Sally Ali

LSE Widening Participations TutorPart Time

• Job Details:As part of Widening Participations, I currently work as a part-time LSE Tutor at Sir Francis Xavier 6th Form College to deliver A-level sociology to small groups of Year 12 students every Wednesday. Similar to the Pathways to Law Programme, the Widening Participations team at the LSE aims to help students from underrepresented backgrounds raise their attainment. As such, it is my responsibility to deliver to them a 1-hour session every week in accordance with the AQA curriculum. This requires me to work closely with the Year 12 sociology teacher at the school to identify the gaps in the students’ knowledge in order to build on these areas during my sessions. While it is a very rewarding job, studying the A-level sociology curriculum alongside my own studies at the LSE has proved challenging. However, I believe that it is vital to use my time at university to improve my multitasking skills, which this role has allowed me to realise. Indeed, I often allocate 4 hours a week to each session and communicate regularly with the school teacher about the way in which the students learn best and the weaknesses in their understanding to deliver lessons effectively according to her recommendations. I have found that this collaborative approach saves me time when preparing, while allowing me to deliver lessons of a high standard.

LSE Pathways to Law MentorPart Time

• Job Details:The LSE Pathways to Law Programme is a 2 year, currently ongoing job placement where my duty is to take part in face-to-face mentoring and e-mentoring of A-level students from state schools and underrepresented backgrounds to raise their aspirations and attainment, and to increase their awareness of their higher education options. In order to realise this goal, my responsibilities include providing support, advice and guidance to students about pursuing a degree in law and developing soft skills. This is a position which I hold close to my heart, as I am an individual who attended state schools all throughout my young academic life and am the first generation in my family to attend university. As such, I have experienced the difficulties underrepresented individuals face in applying to universities and establishing networks with professionals. Notably, this job as a mentor has proved a challenge in that many of my mentees tend to underestimate their abilities. I therefore see it as my responsibility to channel my own experiences in order to lift them up. Further, as I am currently on the Pathways to Law Plus programme, which has enabled me to attend insight days at Linklaters, DLA Piper and Hogan Lovells, I have been able to have discussions with my mentees about the nature of work at commercial firms, and some of the opportunities available to them if they wish to pursue law at university. Overall, this job has instilled effective leadership and communication skills within me, which are invaluable when working as a team with other trainees at Clifford Chance to deliver deals to clients.

GCSE English Language and English Literature MentorPart Time

• Job Details:Through this role as a GCSE English Literature and English Language Tutor, part of my responsibility was to work with 5 students of varying abilities simultaneously, which has instilled in me patience and persistence from an early age. As this job was pursued alongside my A-level studies, this helped me develop my organisation and multitasking skills as the job entailed teaching, marking and creating exam style questions and tests for students in accordance with the GCSE curriculum for each exam board. Notably, my success in this role can be best demonstrated through helping a year 12 student retaking English Literature and English Language improve from a C to an A grade in both subjects. Further, this job strengthened my communication skills, as I was required to portray complex ideas in multiple ways to be understood by different students.