Can Volunteer Tutoring Boost Your CV?

When it comes to volunteer tutoring, it is often thought that only those on the receiving end of the volunteering service are being benefited. However, there are many short-term and long-term benefits that volunteer tutors receive when they choose to take on this role. One of these benefits is how this volunteer tutor role can boost your CV.

When a potential employer is going through your CV, they will always assess what extracurricular work you have done. When they see that you have previously taken on the role of a volunteer tutor, it reveals a few things about your character and the kind of person they would be bringing on board to work for them.

It shows initiative
Taking on the initiative to be a volunteer tutor is a great way to get your foot in the door to the working world. Potential employers will see that you are not primarily driven by money and that you are willing to put in work when it is needed without being prompted to do so. It shows that the betterment of others is something you take into consideration and that you are also able to think beyond yourself. It also shows that you are proactive and willing to go the extra mile.

More exposure for you
By becoming a volunteer tutor you create more opportunities for yourself to be seen. It makes your CV more captivating to potential employers and gives them an insight into how you spend your time outside of university or work and an overlook of your skills and capabilities. The opportunity to be a volunteer tutor also puts you in an environment you may not usually be exposed to, and in doing so, it allows you to meet other undergraduates and professionals who may be able to pass your CV to other people. This creates a platform for you to network with different peers your age who may also be volunteer tutors, as well as potential organisations you may want to work with in the future. Taking on the role of a volunteer tutor can also expose you to different potential career paths that you can look into.

Improved skills and experience
In as much as you are helping someone else improve their skills through your volunteer tutoring, you are also improving your skills and experience in the process. You have to find ways to be able to relate to the scholars you teach and find ways to relay the information you know to them. This improves with every tutoring session you have and helps to sharpen your communication, leadership, interpersonal, and performance skills. Being a volunteer tutor also helps with improving your thinking skills and personal development. In doing this, it gives you the right skills and experience for the workplace and under different conditions and environments.

Time management
Becoming a volunteer tutor requires you to have good time management in order to balance your academic career and personal time as well as being a tutor. It shows potential employers your organisational skills and how well you are able to manage the demands of studying and tutoring while working under pressure in some instances. Employers like to see that their potential employees have good time management skills and are able to allocate their time accordingly and prioritise different tasks effectively. Taking on the role of a volunteer tutor is also a good way to utilise spare time and learning how to manage that.

Preparation for the future
Being a volunteer tutor helps to prepare you for working environments and other future roles you may look into pursuing. Even though you have the free will to undertake your tutoring sessions in times that work well for both you and your scholar, you still work under a specific structure and you must still meet the required hours as well as produce certain results with regards to your scholar. You also have to maintain a standard of integrity and abide by the rules that govern the volunteers within that organisation. This shows potential employers that you have the ability to follow instructions and how well you are able to fulfil designated tasks and work independently.

It shows that you are reliable
Becoming a volunteer tutor is one thing, but doing the job that is required of you is another. When taking on the role, you have to ensure that you will be able to fully apply yourself to the role. This is an aspect that potential employers look at – how reliable you are and how well do you perform in your role? The more reliable you prove to be, the higher your chances of growing professionally are and the more people trust you to do things that require greater responsibility.

An opportunity for personal enrichment
Lastly, being a volunteer tutor creates room for your own personal enrichment. It helps you discover strengths or interests you may not have known that you had, and it provides you with a different perspective on how you can approach your career and personal life. There are always lessons to be learnt and growth to be experienced when you open your mind to new possibilities. You also learn some of the things that work and don’t work for you and also leave having acquired some self-enhancement through the whole experience.

If you would like to boost your CV and become a volunteer tutor, let us know! GT Scholars runs an after-school tutoring programme that is designed to help young people aged 11-18 achieve their academic aspirations. We aim to tackle educational inequality and improve social mobility by helping young people gain access to the most selective universities and the most competitive careers. Visit our website to find out how you can become a tutor today.

Why equality in education and private tutoring is a realistic and worthwhile pursuit

by Marilyn Educational inequality Improving academic attainment Narrowing the gap Social mobility Volunteers What's new?

