Tina Changed Her Mindset with a Maths Multiply Course

To say Tina had a bumpy start to her relationship with Maths would be an understatement – but since taking the leap and completing a Multiply course through her employer, her confidence and skills have grown phenomenally.  

We spoke to Tina about how she found Futures, what the course has meant to her, and her advice to anyone else thinking of taking the same leap:  

Tell us a bit about yourself and your history with Maths, Tina! 

I’ve been married for 27 years and have 4 children. I’ve worked within the government for 25 years, first in Inland Revenue and now in HMRC. When I was younger my family emigrated to New Zealand and when we came back it was the last year of primary school. I ended up in hospital at the same time and had to miss a lot of school, so when it came to starting secondary school, I really felt like I was on the back foot and I struggled to catch up.  

Thanks to the help of some great teachers, I managed to catch up well in English, but I never got that same support in Maths so it’s always something I struggled with in school.  

It wasn’t until my children started coming home with Maths homework that I realised I didn’t understand the work and couldn’t remember certain processes or formulas, so I wasn’t able to help them in the way I wanted to. My husband became the one to support them with Maths work, but I felt left-out and envious because I wanted to have those skills and help as well.  

Where did you hear about the Multiply course, and what made you apply? 

I had the opportunity to develop my skills with Multiply and Futures through work. I saw the poster, which said the course could help with things like budgeting and money management, which I already felt confident with. It was the helping with homework that caught my eye, so I decided to give it a go.  

I also wanted to improve my skills to help my chances of obtaining a promotion or sideways move at work when the vacancy advertised required taking a test. I’ve always been confident in my ability to pass the verbal reasoning and situational judgement tests, but I felt frightened to death of the numeracy tests. I knew that it would block me from successfully passing the overall tests for a post that I really wanted. Our workplace gave us the time we needed for Tim to come in from Futures and deliver the Multiply course to us at work, so it was easy to access. 

How would you say that Futures has helped you? 

I’ve always had a block with Maths and ran away from it. Whenever my husband or eldest son have tried to help me, it feels like pulling teeth and the information just doesn’t stick. 

The way Tim does it, it just sticks. He was just phenomenal, and he’s given me back the confidence to do that sort of thing. Back at school, it was a different atmosphere, but he has a fantastic way of communicating. The interactive elements, the small group support, the PowerPoints – it helps. 

After all these years, I feel like I can finally understand it.  

How do you feel now that you’ve completed the course? 

I really loved it, and I got so much out of it. I absolutely lapped it up – now I can’t wait to take the maths part of the test to prove that I can pass it!  

In the past my maths skills have let me down in going for posts advertised with tests attached, but this course has given me the absolute confidence I need to go for them. My kids are even loving it and getting involved too – it's knocked onto the whole family and they’ve picked up my enthusiasm for learning maths. They never used to believe my husband when he told them we use maths in everyday situations, but they believe me now that I’ve told them what Tim said. We use it for measuring square feet to lay a new carpet in their bedroom, or converting measurements in the kitchen when we’re baking a cake. Being able to relate it to our real lives has made it so much easier to understand.  

What are your plans for the future? Any more maths? 

I’d love to do a Maths GCSE or another maths course. I’m looking for something that you can take at your own pace and that I’d be able to attend outside of work.  

When another vacancy arises at work, I will definitely go for it now. I’ve had a lot of fun with the numbers and I would love to go back into maths now.  

What advice would you give to somebody thinking about doing a Maths course with us? 

My advice would be to have an open mind, have a go, relax, and enjoy. I didn’t realise how much I didn’t know until I got started with Tim and I realised how great the course could be. 

If you fancy having a go and it’s something you’re interested in, take that opportunity. Take a deep breath, be bold, and be brave. Don’t miss out and sit there regretting it. Just have a go.