To see this article on Guardian’s Website click here:

 The dream may be to walk straight into a permanent lecturer post, but for many this is unrealistic. Zara Dinnen talks about her experience of working as a school PhD tutor

The academic dream may be to walk straight from a PhD into a permanent lecturer post, but the reality is that many PhD students and early career researchers (ECRs) find themselves looking outside universities for work.

In the final year of my PhD a colleague emailed me about The Brilliant Club (TBC), a non-profit organisation that helps to widen access to top universities for outstanding pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

As a PhD tutor at TBC, you go into secondary schools to deliver university-style tutorials to small groups of primary and secondary school pupils. You accompany students on university trips and talk to them about the university experience as a whole. Throughout the programme, you’re trained, supported and encouraged to feel engaged in the working practices of the organisation.

Walking into the offices for an interview to be a PhD tutor was disorientating: all that pep, all those positive words (brilliant, first, more), the brightly coloured chairs, and meeting rooms named ‘commitment’, ‘integrity’ and ‘excellence’. Both the universities I currently work at have Costa outlets, replete with not-quite-neon-meant-to-be-enticing-actually-awkward-shaped seating, so it wasn’t the space that felt different. The disorientation I felt had more to do with committing to something that might practice what I think: the importance of open access to research and teaching.

The work to widen access to universities should start early in an academic career; it should be an attitude and approach expected of those working in universities from the outset. But it is not always easy to focus on where future students are coming from and who they are, if you are constantly worrying about how to get a salaried academic post.

The experience of being a PhD tutor was, for me, an enjoyable, productive, proactive way to develop skills and earn some money. In the arts and humanities, the options for earning money outside of your PhD, while trying not to stray too far from academia, are limited: they are mostly administrative or assistant posts in research centres, someone else’s funded project, or private tutoring. As my option was mainly the latter, earning money and contributing to TBC seemed positive.

As a recent debate on the Guardian Higher Network suggests, universities are facing continued calls to evaluate their teaching methods. Adding another pedagogical string to your teaching bow is challenging but useful; it complemented the training I had already received and strengthened my own approach to teaching undergraduates.

The leap from school to university is big. As most PhD students and ECRs find themselves teaching first year undergraduates, it makes sense that their training better reflects the recent learning experience of those students. You feel more able to address first years having been a) inside a school or college since leaving your own, and b) given an introduction to the teaching methods that have informed their learning so far.

The experience I had of working for TBC was of a constructive approach to issues that matter to universities: widening access; experimenting with teaching methodologies; forging connections outside the academy. For others, it offers an alternative to academia for post-PhD life.

In a higher education climate that increasingly values innovative teaching and demands more wide-reaching experience of its new recruits, this could prove an innovative way forward for all.

Zara Dinnen is a researcher and visiting lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London and the University of Roehampton – follow her on Twitter @zara_dinnen

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Posted by admin: 25.03.12

We were delighted to recently read the following blog from one of our KS5 pupils…

‘I had the great opportunity to be part of the Brilliant Club which boosted my confidence and essay writing skills. I had one and a half hour sessions with Liz (my PhD tutor) every week for few months where I learnt how to write a university style essay. At the end, I submitted my essay based on the ‘neurobiology of depression’, and secured a first class mark (72%). When I mentioned about the essay in my interview at Manchester University, they were impressed and gave me an offer straight after the interview. On the programme I had a chance to visit both Sussex and Oxford University as part of the launch and graduation. I would like to thank Brilliant Club for helping me reach my potential but also for giving the opportunity to be part of the amazing scheme they run. Thank You!’

- Ayshath Fasmeena 

Posted by guest blogger: John Cronin, Education Associate at Enabling Enterprise: 30.01.12

10% rise in the proportion of disadvantaged students going to the best universities this year.

It was a positive sign when it was announced in December that the poorest 18 year olds in society have managed to increase their number at the best universities in the country. The access gap between the most advantaged and most disadvantaged had until this surprise announcement been seen as ever widening. In 2010 the Sutton Trust reported that only 16% of students on free school meals went onto university compared to 96% from independent schools. Could it be then, that finally the tide is turning and if so why?

The wealth gap

The narrowed access gap that the report suggests seems to contradict the perception that the wealth gap is widening. The facts back this perception up; over the last 10 years, the richest 10% have seen a real net income increase of 38% compared to the bottom 10% seen a real net income decrease of 12%. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. So how are more disadvantaged young people managing to go to university?