Imagine a world where every student is able to reach their full academic potential, it would be an incredibly amazing world. A good education is one of the most important keys to achieve success in life. A population that is educated is needed for a prosperous nation. Education develops foundation skills such as reading, writing and numeracy, which are essential for further learning. Ideally, all students all over the world should be learning in small classes, under the direction of dedicated, skilled and motivated teachers. But the reality of the world is quite different.

Even the most democratic countries in the world do not provide equal education. The unfortunate truth is that money gives a student access to a better-quality education. Students from financially stable and secure backgrounds have access to top-notch schools with state of the art laboratories, libraries and technology. Students from a disadvantaged background are left at the mercy of state schools. Even the very best state school cannot compete with the lowest ranking private school. State school classrooms are more often than not overcrowded and manned by overburdened, overwhelmed and stressed educators who must deal with bureaucracy and poor teaching environments. Even the brightest and most motivated students battle to achieve their full potential in these circumstances. In many of these situations, students who need extra support are likely to fail and eventually drop out of school. The future is bleak for these kids who will either end up doing lowly paid, menial jobs or worst- case scenario, end up in a life of crime with the cycle continuing when they have their own children one day.

The negative impact educational inequality has does not stop at the students. It sets off a chain reaction of events.

Inflated costs to society
Failure to provide equal access to educational opportunities imposes inflated costs on society. A poorly educated population limits a country’s capability to produce, grow and innovate. It damages social cohesion and enforces additional costs on public budgets to deal with the consequences such as higher spending on public health and social support and greater criminality. The study found that students who have enriching school experiences will be more likely to pursue further education and successfully transition into the labour market.

Increases National Interest
Giving more students access to better education can increase national interest. Students that receive quality education gain better reasoning intelligence and learn to form their own conclusions from facts that they are given. Educated people work towards the common good of the country and understands the importance thereof and works towards protecting the national interest.

‘’The children of today are the future of tomorrow’’
With more and more children gaining access to better schooling they also become well-cultured. Good schooling can motivate and provide for higher quality education. If someone can learn to be a good student, they will learn to be good citizens one day. Imagine if we could measure the loss we’ve endured as the human race due to exceptionally talented students who could not reach their full potential because of educational inequality. What could they have possibly invented or contributed to society?

A nation that works together
It is possible to improve educational equality as a nation. Everyone can contribute to making equal education for all a reality. Governments can manage school choice to avoid segregation and increased inequities. They could also develop an incentive system to make disadvantaged students attracted to high-quality schools. Governments can also find a way to improve the access that disadvantaged families’ have to information about schools and give them the necessary support to help them make informed choices. To ensure equity and quality, the government can also promise access to quality, early-childhood education. The main focus should be to recruit and support good teachers. Teacher education is vital to ensure that teachers receive the requisite skills and knowledge to do their best. Creating mentoring programmes for novice teachers and developing supportive working environment will help retain good teachers.

It is not only up to the government to promote educational equality. It is just as much the communities responsibility to uplift the youth to ensure a better future awaits them. Communities members should become more involved in mentoring the children in their community. Local business, community and political leaders can play a key role in providing recreational and tutorial support to encourage learners to study rather than to become involved in anti-social activities. They can also give financial support to improve school facilities.

Teachers also play an important role in promoting educational equality. A good teacher can be a great influence on a student. A teacher can inspire, educate and motivate learners to give their best. However disadvantaged schools are not fertile grounds to bring out the best in a teacher. It is therefore important for teachers in these schools to come together with government support, to create a platform to motivate and help each other give their best.

Early intervention from a young age is needed to prevent educational equality gaps from widening. Whilst achieving educational equality may elude some governments, there are some organizations and social enterprises which have picked up the baton to close the gaps in educational inequality. Society, therefore, has a moral obligation to make sure that all children receive equal access to education to give them the vital skills needed to become contributing adults in society. Educational equality ensures that all learners irrespective of their race, religion, gender and socio-economic standing have access to the same learning resources and educational opportunities.

GT scholars provides high-quality individualised tuition by tutors who are passionate about academic success. They match students with mentors who can assist them to set and achieve academic, career and personal development goals. They also run enrichment programmes to help build confidence and make students aware of the academic and career opportunities available to them. These programmes are provided at a low price or free of charge to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The aim of these programmes is to address educational inequality by giving children, particularly those from lower-income households, the strategies, skills and support required to achieve their academic and career goals. To find out more about GT Scholars, register your interest here or give us a call on 020 881 68066.

