Volunteer with us
Sign up as a volunteer with The Access Project to help a high potential, under-resourced young person beat the odds and get into a top university.
Volunteer coaches
Our volunteer coaches mentor students and help them prepare for higher education and the world of work by developing essential, transferable skills.
Through monthly one-to-one sessions, mentoring helps our young people build their communication, problem solving, collaboration and organisational skills.
Become a coach today and inspire a young person to succeed in school and beyond.
Volunteer tutors
Tutoring is an impactful way to make a difference and pay forward your experience.
Help a young person aged 14-16 to raise their GCSE grades in weekly one-to-one online tuition sessions in a subject of your choice, enabling them to grow in confidence, raise their aspirations and achieve their full potential.
What’s more, no previous experience is needed and we offer full training and ongoing support.
“I have definitely become more confident in myself and my abilities. It’s kind of like public speaking, the more you do it the less daunting it becomes and it’s now something I look forward to every week. It’s an amazing feeling to know you’ve helped someone. I would recommend it to anyone”.
Milly, volunteer tutor at The Access Project and student at the University of Manchester
Why should I volunteer?
Volunteers have never been more needed. The most under-resourced young people in England are three times less likely to go to a top university in comparison to their peers from more privileged backgrounds. Inequality in the UK’s education system continues to grow amidst the cost of living crisis.
91% of our students come from the most under-resourced backgrounds. This means they may come from lower income families, qualify for free school meals and pupil premium plans, and have no family history of attending university.
The Access Project relies on volunteers to fulfil our mission of supporting young people to attend top universities and achieve social mobility. We’re lucky to have over 1,000 volunteer tutors and coaches based all over the country. Many volunteer tutors have used tutoring to grow their skills, while others see it as an opportunity to give back to a good cause. Our volunteer coaches share their skills and experience with the young people on our programmes.
As a volunteer, you’ll get dedicated support from our staff team at The Access Project, and you’ll feel an immense sense of reward as you help a young person learn and grow.
Sonia is one of more than 1,000 volunteers helping to transform young peoples’ lives. She volunteers for one hour per week, tutoring history. “It is extremely rewarding to be able to teach something that you specialise in”, she said. “It has been a wonderful experience”.
Our volunteers
of our volunteers would recommend The Access Project to somebody they know
of volunteers believe they are making a positive impact on students
of volunteer tutors said their subject knowledge has improved
Meet our students
As a volunteer, you’ll support some of the country’s most under-resourced young people unlock their potential and place at top universities.
Waleed spent two years living along after losing two members of his family, facing extra challenges in sixth form.
He joined The Access Project when he was in year 12. “It was beyond anything I expected”, Waleed said. “I got help with everything from my personal statement to enrichment opportunities.”
Waleed is now studying Accounting and Finance at the London School of Economics. “The Access Project was the number one reason why I got into university.”
Sign up to volunteer and you’ll help students like Waleed achieve their dreams.
“I’m really enjoying working with The Access Project so far. I’m looking forward to continuing to work with my coach and seeing how it helps me achieve my goals”.
Redeemed, Year 13 student on our Accelerate programme at Corby Technical School
Frequently asked questions
Why does The Access Project exist?
Under-resourced young people are three times less likely to go to university in comparison to more advantaged students, according to the Department for Education.
This access gap prevents talented and ambitious young people from being able to achieve their potential. We want every student to have a better chance of accessing a top university and thriving in a career of their choice in the future. We are now working in 40 schools across London, West Midlands, East Midlands, West Yorkshire and the North West to help achieve this mission.
Where does The Access Project operate?
We work with 40 schools across London, West Midlands, East Midlands, West Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire supporting almost 2,000 students. Volunteer tuition and coaching is delivered online via our online tuition platform, so volunteers can be based anywhere in the UK.
How do I help?
As a volunteer tutor, you’ll be tutoring a 14 to 16-year-old student. You will support them to achieve their potential in one of their GCSE subjects. In a weekly tutorial session, you will address the topics that they and their teacher think would be most helpful for them.
As a volunteer coach, you will coach a 16-18 year old. In a monthly coaching session, you will support them to develop their problem solving, collaboration, communication and planning skills. You will also help them develop key skills which will enable them to successfully transition to university and into the next stages of their life.
What’s in it for me?
This programme is a unique opportunity to pay forward your experiences and inspire the next generation of young people. You will benefit from an opportunity to be a positive role model, gain transferable skills, gain an accredited safeguarding qualification and receive recognition for your volunteering hours (for use in awards etc.).
Where and when will I meet my student?
All volunteering will be delivered online through our dedicated online platform. This way our volunteers and students can continue working together despite geographical distance or logistical restrictions.
