Jessica took part in the bp Student Tutoring Scheme and tutored in Kinellar Primary School over the course of eight weeks in January to March 2025. Here she tells us about her experience.
"As part of the scheme, you must complete 8 weeks in your school, doing one half day per week. Typically, I would assist the teacher with what they had planned and help out where I was needed but I also worked closely with pupils one-on-one, supporting some of the children who were struggling with certain tasks and interacted with smaller groups to work on different maths problems or read together.
After my 8 weeks on the scheme was up, I chose to continue helping out and stayed with the school for another 5 weeks. The experience helped me to develop organisational skills, time management and social skills which I will continue to use in my future career.
One of the highlights of my experience was attending the whole school performance which was based on space. The children had been practicing so hard for it in the weeks I was with them, so I felt very lucky being able to go and watch it and see all their hard work pay off.
This experience has influenced my careers plans as although this was such an amazing experience and I was very grateful to be a tutor, I learned that working with children was not something I wanted to do in the long run. With that in mind, this scheme did help me realise that although I may not want to work with kids in the future, I do really enjoy helping others.
After I finish my degree I would like to become a psychologist within the NHS, helping others who may need it. Extra-curricular activities like this are great to get a better understanding of what you want to do in the future, and I am excited to try more opportunities in different areas of work to help me understand more specifically what I would like to do once I finish my degree.
The bp Student Tutoring Scheme is that it is a great opportunity to get a feel for what it is like to work with children and young people. I always thought doing psychology that I would want to become an educational psychologist, however after this scheme I realised that this wasn’t the path for me. I loved my placement so much and loved the children and the class I was given however I don’t think I could see myself doing this as a long-term job. I am glad that I did the bp Student Tutoring Scheme to help me know that. And even if you do not want to work with children in the future, it is a great opportunity to help out in the community."
The bp Student Tutoring Scheme opens for applications every October. Find out more about the scheme at bp Student Tutoring Scheme | Careers and Employability Service | The University of Aberdeen