Meet one of our volunteer Maths tutors – Janet

by GT Scholars Volunteer spotlight Volunteers What's new?

Our volunteers are truly exceptional people that are passionate about making a difference in education and doing their part in improving social mobility. We would like you to get to know who they are and what they do at GT Scholars, so every few weeks we conduct an interview with one of them. Here is the most recent interview with one of our volunteer tutors, Janet Cheney.

Why did you decide to volunteer your time with GT Scholars?
I have been tutoring for about 5 years and I am currently in the process of partly relocating from London to South Devon. This will restrict my regular 1-to-1 tutoring sessions in London. I was pleased when I discovered the online volunteer tutoring opportunity at GT Scholars. Tutoring has become very expensive and I loved the idea of combining my love for teaching maths and physics and helping students from low-income backgrounds.
Tell me a little bit about you and what got you to where you are today?
I completed my BSc (First Class Hons) in Mathematics and Astrophysics and also did my PhD in Astronomy at Queen Mary College, University of London.

I spent most of my professional career operating at senior level. I have 15 years experience working in key management roles. In particular, I was IT project manager for BT’s London Code Change Project which involved changing all the telephone numbers in London due to a shortage of codes.

After 15 Years working on a senior management level, I decided upon an early retirement to spend more time with my family. This was when I began to volunteer my time tutoring within various non-profit organisations.
How important has support been in getting you to where you are today?
When I was growing up there was not a lot of role models for women. My family was very supportive and I was privileged enough to have had role models within my family. My school was also very supportive. I was the first in my family to have gone to university. I’ve always appreciated that I was able to have done so as I was not oblivious to the fact that not all young people were as privileged as I was. I think my dream to study astronomy has motivated me in working hard at maths and physics as I knew knowledge of these subjects were necessary to reach my goal. I am glad I can share my knowledge and help other young people with similar dreams.
Why do you think tutoring is valuable to young people?
I believe it is the individual attention a young person receives when he has a tutor. Mathematics is an important subject because it can open a lot of opportunities. Often teachers can’t reach all the students’ needs at an individual level as not all the students need help in the same areas. I think a tutor fills that gap. Tutoring can also be a great help for exam preparations and spending that extra quality time with the student on subject areas that they have difficulty with. I also think that a tutor can be useful when it comes to discussing time management when taking an exam. Especially in mathematics, there are often ways to find faster methods to solve problems.
What part of the volunteering process have you found the most fulfilling?
I think the most fulfilling part of the volunteering process is to bear witness to the improvement of a young person who really struggled with a subject. As the tutor, you knew first hand where the difficult areas were and how much the student has improved.

Janet is a good listener with great subject knowledge. She believes that this is what helps her to be a better tutor: ‘If you have a good understanding of who your student is, you will have a better idea of how to approach tutoring that student.’ Janet spends her spare time studying butterflies using catch and release methods as she has a true passion for science and nature.

GT Scholars is a social enterprise that provides tutoring, mentoring and enrichment to young people from a range of backgrounds. To find out more about our volunteering opportunities, please get in touch with us

7 Reasons Why Every Young Person Needs A Mentor

by GT Scholars Parents Volunteer mentors What's new? Young Leaders

A mentor can have an extremely positive influence on a young person’s life, however, the effectiveness of mentoring is often overlooked. A mentor is someone who the mentee can depend on, someone that acts as an active listener, tuned into the unique needs of a mentee. With the right mentor, a young person can gain professional socialisation skills and receive personal support to facilitate long-lasting success.

Here are 7 reasons why every young person needs a mentor:

Every young person has potential: We have all heard the saying: ‘In every caterpillar, there is a butterfly waiting to spread its wings, flourish and soar to greatness.’ Much like a butterfly, in every young person exists greatness waiting to be unleashed. Mentors can serve as a source of guidance and support to help young people reach this greatness by assisting a young person in goal setting and providing motivation.
Mentoring is relational: It is believed that young people are very dependent on relationships to develop their ideas and perceptions of the world. This is mostly influenced by their interaction with social media, peers and adults. Young people can often feel isolated and disconnected from adults. This can result in a young person’s perceptions and opinions being influenced by misinformation obtained from peers and social media. Mentors can challenge and correct these perceptions and opinions from a more mature perspective and bring about an inquisitiveness, passion and a more informed opinion within a young person through dialogue and active engagement. The relationship between a mentor and a mentee can help build trust and illustrate the dynamics of positive relationships.

