A former teacher from Salford who was fed up with long hours and low pay has swapped her classroom role for private tutoring, earning twice as much while working half the hours. Harriet Bermingham, 31, left her job at Flixton Primary School at the end of 2022 after becoming disillusioned with the profession she had always dreamed of.
Harriet now runs Bold Beginnings Tutoring from her home in Worsley, teaching 85 children in small groups of four or five. She works just four hours a day, four days a week – around 25 hours in total – compared with the 70 to 80 hours she used to put in as a teacher. Her income has jumped from £35,000 to an estimated £114,000 a year.
“There just isn't enough funding for schools and there's little job satisfaction,” she said. “With 30 kids to one teacher, you can't spend one-to-one time with children. Now I can do tailored activities and see real progress.” Harriet converted her garden room into a learning space and says her mental health has improved significantly since leaving the classroom.
After having her son Teddy, she realised the long hours were unsustainable. She initially set up a phonics playgroup while still teaching, then gradually built up her tutoring business. She now also offers an online course called ‘The Ultimate Teacher Exit Plan’ to help other educators make a similar transition.
Harriet noted a rise in demand for tutoring since the pandemic and advises parents that government childcare vouchers can be used to pay for Ofsted-registered tutors. “When you're in teaching, you often can't see a way out. But now I'm on the outside looking in, it's honestly life-changing,” she added.
