offering and philosophy, so I got in touch!
I started offering sessions in English and Psychology at GCSE and A Level and, after a year working with Tutorfair, I was brought on board as Communications Manager.
What motivates you to work with students?
I work with a range of ages and students from very varied backgrounds. When I first started teaching, I found that I was especially drawn to working with students who needed that extra bit of support. I work with a lot of SEND students, and many who face difficulties at home and outside of the classroom. Being able to offer free, valuable support to some brilliant young people who need it the most, and helping them to achieve their full potential, is incredibly rewarding.
Any memorable moments?
I was tutoring a fantastic student in English a couple of years ago - extremely bright, but not a fan of English and they weren't receiving much support at school. When I found out how passionate this student was about their favourite sport, I tweaked all our sessions to include discussions or relevant materials related to that sport. Seeing this student getting genuinely excited and opening up to talk about this sport was wonderful.
What do you believe is the key to a student's success?
In the world of mental health, psychodynamic therapy helps guide people to make informed decisions, working from the idea that individuals possess all the tools and capabilities they need to overcome obstacles. Rather than traditional psychoanalysis, which takes a more authoritative stance, this approach is, in my opinion, much more empowering.
It's something I apply to my work with my students - the key is helping boost their confidence, make them feel proud of their work, recognise their achievements and feel prepared to make decisions about their studies and future. They have all the capabilities to do it, I´m just the guide!
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