All young people are unique and different: “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will go through its life feeling like it is not smart”. This quote is worth remembering as young people can sometimes feel pressured to fit into the same mould and can be expected to conform to limited ideas of success and greatness introduced to them through social media and peers. Since mentoring is such a unique process, it helps each young person to realise their own unique abilities, talents and strengths. It is important for each young person to realise the unique ways in which they can contribute to society around them. A mentor can help show a young person that if they are a ‘fish’ they may not be able to climb trees, but they could certainly swim!

Informal education: Throughout a young person’s formal education they are taught a variety of subjects and skills, but they are rarely taught about themselves as individuals. Learning about oneself can be thought of as lifelong informal education that often has no curriculum or duration. However, it is imperative that young people start getting to know themselves before heading out into the world as adults. Knowing yourself helps you to make well-informed decisions later in life such as career choices, social or relationship choices and educational choices. The unique process of mentoring gives a young person the personal space to discover things about themselves which they can use later on to make these important decisions. A mentor can also act as a valuable sounding board since they have the advantage of experience, and they can help steer a young person in making profound discoveries about themselves.

Challenge thinking: Sometimes young people can be overly accepting of certain ideas about the world around them without challenging these ideas and forming their own opinions – such as what kind of future is attainable for them in terms of education and career options. We live in a world where young people are inundated with what the ‘ideal future’ is, but rarely are they encouraged to self-reflect and challenge what motivates and inspires them personally. A mentor can challenge a young person’s aspirations and ideas so that they may be better understood.

Accountability: A mentor can act as a great sense of accountability for a young person to reach their goals and their true potential. Young people may be accountable to a parent for their household chores, or a teacher for their homework but who makes them accountable for their life goals? This is where a mentor comes in. They can set weekly goals for a young person to ensure that they are reaching those goals or working towards those goals. They can also help their mentee stay on track with their ambitions through providing the unique tools they may need to reach those ambitions. Accountability is also a vital life skill for a young person to learn as it fosters responsibility and independence. When a young person is accountable they learn to take responsibility for their own growth.
Staying grounded while dreaming big: It’s good to dream big! But sometimes a young person’s ambitions can be rooted in fantasy, and from time to time they can lack the ability to recognize the reality of a situation. A mentor can help in grounding a young person and guiding them practically through some of the realistic challenges they may face on their way to achieving their greatness and goals. A mentor helps to bridge the gap between how a young person may see the way forward and what is realistically the best way forward.

Whilst it’s true that many of the benefits of a mentor can to some extent be fulfilled by a parent or sibling, it may be important to a young person that their mentor is from outside of their immediate family. In our experience, most young people derive greater benefits from mentorship when paired with a non-parent mentor, and that they thrive within this unique and valuable relationship.

If your child is between ages 11-16 and you are interested in our mentoring programme, please contact us for more information. We also have great tutoring as well as enrichment programmes available.

7 Traits of parents with successful children

by Marilyn Parents

There is no set manual to follow when raising successful children, but psychological research has narrowed down a few factors that will most likely result in success. It comes as no surprise that a majority of the responsibility lies with the parents. Although it is not entirely up to the parents, there are a few things parents with successful children have in common. Let’s look at 7 traits of parents with successful children.

Make them do Chores:

Making children do chores from a young age will teach your child that hard work pays off. Most importantly, chores also imprint a sense of responsibility on a child. Always ensure the chores are age appropriate and that they do receive some type of praise or remuneration for it. Chores can range from picking up toys and putting them back inside the box, washing dishes, mowing the lawn or walking the dog.

Give them pocket money:

Give children pocket money, whether in the form of payment for chores, they have completed or an allowance they get weekly or monthly. You can sit down with them and work out a weekly budget, teaching them how to set out money for spending and saving. It will teach them the value of money and also how to work with their money. It is important, however, not to give them more money when they run out of their own. This will defeat the purpose. They also need to learn the importance of saving, even if it is saving for a fancy bicycle or a new gaming centre they would like to have.