If the access gap is finally narrowing then perhaps some young people who previously didn’t get the grades for the best universities and best jobs or believed they were not for them, now are getting the grades and do have the confidence to make it. According to the Office for Fair Access (OfFA), who celebrated the figures from today’s report, this is about more being done to ‘raise aspirations and academic achievement’. Universities, schools and businesses are making a difference to students. Over the past four years, here at Enabling Enterprise we have seen, first hand, how the schools and businesses we work with will time and time again impact on their aspirations.

The role of aspirations

Take Park View School in Birmingham, for example: Their term-long after-school English enterprise project involved them combining their literacy and enterprising skills to come up with brand new school publications including ‘The Student’ and ‘PK View 4 U’, packed with news, gossip and special features. By the time the students arrived at Lloyds Banking Group they had impressive prototype copies to showcase and spent the day sharpening up their publication presentations with the seasoned presenters from Lloyds. This evidently helped them all deliver self-assured and persuasive presentations. The culmination of hard work from the students, the school and our businesses paid off and gave the students the experience of success and a belief they could succeed again.

While these students hopefully will go on to aspire for their best, we know many students do not. This can be for a variety of reasons but household income should not be one of them. Despite today’s promising statistic, for every one of those disadvantaged students who have made it to a top university, there are approximately four more advantaged ones. We are seeing the students we work with, thanks to the support of their schools and our business partners buck that prevailing attitude among young people that wealth is a barrier to higher aspirations, clearly made harder by the £9,000 tuition fees charged from this year. If we give all students a fairer chance at accessing the best opportunities for them, then that wealth gap as well as the access gap might start to narrow too.

Building aspirations

We believe at Enabling Enterprise that aspirations come from widening students’ experiences. We do this by giving them the opportunity to create their own ideas and run with them until success, whether that be a whole-school talent show, a community garden or turning recycled trash into a toy of the future. To then take this experience and share and build on it with professionals in top London businesses, we have seen them believe they can succeed beyond school too. To know it was them, their set of skills and talents that made it happen inspires them to believe they can achieve again.

These aspirations won’t be changed, however, if we don’t give our students the opportunity for success. Recently Ofsted Chief, Michael Wiltshire expressed concern that the poorest of students are not being targeted with pupil premium funds set aside for them. The access gap is narrowing and that is because some students’ aspirations our changing but not enough. There is still much more to do.

Posted by: Jess Grisewood: 29/01/12

 What is Student Funder?

If you have a place in university but are short of money, StudentFunder helps you crowdfund the shortfall:

• Build your professional network

• Raise funding and support

• Develop skills in the process

StudentFunder can help students raise typically up to £5,000 per year… but it is really up to you.

So get off that couch and take charge! You can find out more on StudentFunder.com

High-flying students from Harris Girls’ Academy East Dulwich are getting a taste of university education through a new scheme called The Brilliant Club, running at the school this term. University-style tutorials, led by PhD students from top universities, are held on Thursdays, with students writing an extended assignment to finish the project.

Aspire   “The tutorials give students a feel of what it’s like to study at a leading university,” says Assistant Principal, Ed Owen. “They encourage our students to feel at home in a higher education setting and aspire to places at the very best colleges.” The biggest difference is that tutorials are run with just four students, but learning is approached in a different way too, with more time for individual discussion with the tutorial leader.

Oxbridge  “I like learning in this way,” says student Shaima Amellah. “There’s time to focus on each of us individually and it definitely makes me want to go to university.” Students visited Sussex University at the start of the project and will attend a graduation event at an Oxbridge college too.

Skills and confidence  The Brilliant Club aims to encourage outstanding students from state schools to apply to the very best universities, particularly students who are the first in their family to experience higher education. The club, which is a national initiative, help students develop the skills, confidence and ambition that allows them to secure places at top universities.

I once saw the following quotation on a postcard. It has always struck a chord with me: ‘Those that can, do. Those that can do more, volunteer.’

We, the Year Here family, embrace this concept. A small group of dedicated and ambitious people can make a difference – simply because it’s the only thing that ever has. That’s why we promote social action.  We understand that a focus on academic excellence breeds intellectual rigour and discipline. But we also know that social action appeals to a person’s inclination to help others, particularly those less fortunate than themselves.

We have compiled our top three reasons to volunteer.

1) Drive real social change

People are inherently compassionate. When they are confronted with hardship or injustice, they are naturally motivated to do something.

