Tutor Doctor tutor wins national award

A Berkshire woman has won a national tutoring award that recognises outstanding commitment and the profound difference made in student’s lives.

Now in their 6th year, the Tutor of the Year Awards are run by global education specialist, Tutor Doctor. National finalists are first nominated by students and their families and the winner is then decided by the brand’s CEO and renown education professional, Frank Milner.

Judi Vincent, who has lived in Reading for over 30 years, has been a tutor with the Berkshire office of the in-home tutoring company since April 2019. After being nominated by many local students and their families, Judi was crowned National Tutor of the Year on 27th February.

On receiving her award Judi said:

“My teaching is massively important to me so winning this award means the absolute world. It’s truly wonderful to be recognised in this way because there’s a lot of bespoke, behind the scenes work that goes on; the one-to-one sessions are actually the tip of a very big iceberg.

What I love most about being a tutor is being able to teach holistically. Working one to one means that I can deliver completely customised lessons that fit with a student’s individual needs – not only their academic strengths and weaknesses but also their personality and learning style, any health issues, learning differences such as autism, as well as their school and life experiences.

I come from a teaching background where clearly, that’s not possible. The results are always incredibly rewarding. Seeing an anxious student lacking in confidence reaching for their goals and enjoying their learning is amazing. It just doesn’t get better than that.”

Husband and wife team, Mark and Joanna Butler, have owned and operated Tutor Doctor Berkshire since 2014. Mark said he was thrilled for Judi and thanked her for the dedication and passion she shows when working with local students of all ages and ability.

“We’re so proud of Judi, she is a huge asset to the team and thoroughly deserves this award. As well as tutoring students for things like primary, entrance and 11+ exams, Judi also supports children who are not able to attend full-time education due to complex educational and medical needs. She always goes the extra mile to support those she works with. Her calm, gentle nature allows her students to feel truly comfortable in her presence which has a massive impact on them being able to reach their goals.”

Amidst the ever-evolving coronavirus outbreak, Tutor Doctor is still able to support students in the region thanks to the brands’ bespoke online learning platform. Completely replacing the need for in-person sessions, the online tuition now being provided by Judi and her fellow tutors is proving to be both a vital resource and a welcome relief for parents.

“Everything we do now is online,” says Judi. “It’s a different way of delivering lessons and incredibly effective. The platform is very versatile and easy to use, you can do absolutely anything on it, including recording and playback of sessions for revision and sharing with parents. It’s essential during this period of disruption that students can continue with their education. Being able to offer stability and a continuation of routine is really important too and is helping to reduce some of the stress that families are feeling.”

After being crowned the winner from nearly 200 tutors, Judi now goes forward as a finalist in the Global Tutor of the Year Awards which will take place later this year. The global winner will receive a prize fund of £1,500 as well as the prestigious title of Global Tutor of the Year.

“I’m so excited to be in the running for the global title. At the beginning, after I found out I was nominated in the UK, it all just seemed to happen in the background, and I didn’t think about it too much – I was too busy! I still can’t quite believe I won the national award, let alone might win the global one. That would be fantastic.”