Teach them not to be afraid of failure:

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure” – Colin Powell. You want your kids to develop a growth mindset. You want them to view failure, which is inevitable, as a chance to learn and grow – not as a dead end. They must know to keep at it and not give up on the first try.

Let them learn to be tolerant:

Being tolerant to different types of people with different personalities is a very important trait to have. It is just wrong if a person looks down on another. Your child should learn to be the Good Samaritan. This will result in great respect from their peers. In addition, children should also know the principle of putting themselves in other people’s shoes first before judging. That way they can understand why certain things happen and how to deal with these situations when they arise. For example, you can introduce this by explaining why a school bully might be acting out in a certain way.

Encourage entrepreneurship:

Based on research by Bill Murphy Jr., a renowned entrepreneur, the majority of today’s entrepreneurs were encouraged to act like entrepreneurs at an early age. These included personally observing an entrepreneur while growing up and being constantly challenged by their parents to come up with ways that they think they can make money. You can help your child by setting up a lemonade stand in the front yard to sell to the neighbourhood and taking part in school market days.

Praise them for hard work:

The way we praise our children has an effect on how they view their success. When they earn a high score on a math test or win a sports trophy, it is important to praise them for their hard work and perseverance, not just telling them that their success was a direct result of them being smart or talented. If we do not praise them this way, their confidence can suffer a knock when they try and don’t succeed at first. Although we want to compliment our children, we also want them to know that although they have a natural talent, hard work is always required and that it always pays off. This will nurture a growth mindset.

Remember to be their role model:

Our children look up to us as their parents from the day they are born. We are the first example of trust, love, empathy and respect they will have in this world. How we deal with failure and how we celebrate success is constantly being observed by our children. You need to set examples of the type of person you would like your child to be. The “do as I say, not as I do” method is not one that often succeeds. You want your child to trust you and strive to be like you, not to obey you out of fear of being punished for not following the rules. It is likely that the moment you are not around, they might just do the exact opposite of what they were told. They need to want to follow the rules. They need to want to succeed because you succeeded.

Raising a successful child is a conversation that many of us parents have engaged in before and one that can carry on for an infinite amount of time. We hope you found this topic insightful.

GT Scholars strives in providing mentoring, tutoring and enrichment to children from diverse backgrounds. Feel free to contact us to learn how GT scholars can help your child reach even higher heights.

Meet one of our volunteer Maths tutors – Elizabeth

by GT Scholars Volunteer spotlight

Our volunteers are amazing people that are passionate about making a difference in education. We would like you to get to know who they are and what they do at GT Scholars, so every few weeks we conduct an interview with one of them. Here is the most recent interview with one of our volunteer tutors, Elizabeth Polido.

Why did you decide to volunteer your time with GT Scholars?
I decided to volunteer as a tutor because I wanted to share my knowledge, especially in the field of science. I want to help young people to understand what the subject is about, but also to enjoy it. By doing this, I hope it will help them to improve their grades at school.
Tell me a little bit about you and what got you to where you are today?
I was born in the UK but I grew up in The Philippines for 19 years. In The Philippines, they heavily focus maths and science in school. This led to me developing an interest in science. When I returned to the UK, I decided to study forensic science at college. This was because I really wanted to do something that was practical or based in a laboratory. I then studied Biomedical Science at the University of Surrey. This is when I became more keen to share my knowledge of science to others, and then I decided that tutoring would be the best way to share my knowledge with young people.
How important has support been in getting you to where you are today?
Support has been really important to me because without it I would not have known what to do or have some direction and guidance. I also believe in communication being an important part of the support, and I like to hear feedback from others so that I can turn my weaknesses into strengths. For example, when I first started tutoring I did not know how to use the software, but I was able to communicate my problems with someone who could help and then received feedback from them so that they could show me how to use it. Both support and communication are important to me.
Why do you think tutoring is valuable to young people?
Tutoring is valuable because you get to help them improve their understanding of a subject and then improve their grades. Young people need the motivation to learn and to understand a topic. Tutoring is able to motivate them, especially one-to-one tutoring. The tutor is able to see the student’s individual needs, strengths and weaknesses, and to help them specifically. This will allow them to reach their greatest potential.
What part of the volunteering process have you found the most fulfilling?
When we start the sessions, my student and I do not know each other well. I really enjoy getting to know who they are so that I can help them. I enjoy seeing that they are learning, while also learning from them. I enjoy seeing their improvement, but also helping them to understand how to do their best and keep on trying when they fail. I am thankful for this opportunity to help young people, while also learning valuable things from this experience that helps me grow.