We advise volunteers to hold sessions on weekdays, starting no later than 6:30pm.
What qualifications do I need?
To volunteer as a tutor, you need to be educated to a degree level or currently be studying for a degree.
You can tutor any subject you have studied at A level, undergraduate level or equivalent.
You can also tutor a subject if your degree is in a related field (for example, you can tutor English if you studied Law).
To volunteer as a coach, we ask that you have at least three years of professional or life experience.
Can I apply if I don’t have a degree?
We ask for all volunteer tutors to be currently studying for an undergraduate degree, or be graduates. As so much of the tuition programme is focussed on university entry, we feel that having this experience is really important for our tutors. We won’t be able to accept your application if you are currently on a gap-year, but we’d love to hear from you once you start your university course!
If you have questions or would like to discuss your suitability, we’d love to hear from you at volunteering@theaccessproject.org.uk
You don’t need a degree to apply to be a volunteer coach.
Can I volunteer if I don’t live in the UK?
At this time, we can’t accept applications from volunteers who live outside the UK. We need all our tutors to have a DBS certificate, for which you need to have lived in the UK for at least three months. We would love to hear from you again if you move to the UK in the future.
Can I volunteer if my degree or experience isn’t from the UK?
If you gained your degree outside of the UK and it is a comparable level to a UK undergraduate degree, we would very much welcome you as a tutor.
We also welcome coaches who gained their professional experience outside the UK.
One in 10 of our volunteers gained their degree and/or experience outside the UK. Please note that we also ask that volunteer tutors are able to clearly communicate with their students in spoken and written English.
When can I apply?
You can apply at any point during the year, but tutoring takes place between September and July and coaching takes place from January and June. We train the majority of our volunteers in the summer and autumn.
How does online volunteering work?
You’ll use our dedicated online platform so that your sessions can be engaging and interactive whilst keeping you and your student safe.
You’ll be able to talk with and see your student using your webcam, share documents and work collaboratively using a virtual whiteboard.
We offer training to ensure that you and your student are both comfortable using the platform. We also provide students with any hardware they need to make the most of online sessions.
Do I need specific equipment to volunteer online?
Our dedicated online volunteering platform can be accessed via your internet browser and we will provide you with complete user guides, access to webinars and more information at your training session.
We recommend you have the following to be able to volunteer online:
- Access to a PC, laptop or tablet
- A stable internet connection
- Familiarity with video chat or online conferencing platforms, and how to share documents online
- A quiet space without distractions (you may wish to use headphones)
- Google Chrome as your browser for optimal experience
Our dedicated team will be on hand to support you with any questions or issues.
What subjects can I tutor in?
Tutors will work with students to raise grades in one of the following GCSE subjects:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- English
- French
- Geography
- History
- Maths
- Physics
- Spanish
We currently have a high demand for English, Maths and Science tutors.
Coaches will work with students to develop life skills such as communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration.
How much time does it take?
You’ll need to be able to tutor for an hour a week during the school academic year (starting between September-November until July). We also recommend that you plan for at least 30 minutes of preparation time ahead of each tutorial.
You’ll need to be able to coach for an hour a month for six months, between January to June. We recommend you plan for an hour’s preparation and reflection time ahead of each coaching session.
We recognise holidays and illness mean sometimes you will have to postpone a session.
Will I get any training?
We’ll make sure that you’ve got all the training, resources and support you need to feel confident before starting volunteering. We don’t expect you to come with any prior tutoring or coaching experience – our support provides you with the foundations you need to excel in these roles.
You’ll complete a (CPD accredited) Safeguarding Children course and we will also invite you to attend our online training.
We’ll guide you through session planning, show you where you can find resources and share tips to make your sessions fun, engaging and effective. You’ll also benefit from guidance from the student’s teacher as well as a member of The Access Project team who works directly with the young people in their schools.
How do I get started?
It’s really easy to get started. All you need to do is fill in our sign-up form online and tell us a bit about your education, your reasons for volunteering and give details of two character references. We’ll guide you through the rest from there, which includes:
- Completing our online safeguarding course – you will receive a CPD accredited certificate for this
- Attending a 2 and a half hour online training session with our friendly team
- Completing a DBS check, organised by us
If you have any further questions, reach out to our volunteering team via email at volunteering@theaccessproject.org.uk.
Contact us
Contact information
The Access Project,
Canopi,
82 Tanner Street,
London,
SE1 3GN
020 4513 5999
info@theaccessproject.org.uk
Media enquiries line: 07767 100582
media@theaccessproject.org.uk
The Access Project safeguarding line: 020 4513 5999 (available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm)
NSPCC helpline (visit the NSPCC website for up to date opening hours): 0808 800 5000 help@nspcc.org.uk