Consider these statistics:

• Only 16% of youngsters eligible for free school meals progress to university.
• Depression affects 40% of older people in care homes.
• There are 80,000 young homeless people in the UK.

Reading these, you are likely to feel something. It might be pity, anger or hopelessness: emotional reactions to an injustice. The right opportunity can tap that inherent motivation to make a difference – and create real change for those who need it. For example, The Brilliant Club gives PhD students a feasible opportunity to act on their sense of injustice regarding educational disadvantage, and an effective way to develop the academic potential of state school pupils.

Likewise, Year Here gives its voluntary ‘fellows’ an opportunity to convert their passion for eradicating some of the most complex challenges facing Britain – educational disadvantage, the isolation of older people and homelessness – into real change.

2) Develop valuable skills and experience

The latest statistics on youth unemployment reveal that 963,000 young people – be they school leavers or graduates – are without a job. This level of unemployment is often put down to a lack of the ‘soft skills’ required for professional success.

Undertaking voluntary work can help develop the skills and qualities required for success – as well as building up evidence of this on your CV. Volunteering can help you develop skills like organising a group of people to achieve a goal, giving a presentation, and coordinating an event. It can also allow you to develop a positive and constructive attitude – through seeking to understand another’s perspective or persevering when the going gets tough.

3) Go beyond your comfort zone

Seeking to appreciate the experiences of others is a key part of all social action. Trying to understand a different worldview can be difficult, not least because doing so can raise questions about your own values and beliefs. Social action can push you to go beyond your ‘comfort zone’.

We believe that you don’t have to go far to meet people whose lives are very different to your own. Here in Britain, there are opportunities to understand the full diversity of human experience – including, for example, people living in isolation or people who are struggling to maintain a stable and fulfilling life.

So, not only does social action benefit those who you are helping but it also benefits you. By challenging yourself to understand people’s lives, you will expand your understanding of the world and develop an ease in relating to people of all backgrounds.

And while learning the theory and philosophy behind an issue is important, developing a grounded understanding of the human experience can bring legitimacy to your insight into a social problem. For example, President Obama often states that many of his beliefs were formed during his time as a community organiser in Chicago.

‘We believe now’s the time for you to let that very human capacity to care about other people to take hold’.

Hopefully you’ve seen that volunteering provides an opportunity to make a real difference to problems that we are naturally passionate about, develop valuable skills for life and work and provide an opportunity to break out of our comfort zones to broaden our understanding of the human condition.

If you are interested in Year Here, please visit our website at www.yearhere.org or email us at hello@yearhere.org.

When The Brilliant Club was starting up we piloted at London Academy. One of the groups we worked with was a group from year 11. These pupils brought life into The Brilliant Club’s vision, they were brimming with potential and very determined, with abilities that could get them into a top university. These pupils have been through our programmes, and they have been a huge part of helping develop The Brilliant Club’s methods in order to improve university access. They excelled under our programmes and have taken their new skills and applied them in all areas of their work. I know this because I had the pleasure of teaching many of these pupils. What an amazing group of young people, they deserve to, and will get, places at top universities.

When we officially launched The Brilliant Club we used many of these year 11 pupils in our advertising. Two in particular became the face of The Brilliant Club – Loressa and Mohammed. This week we had a visit from these two very impressive young people. So where are they now? They are currently in Year 13. Having submitted their UCAS applications they are working very hard gaining more relevant experience. Loressa is applying to do History and Economics and is hoping to go to the University of Manchester. Mohammed, who wants to study Geography, we are thrilled to say, has an interview at Cambridge.

We are very inspired by them and wish them all the best in their interviews and A Levels.

 Posted by: Lily Sida-Murray on: 30.11.12

Earlier this year we made an important announcement about our expansion into the West Midlands. We are very excited to be offering our programmes to more schools and furthering the impact that our Brilliant Club PhD tutors are having. In order to do this, we need more! We need passionate individuals who have the potential to deliver excellent small-group tutorials to high performing pupils in low participation schools. We need PhD researchers who are motivated to support The Brilliant Club in its mission to widen access to highly selective universities, and build a movement that mobilises the PhD student community to address educational disadvantage.

So PhD students if this sounds like something you would be interested in, get your applications filled in and sent off as we are having our next round of assessment centres in Warwick and places are filling up fast.

These assessment centres are taking place on 22nd, 23rd and 24th January and we are recruiting for Key Stage 4 and 5 for programmes starting in the Spring.

We look forward to meeting you and thank you in advance for your interest in becoming a PhD tutor.