Elizabeth is a knowledgeable individual with strong communication, organisational and technical skills. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge, but also open to understanding how young people think and is very accommodating. With a background in science, most of her work experience is in the medical or pharmaceutical fields. She is also an associate of the Royal Society of Biology, a licentiate of the Institute of Biomedical Science, and is able to speak four different languages.

10 Websites young people can use to learn anything online

by GT Scholars Learning Resources What's new? Young people

Knowledge is power! Learning new things can change your life for the better. It will give your self-esteem a boost and it will also affect the way you do things on a day to day basis. On top of that, you will experience personal growth.

Being in a constant flow of learning new things ensures that we are current and up to date with our ever-changing, fast-paced environment. It makes us open to new, exciting opportunities and will kick start a personal growth journey filled with endless possibilities. As long as we can learn, the sky’s the limit! If we do not learn new things we stagnate and eventually we will start moving backwards.

Because there is absolutely nothing to lose, except your comfort zone, there should be no reason why you should not visit one of these awesome websites to embark on your new journey!

CodeAcademy – The demand for people who have coding skills are on the rise. This is not only true for developers, programming is on the way of playing bigger roles in everyday career paths. With coding added to your list of skills, you can definitely pursue a more rewarding career. Codecademy offers free coding classes covering 12 different programming languages, which include, Python, Java, PHP, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, and Sass, to name a few.
PhotographyCourse.net – A picture is worth a thousand words. It will be worth your while to have photography added to your skills list. It is a powerful tool which allows us to share and to communicate to those around us. This website offers free online photography courses. You can enrol in comprehensive photography lessons that cover various topics, such as Photographic Lenses, How to Use Your Camera, Light and the Photographer, and Digital Cameras.
Adobe Photoshop CC – The Complete Beginners Guide – Photo editing is just as important as the actual photo shoot. Editing defines the mood of the photograph and enhances the overall message that a photo is supposed to deliver. Up your skills with this free course by Adobe Know How. Having photo editing skills can open many doors.
Channel 9 Web Development – If you are interested in a career in web design, go check out Channel 9 Web Development. This website offers a course for beginners wanting to learn web design. The course is presented online in a series of 21 videos of 30 minutes long in length. You will only be able to move on to the next lesson if you can master the basics of the lesson before. At the end of the course, you should be able to create a very good website.
Yousician – Yousician is an interactive music service that allows you to learn and play a musical instrument. The website supports the guitar, piano, ukulele and bass. The site offers easy step by step tutorials and proves exercises based on your performance level. Starting a band has never been easier.
Developing Android Apps – Android Fundamentals – Google and Udacity have teamed up to launch a free crash course in Android development. This course covers theory as well as practice to teach you how to build great apps in a jiffy. The course has step-by-step instructions to teach you how to build a cloud-connected Android app. You will also learn the best practices of mobile development, mainly focussing on Android development.
DuDuolingo – Knowing an additional language can open a world of job opportunities and at the same time establish meaningful connections and be the start of possible cross-cultural friendships. Whether you want to learn a new language from scratch or just want to brush up on your French skills, this site is ideal.
Blender – Animation is everywhere, whether it is in a movie, a TV commercial or business presentation. It will be definitely worth your while to master this skill. Blender is a 3D animation software that can be used to create amazing 3D images and animate them. The best of all is that the software is free and so are the courses. So if you are interested in a career in animation, be sure to check out this site.
Alison.com’s Sketchup course – Do you want to become the next most sought after architect? Get a headstart with yet another awesome program that is completely free to download. The good news is that some architect firms actually recognises Sketchup as a valid 2D plan drawing tool. A free course, plus a free software! Isn’t that cool?
Music Technology Foundations by EDX – All features and materials may not be available as this is the free version of the course. EdX keeps courses open for enrollment after the end to allow learners to explore content and continue learning. The course offers history, theory and practice of music technology, Sound, audio, MIDI, effects and sequencing. It also entails hands-on practice with music-making using contemporary digital tools

So, what are you waiting for? Information has never been this easily accessible We need to grasp every opportunity to learn with both hands. The world (or should I say web) is definitely your oyster! There are numerous free and low-cost websites and apps available on the Internet. The list above is only but to name a few. It is also worth to mention that Youtube also offers thousands of video tutorials on a wide variety of topics. To find out about more great opportunities and events for young people, feel free to sign up to our newsletter.

