John Mills

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Feelings of youth from fitness

Kyle, Personal Fitness, UK: Working with older people and helping their fitness is my specialty. Recently, I was booked to help an older lady after a knee surgery. Her strength and mobility were affected massively. In 4 months of us working together, she improved her functional movements and told me

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Trigonometry from a different angle

Ryan, Maths, UK: I have a tutee who was struggling in maths, he was completely misapplying SohCahToa in trigonometry, and it was affecting his overall preparation for his GCSE. After a few sessions, providing him with more practice and even making SohCahToa into a sort of chant to help him

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How tutoring can change your life

Tutoring has become an increasingly popular career choice for individuals looking to make a difference in the lives of others. The impact that tutors can have on their students can be truly transformative, and the benefits of a career in tutoring extend beyond just the students themselves. In this article,

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Spelling success

Marie, English, UK: I tutor mainly students with learning disabilities. Last year, in preparation for SATs, I was asked to tutor a student who was struggling with spelling about 6 weeks before the exams. She would get 5, at most, out of 20 in any spelling test. After an honest

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — A great hit for a beginner

Dean, Boxing, UK: During a beginners class with a fair amount of students new to boxing, I was teaching students how to throw a hook punch. One of the students accidentally punched me in the arm instead of the pad. To help lighten the mood, I pretended to be hurt

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5 tips if you have constant tutoring session cancellations

We understand that as a tutor, you put a lot of effort into preparing for your sessions with students. It can be frustrating when those sessions get canceled which leaves you with an open time slot. We understand that sometimes, as a tutor, you have to cancel your session too.

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Work it out

Brian, Personal Trainer, UK: One of my clients had struggled with her weight for years and had tried every diet and workout plan out there with little success. However, with my help, she was able to develop a sustainable workout routine and healthy eating habits. After several months of hard

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Yoga and mental health

Leah, Yoga, UK: A man who had been dealing with anxiety and depression for years began attending my class recommended by his therapist. At first, he was sceptical, but he found that the mindfulness practices and physical movements helped him feel more present and grounded. He began to experience more

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Pros and cons of tutoring as a career

Tutoring is a popular choice for many people looking to earn extra income or start a new career. While the demand for tutoring services is high, and the potential earnings can be significant, it's important to weigh the pros and cons of this career path before making a decision. In

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Dog Sessions

Michael, English, USA: During a session, a student's dog kept jumping up on the table and trying to eat my pen. The student kept apologizing and trying to shoo the dog away, but I thought it was hilarious and ended up playing with the dog for a few minutes before

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Unexpected Guest

Andrew, Maths, UK: One time, in the first class after lunch, a small bird flew into the classroom and started to fly around, causing chaos and laughter among the students. I managed to catch the bird and release it outside, but not before everyone in the classroom had taken a

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5 reasons to become a tutor

We often speak about how tutoring is a rewarding career, and so we decided to put together 5 reasons why tutoring is a rewarding career. This is from the benefit of hindsight, with tutors telling us how much tutoring has meant to them. 1. Seeing students succeed - Many tutors

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Barbershop Reunion

Thomas, English, USA: I went to the barber last week and a former student had the pleasure of cutting my hair and giving me a shave. He reminded me about a time I put him in detention, and he then kept making jokes about Sweeney Todd while holding the straight

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Science Experiment Gone Wrong

David, Science, UK: In a lab class, I was conducting an experiment involving dry ice. One of the students accidentally spilled some of the dry ice on the floor, causing it to make a loud noise and create a large cloud of smoke. I had been talking to the class

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5 tips on negotiating your tutoring price

Negotiating your price as a tutor can be a delicate process, but with the right approach, it can be done successfully. Here are some tips to help you negotiate your price as a tutor: 1. Know your worth: Before you start negotiating your price, it's important to know your worth.

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Classroom DJ

Annabel, Primary Teacher, UK: One day, I came into my classroom to find one of my students had set up a small speaker and was playing music quietly in the corner of the room. The student had become the "classroom DJ," and soon everyone was tapping their feet and singing

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Tips to managing a difficult student

It is an inevitability when you're in a people focused business, that at some point you will encounter a relationship in tutoring which will be difficult. This can be for a numerous amount of reasons. Note that dealing with a difficult student can be challenging for any tutor, regardless of

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Explaining inflation

Priscilla, Economics, UK: I was talking about inflation with my A-Level students, so I googled ‘cost of coke in 2019’ to prove a point. It did not go well and I will use a different drink as an example in future!

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Selfies at the ready

Susan, English, USA: A student messaged me on Teams saying they were struggling with the class assignment. I asked her to ‘send me a photo’ and I’d help her out. She sent me a selfie in response. Having to write ‘of the work’ in response has given me a

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6 tips for finding tutees for your tutoring business

As a private tutor, finding tutees to work with can be a challenging task. However, with the right approach, it can be a fulfilling and lucrative profession. In this post, to help you get started, we will explore some of the best ways to find tutees to tutor privately on

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Nap times at worst times

Joseph, Maths, UK: During lockdown, I was tutoring a group on Teams and one student fell asleep. How do I know? With her camera and mic off, I asked her to answer a question. No response. I sent her a direct message. No response. I carried on the lesson and

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Body Shaming Acids

David, Science, UK: "Was teaching about fatty acids and a student shouted out that the language was body-shaming. Always makes me chuckle on a bad day."

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Lesson reviews - New feature and it's importance

A lesson review can be a helpful measurement to look at performance, engagement and understanding in regards to the tutee, as well as a means to ensure that the tutor knows how the tutee is responding to their learning techniques by also leaving them a review too. One means of

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — Of Mice and Men Memories

Julie, English, UK: "We were watching Of Mice and Men’s film adaptation and at the end of the film, when George shoots Lenny, the whole class went silent from shock. A moment later, while I went to turn the film off and the lights back on, two troublemakers looked

Stories from your Classrooms

STORIES — A yoga class to remember

Adrienne, Yoga, UK: "I make it a point to help my students relax when doing certain poses, like a shoulder rub or quick neck rub while in child’s pose. Doing this once in a group session, a first timer, bless him, farted when I gave him a quick shoulder