Worth Your Time?

A study in February this year showed that a university graduate in England achieving a 2:1 or above will earn approximately 8% more per annum than a graduate with a 2:2 or below. With the average wage in England at around £27,000 that means an extra £2,700 per year on what can be a very fine academic line. The question is, when do you begin making sure you end up on the right side of that line? If you are anywhere on the education ladder above GCSE the answer is, now! Moreover, as you progress through the system it becomes harder to bridge the gap you need to overcome. If you are on the eve of final exams and you have a steady 2:2, making a 2:1 or higher is almost impossible; however, if you are beginning your A-Levels then the improvements you make now will have a lasting effect, decreasing or eliminating that gap altogether. Indeed, judging by the work I have done with students, the two most significant leaps in writing standards are from GCSE to A-Level and A-Level to University, and for the most part students are left to figure out how to manage those transitions themselves. All of this moves me towards another question; how much would you pay to increase your chances of a bigger salary and all the benefits that come with that? That is why when I am asked why I charge what I do for tutoring writing, my reply is “I charge only for my time”.