The GT Scholars programme wants to help young people aged 11-16 to achieve excellent grades and reach their future goals. If you’re interested, you’ll need to register your interest or give us a call on 020 881 68066.

12 Things You Can Do to Breathe More Life into Your CV or Personal Statement

by GT Scholars Young people

The saying goes: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That is why a great CV or personal statement is extremely important. It represents who you are and will be responsible for deciding whether a potential interview is on the horizon.

An employer often has to search through hundreds of CVs to find the best candidate for the post that needs to be filled. Often an employer is pressed for time, so a CV that does not impress at first glance could be quickly rejected.

This can make creating a CV to be a daunting task. Applicants usually endlessly ponder questions such as “How could I make my CV or personal statement stand out from the crowd?” or “How could I prevent my CV from being overlooked and not being added to the pile of unsuccessful applications?”

To answer some of these questions, here are 12 things that you can do to breathe more life into your CV or personal statement:

1. Make it readable and pay attention to the layout:

First and foremost, you want to make your CV readable. Information provided must be to the point and quick to read. This will make it easy for your potential employer or the dean of admissions to find information and navigate to different sections of your CV.

2. Make use of a professional resource:

GT Scholars is an excellent example of an organisation assisting young scholars through mentorships and workshops. Outstanding guidance for putting a good CV together is essential if you are unsure what to do. You could also gain significant helpful experience when entering the professional world.

3. Adapt your CV to the role:

Try and stray from a generic CV. This does not mean you must write a new CV for every position you want to apply for. Add a few details to your CV to be more prominent to a recruiter. This applies even more to a personal statement, as you want to ensure that the most suitable qualities stand out. Read our blog here on extra-curricular activities that will boost your CV.

4. The importance of the first three words:

In writing, it is believed that the first three words and the last three words in a written piece are what people remember most. IApplyingthe same principle when writing bullet points in your CV makes sense because employers do not read the whole document word for word.

5. Pay attention to buzzwords:

Try to avoid words that have been overused. These words have lost their charm and, most of the time will have lost their meaning to the recruiter as they most probably read many CVs and personal statements with the same word choice. Check out this post on LinkedIn for the buzzwords to avoid in 2017.

6. Let who you are shine through:

Your statement should reflect clues about your personality. More often than not an employer will interview a potential candidate because he might have read something that interested him other than your professional achievements and experience. This can be anything from a sport, a book, or a volunteer activity that could be of mutual interest.

7. Be aware of the CV length:

An unspoken rule is that a CV should never exceed 2-3 pages. Try to keep your CV short but also not too short. Having a CV with 4 or more pages can result in important information not being read.

8. Pay attention to font and size:

Always pay attention to the font and size of your CV and personal statement. Ensure that it has the same font and size throughout the document. Use bold, italics and underlined words but be careful not to go overboard. Never make your font size below 10 points.

9. Good presentation goes a long way:

There is more to presentation than having the perfect layout, length and font size. A dash of colour or a well-placed border can make your CV stand out from the rest and might be as good as a breath of fresh air, giving the recruiter something appealing to look at for a change.

10. Name your file:

Rename your CV file for each position you apply for via email or online. You can rename the file using your name and job title followed by ‘CV’. It will draw the recruiter’s attention, and they will be able to find your job application more accessible.

11. Trim the excess:

Do not waste time and space listing every achievement or position you have ever had. The recruiter will only be interested in reading information relevant to the work that needs to be filled.

12. Keywords are very important:

It should come as no surprise that in today’s day and age, your CV might be read by a software programme before it is even submitted to a human. These programs are designed to look for words and phrases related to the job specifications or relevant industry. Ensure you search and add keywords to your statement or CV.

