Posted:05-December-2022
After twenty years of corporate life, Kumon brings me great fulfilment
Before becoming a Kumon Instructor, Varun worked in the corporate industry, managing and training hospitality and aviation professionals for 20 years. Varun had often thought about how he could become his own boss, so when the chance to take redundancy presented itself, he started to think seriously about how he could achieve his dream of running his own business.
Varun had always believed in giving children the best support with their education and for a few years, his daughter had studied with their local Kumon centre. As a Kumon parent and through his daughter’s achievements, he already knew how effective the method was. Through a chance conversation with his daughter’s Kumon Instructor, he discovered there was an opportunity to establish a new Kumon Maths and English Study Centre in their local area, so he was curious to find out more.
The rest is history! After completing his training, Varun became the Instructor of the Kumon Redhill Study Centre in February 2021.
Varun shared his motivations behind becoming a Kumon Instructor:
“Kumon is a long-term commitment that develops lifelong skills in the child which traditional ‘tuition’ can never achieve. I strongly believe in the Kumon Method, and have witnessed the benefits of the programme myself as a parent.”
So, what does a typical day entail for a Kumon Instructor?
“It’s difficult to describe a typical day since no day is the same, but I certainly keep busy! A key and enjoyable part of what I do is meeting new families and assessing the child’s current skills and abilities in maths and English. I encourage the child using a diagnostic test which helps me to determine what level of study to provide for them, that will best develop their existing skills and build their confidence too. I’ll plan meetings around the family’s availability and my other student and class commitments.
"Each week, I’ll carefully review the progress each child has made and set them new work that I know will allow them to stretch and develop. I’ll liaise with and respond to parents, contacting them for their child’s homework results, and inviting them to meet me periodically to discuss their child’s progress. I enjoy seeing my students in class each week and witnessing their progress through their study programme. I can set my own daily agenda to complete my work, which I really enjoy after corporate life!
"Of course, I have general Kumon centre business to manage and various reporting and administrative tasks to complete monthly, as well as looking at the marketing and growth of my centre too.”
Observing a student develop and grow in their abilities due to daily Kumon study is extremely rewarding for Varun and this is one of his favourite aspects of the role. “It always amazes me to see a student develop in their study skills and confidence when tackling a certain topic; they often exceed my expectations. When I observe a student fixing their own mistakes and solving problems on certain topics that they would previously have given up on, it’s incredibly rewarding.
"Parents particularly like the Kumon programme because it is set to each student’s individual pace, enabling them to understand certain topics fully through a daily study routine. They understand that setting work at the ‘just right’ level allows their child to build ability and fluency in small, manageable steps.”
Varun shared some advice for those looking to become a Kumon Instructor:
“Make the most of the training. Although I was familiar with the programmes as a parent, the training goes far deeper than I first appreciated. It helped me to learn and understand the programme from an Instructor perspective and most importantly from the student’s point of view. The Kumon training team are great at what they do. They are always available when needed and they closely monitor everything to ensure nothing but high standards are delivered at the forefront once we get to work directly with students. There are ongoing monthly training sessions and Instructor workshops where we discuss techniques and learn together. These help us develop our thinking, observation and Instructional skills and keep us in touch with any new thinking within Kumon and around the programmes. We live the Kumon brand as we believe that in life, learning never stops!
"I love my role as a Kumon Instructor. Earning my living while making a positive difference in a child’s life is extremely fulfilling. I highly recommend becoming a Kumon Instructor to anyone who has a passion for education and would enjoy working for themselves.”
Looking ahead, Varun has many aspirations for his Kumon centre. Primarily he would like to continue to grow his centre and help even more local children excel in their maths and English abilities. He told us,
“Although there have been challenging moments, my Kumon journey so far has been remarkable. I want every child to come to the centre with a smile on their face, happy and ready to take on the challenges ahead of them in class and at home. I want them to excel in their academic life and take those skills into their future careers. Most importantly, I would like my students to remember the role Kumon played in their lives.”
Interested and want to know more about Kumon ?
The Kumon basic profile outlines aspects of their franchise opportunity
