About the role
The Odyssey Hub is a small, creative alternative provision supporting young people with additional needs, including autistic young people and those who may experience anxiety, difficulties engaging with conventional education, or social and emotional barriers to learning.
We are looking for creative, engaging and dependable freelance tutors to join our growing team in and around Ipswich.
Sessions are deliberately small-scale and relationship-focused. Depending on the young person and programme, tutors may work one-to-one or with small groups, using creative and interest-led activities to build engagement, communication, confidence, social skills and progression.
We are particularly interested in applicants with backgrounds in areas such as:
- Creative writing
- Film, media or photography
- Art and illustration
- Drama and storytelling
- Games, tabletop role-playing or interactive media
- Other creative disciplines that can engage young people
You do not need to specialise in all of these areas. We are interested in the skills, experience and interests you can bring to the provision.
What we are looking for
The most important requirement is previous experience working successfully with young people with additional needs.
You should ideally have experience supporting young people who may have:
- Autism / ASC
- ADHD
- SEMH needs
- Anxiety or emotionally based school avoidance
- Communication or social interaction difficulties
- Previous difficulties engaging with mainstream education
We are looking for people who can establish positive, trusting relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries, and who are comfortable adapting activities around the needs, interests and presentation of individual learners.
Key responsibilities:
Depending on your experience and the programme, you may be asked to:
- Deliver engaging one-to-one and small-group sessions
- Adapt activities to individual SEND and SEMH needs
- Use creative or interest-led approaches to support engagement
- Support young people to develop confidence, communication and social interaction
- Encourage gradual re-engagement with structured learning
- Contribute to concise session notes and progress records
- Communicate appropriately with the Odyssey Hub team regarding progress, concerns and safeguarding
- Follow safeguarding, risk assessment and professional working procedures
- Contribute ideas and develop activities within your own area of expertise
- Travel between learner locations and community-based venues as required
More experienced tutors may also have opportunities to independently facilitate small groups, lead particular strands of provision or take additional responsibility for planning and delivery.
Some programmes may incorporate accredited creative learning such as Arts Award.
Essential requirements
- Meaningful experience of working with young people with SEND and/or additional needs
- The ability to engage young people who may not respond well to conventional classroom approaches
- Good communication and interpersonal skills
- Reliability and strong professional boundaries
- Willingness to work flexibly and adapt activities to individual learners
- A sound understanding of safeguarding responsibilities
- A full UK driving licence
- Regular access to a suitable own vehicle, appropriate and insured for work purposes
- Willingness and ability to travel between learner locations and community venues
- Right to work in the UK
Successful applicants will need an appropriate Enhanced DBS check before undertaking unsupervised work with young people.
Desirable experience:
We would particularly welcome applicants with:
- Experience in alternative provision, SEND education, youth work, mentoring or specialist tutoring
- Experience supporting autistic and/or neurodivergent young people
- Teaching, tutoring, mentoring or youth-work qualifications
- A professional or academic background in a creative discipline
- Experience supporting young people aged approximately 15–25
- Experience of small-group facilitation
- Knowledge of Arts Award or other accessible creative qualifications
Formal teaching qualifications are welcome but are not essential. Relevant experience, safeguarding awareness and the ability to build effective relationships with young people are more important to us.
Hours:
This is initially a freelance/sessional, term-time role.
We are particularly interested in tutors available for regular half-day sessions during the working week, with approximately 2–3 half-days per week potentially available as the provision grows.
We would also welcome applications from people who can currently offer one regular half-day but may have greater availability in future.
Consistency is important to the young people we support, so we are particularly looking for people who can commit to regular weekly availability during term time.
Pay:
£30–£40 per hour, depending on experience and responsibilities.
Most individual tutoring assignments will be paid at £30–£35 per hour, depending on relevant experience and the nature of the provision.
Rates of up to £40 per hour are available for tutors taking on additional responsibility, including:
- Independent small-group facilitation
- Specialist provision
- Lead delivery responsibilities
- Greater responsibility for planning and programme delivery
This structure provides opportunities for tutors to progress into more autonomous and higher-responsibility work as they develop within the provision.
This is a freelance/sessional role.
About The Odyssey Hub:
The Odyssey Hub provides creative, highly personalised alternative provision for young people who may struggle to access conventional educational settings.
Our approach combines trusted relationships, small-group activity, creativity and carefully structured progression. Rather than attempting to recreate a conventional classroom environment, we aim to identify the interests, strengths and activities through which each young person can successfully engage, participate and develop.
Our provision can include creative activity, structured narrative and tabletop play, community-based learning and accredited progression opportunities, depending on the needs and interests of each learner.
If you have experience supporting young people with additional needs and a skill, interest or creative specialism that you think could make a difference, we would be very interested to hear from you.
Pay: £30.00-£40.00 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