You might feel that landing an interview will take forever, but by using these steps, you can improve your chances. We hope that you find these tips helpful and that they will boost your confidence when sending your CV.

GT Scholars can provide you with an experienced mentor to help you write your CV and personal statement and apply for a new job or university acceptance. Feel free to contact us to find out what other opportunities and events we host for young people.

7 Ways to Prepare For an Interview

by GT Scholars Young people

There are many times in life when you will find yourself needing to prepare for an interview. It could be your sixth-form college, university, or job interviews. So preparing yourself for an interview is a valuable and important skill to always have.

Interviews are notoriously difficult to prepare for. Some organisations and companies are kind enough to tell you exactly how or what to prepare, but most places will not do this for you. The whole point of the interview is for them to see how you think, apply your skills and talents, or react to a situation or scenario. They want to make sure that you will be an asset and a good fit for their college, university or company.

Your aim for the interview is to convince the recruiters that you have the skills, knowledge and experience for the job while also showing them that you fit the organisation’s culture and work ethic. Here are seven valuable ways that you can prepare yourself to reach this aim:

Do your research about the college, university or company:

The recruiters need to know that you are interested in their organisation and not just using them for your gain. They might ask you direct questions about their organisation, or they might ask you more indirect questions. You need to do enough research about the organisation beforehand to make sure you can answer their questions well. Visit the organisation’s website to ensure you understand what they do, their background and mission statement, and the courses or products. You can also get more perspective about the organisation by reading about them in news or trade publications.

Compare your skills and qualifications to the entrance, course or job requirements:

Thoroughly analyse the entrance requirements or job description and outline the knowledge, skills or abilities they list. Ensure that you are suitable for the organisation and that your qualifications match or better what they seek. If they list a particular skill, they may want you to demonstrate if you know how to do it, so you should ensure that you have the skill and are well-practised.

Prepare responses to commonly asked questions:

Most interviews have a set list of questions they are sure to ask, such as your strengths and weaknesses, academic or career goals, etc. You should prepare your responses to questions like these beforehand to answer them quickly. You should also understand that there are different ways to ask the same question; for example, they could ask you about your qualities that are useful to their organisation instead of your strengths. These questions can be answered almost the same way, so ensure you can identify that.

Plan what you are going to wear:

Your appearance is your first impression, so you should ensure they do not rule you out before you even tell them about you. Be sure that your overall appearance is neat and clean. It is best to dress smartly in neutral colours, with your clothes clean and ironed and your hair combed and out of your face.

Prepare what you need to take to the interview:

You should plan what you need to take to the interview to look prepared. Some organisations will tell you what they want you to bring to the discussion. Still, if not, then you should take the following: at least one copy of your transcripts or CV on quality paper, a notepad or professional binder and pen, a list of references, the information you might need to complete an application, and a portfolio with samples of your work if relevant.

Understand and pay attention to nonverbal communication:

Nonverbal communication speaks volumes and dramatically influences your impression and your interview. As you walk into the building, ensure you are mindful of your nonverbal communication, even in the waiting room. Show that you are confident but do not appear arrogant. Smile, establish eye contact and use a firm handshake. Sit well and be aware of nervous movements such as tapping your foot. Maintain good eye contact while answering questions – do not look around too much, as this will make you seem inattentive. Be aware of your facial expressions and reactions, and keep adverse reactions internalised. At the same time, do not appear too fake or rigid. Be comfortable and self-assured.

Prepare questions that you can ask them at the end of the interview:

Interviews usually end with an opportunity for you to ask questions or clarify any queries. Be strategic with questioning and ask questions about information not discussed in the discussion or found on the organisation’s website. For example, what are the most important criteria for success in this job, how will your performance be evaluated, or what is the next step in the hiring process? Using your prior research, you can develop a list of insightful questions.
This will both impress them and provide you with helpful information.

The interview process may seem daunting and challenging. Still, as you can see, with the proper preparation and prior knowledge, you can display your best qualities for any potential sixth-form college, university or employer.

GT Scholars is a social enterprise that provides tutoring, mentoring and enrichment to young people from various backgrounds. Contact us to find out how we can provide you with a knowledgeable mentor or insightful course to help you prepare for interviews.

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