Harriet Bermingham is proof that teaching runs deep in the veins. The third generation of her family to become a primary school teacher, it was all she’d ever wanted to do.
However, not long after she embarked on her teaching journey, she found the reality to be a stark contrast from what she imagined – overwhelmed by long hours and oversized classes that left her feeling as though she couldn’t give each child the attention they deserved. It wasn’t long before Harriet sought out an alternative to conventional classroom teaching and started a phonics playgroup.
She supplemented this with some private tutoring while still maintaining her position at Flixton Primary School in Greater Manchester. The birth of her son Teddy towards the close of 2022 spurred her to take a leap of faith – she quit her school job and began providing private tutoring from her Worsley home in Salford.
Two years down the line, with a full seven years of tutoring to her name, the 31-year-old owner of Bold Beginnings Tutoring recounts her decision with no regrets. Today, with 85 students on the books who receive tuition in small groups, Harriet finds joy and fulfilment in her work again, boasting an income double what she earned at the school – but for half the working hours.
“There just isn’t enough funding for schools and there’s little job satisfaction,” Harriet said. She highlighted the challenges faced in big classrooms: “With the amount of children in each class – often 30 kids to one teacher, plus maybe a teaching assistant if you’re lucky – you just can’t spend that one-to-one time with the children without distractions.
“Now I can do really focused activities with them and they make so much progress.”
Harriet, a full-time teacher, used to start her day at 7am, finish at 4pm and then spend much of her free time planning lessons, reports the Manchester Evening News.
She “With the planning on top I’d easily be working 70 to 80 hours a week for a salary of around £35,000. I knew I couldn’t go back to that after having Ted. I now work four hours a day, four days a week, so it’s helped me massively.”
She noticed significant improvements in her well-being, saying, “My mental health is better and I can put so much more into teaching as I have the energy to do it, whereas before I was constantly burnt out.
“There’s too much pressure in schools. It’s become less about teaching and more about ticking boxes, admin and behaviour management.”
Now Harriet enjoys the comfort of teaching from a garden room tailor-made for education with seats for up to five pupils, offering a distraction-free environment while her son Ted is either in nursery or home with his dad, Harriet’s fiancé Tom Shaw, who operates his MCR Injury Clinic on Moorside Road, Swinton, Greater Manchester.
She has observed a spike in parents seeking tutoring post-Covid and points out an underutilised benefit: many don’t realise they can use government childcare vouchers to subsidise private tutoring if the tutor is Ofsted registered.
Harriet highlighted this financial aid, stating: “I find it’s something people just don’t know about. It’s classed the same as tax-free childcare so it means anyone earning under £100k a year can use the vouchers to get 20% off.
“It’s a huge help for many children and there’s a definite increase in the number of kids needing specialist support. The work needs differentiating more and that’s harder to do in a class with 30 children.
“Also mental health has been a big issue since Covid. A lot of children were anxious about going back to that classroom environment and there’s been a lot of separation anxiety from children in Year 4 as they were the ones at home during the pandemic and that’s all they ever knew. I’ve been able to support kids with that side of things too.”
Having navigated her own exit from teaching, Harriet is now guiding other educators on a similar path. She’s rolled out an online course named The Ultimate Teacher Exit Plan, designed to provide advice and assistance to those contemplating a similar move.
“When you’re in teaching, you often can’t see a way out,” she admitted. “But now I’m on the outside looking in, I see how different it is and it’s honestly life-changing.
“The thought of leaving behind a steady income and secure job can be intimidating, but the course is all about helping them establish themselves as tutors while still holding onto their teaching roles – just like I did – before striking out on their own.
“It’s a self-paced course so there is no pressure, as teachers have little spare time. And it’s a build up to going part time before eventually leaving, so there’s that safety net for families.”
The former Bolton School pupil says she now delights in seeing the progress made by her pupils, including Sophia Pulo who just this week celebrated getting a place at the school herself.
“I’m so passionate about teaching and I absolutely love the children to bits,” Harriet added. “Tutoring allows me to do it properly and give each child the attention they deserve.”
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