Education is of paramount importance when it comes to imparting knowledge into people.
It gives us a perspective to life and teaches people how to tell what’s right or wrong.
Despite the importance education holds, not everyone is fortunate enough to have access to it…
Even for a developed country like Singapore.
Thankfully, there is a way for the less fortunate in Singapore to have access to education without having to pay a dime.
Today I’m going to talk about Volunteer Tuition.
What is Volunteer Tuition
Volunteer Tuition is a form of voluntary work where you act as a tutor for students who are less fortunate.
When you volunteer as a tutor, you’re there to give the less fortunate an access to education.
By giving them access, you’ll also provide a platform for them to realise and grow their potential.
Benefits of Volunteering as a Tutor
As most of you may know, you don’t get paid for the work you’ve done, everything comes from the bottom of your heart.
However, there are still several benefits of volunteering as a tutor!
1) Giving Chances
When you volunteer to tutor and teach the less fortunate students in Singapore, you’re providing them access to education.
Every child has potential.
Some even have the potential to change the world in the future if given a chance.
The less fortunate students often lack the resources for them to grow and realise their potential.
Hence, when volunteering as a tutor, you’re giving them a chance to learn, study, and grow like the more fortunate students.
2) Influencing Others
Every action you take when volunteering makes a big difference for the lives of the less fortunate.
Your compassion may influence other like-minded people to volunteer as tutors, this means there will be more people to cater to the less fortunate students.
There will also be a chance that you inspire some of the less fortunate students to do voluntary work and give back to the community.
In the end, it becomes a cycle of good deeds!
3) Personal Development
Many volunteers tend to unlock a new perspective on life when they start volunteering.
They start to realise how fortunate and blessed they actually are.
This realisation can positively change your behaviour.
You might feel that as someone who is blessed and fortunate, you have a duty to give back to the community and uplift the lives of those who are in need.
With this positive attitude, it makes it easier for you to find happiness and be content with life.
4) Up Your Portfolio
If you’re a tutor or aspiring to be one, your voluntary work as a volunteer tutor can add value to your portfolio.
It gives you experience in teaching all kinds of people from different walks of life.
When you have a wealth of teaching experience as a tutor, it significantly increases the chances of you getting hired.
Before you know it, you’ll be every student’s dream tutor.
Qualities to Have as a Volunteer Tutor
There’s a list of qualities you need to possess if you want to volunteer as a tutor such as,
1) Compassion
As mentioned above, you won’t be getting paid for the work you’re going to do as a volunteer.
Everything comes from the bottom of your heart.
You need to be passionate about teaching and giving back to society.
This way, you’ll find it more enjoyable to be a volunteer tutor.
2) Patient & Resilience
Teaching is no simple task.
It takes a lot of patience and resilience to be a tutor.
You’ll most likely be teaching large group of students and children tend to have a shorter attention span.
You need to be patient and allow your students to settle down instead of scolding them each time they start to lose focus.
Teaching is also not something that can be done in a short period of time.
Some students require more time to grasp concepts, which means you have to repeat time and time again.
Without patience and resilience, it wouldn’t be long before you start dreading to be a tutor.
3) Well-organised
We all know what it’s like to be unorganised. It severely lowers our level of productivity.
Same goes to teaching, if you don’t organise and plan your lessons, you won’t be able to give effective lessons.
It’s always better to have well-planned and organised lessons than messy ones.
Places to Volunteer as a Tutor
Now that you know the benefits and qualities to have as a volunteer tutor, you must be wondering where you can volunteer.
1) Children’s Wishing Well (CWW)
CWW is a place that offers a wide range of services to the less fortunate children and teenagers in Singapore.
CWW’s aim is to support the young ones in their educational and daily needs so they have a chance of escaping the poverty trap in the future.
CWW is looking for volunteers who can coach children and youths in their studies and homework, and bring them on learning journeys.
If you’re interested to find out more, click on this link.
2) Scholars Academy (SA)
SA believes that learning and tuition are always needed.
Because of their background, many children are unable to attend school and fall behind in school work.
Hence SA is looking for qualified volunteer tutors who are able to coach these students.
If you’re interested to find out more, click on this link.
3) Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC)
CDAC is a non-profit group that targets the chinese community in Singapore.
They have various volunteering programmes such as Supervised Homework Group, Project YOUth Can Shine, and kidsREAD that you can volunteer in as a tutor to supervise and guide students in their studies.
If you’re interested to find out more, click on this link.
Conclusion
You don’t choose life, you live one.
The choices you make alter how you live, and what better way to live life than to live a meaningful one.
Giving back to society and impacting the lives of the less fortunate is one of the most meaningful things you can do.
Start volunteering now and make the most of what you’re given!
Here are some related articles you might want to read:
10 Best Free Tutoring Resources for Singapore Tutors
10 Podcasts that will Help You Improve as a Tutor – SmileTutor
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