From First Job to Leadership: How Alpha One Shaped My Career
Curious about how a tutoring job can evolve into a full-fledged career? At Alpha One, growth is more than a buzzword; it’s built into the way we work. Starting as a tutor in 2020 and now working as HR Manager, I have experienced firsthand how curiosity, trust, and opportunity can turn potential into lasting career development. My journey is just one example of how young professionals can discover their strengths, take on new challenges, and grow alongside Alpha One.
In what ways has your role shifted since you first started, and what have you discovered along the way?
Growing Through Roles: From Tutor to HR Manager
I began at Alpha One as a Tutor in December 2020 and since then have been fortunate enough to have consistently grown and gained valuable experiences. Over the years, I have been involved in interviewing, training and mentoring which laid a strong foundation and sparked my interest in supporting employees. I have also benefited from my exposure in working as a Shift Manager and behind the scenes as a Hiring Manager which helped strengthen my collaboration and leadership skills. Collectively, these roles have facilitated my growth into my current position as a full-time HR Manager.
Across this journey, my exposure had widened from a single classroom to the entire organisation. I have learned to communicate clearly, work cross-functionally and develop systems, focusing not only on fixing issues but improving the processes behind them. My biggest takeaways from holding various roles at Alpha One would be the value of staying curious, asking for help when you need it and having a burning desire to want to contribute more. Embracing these principles has helped me adapt and grow professionally alongside Alpha One over the last 5 years.
What originally attracted you to Alpha One, and what continues to inspire you to stay and build your career here?
Why Alpha One Stands Out: Culture, Opportunity, and Inspiration
I first heard about Alpha One right after finishing Year 12. I was eager to start tutoring and the opportunity to work with primary school students seemed like a unique and rewarding experience. At the time, Alpha One was a small, close-knit company with small class sizes, genuine individual attention, and a family-like culture. So I joined Alpha One thinking it would be a nice casual job where I could teach in an environment I loved.
Very quickly, though, I realised how much room there was to grow. Alpha One gave me real scope to stretch myself, and I was consistently trusted to take on new responsibilities across different roles. That freedom helped me build crucial leadership and communication skills, sharpen my customer service, collaborate cross-functionally, and develop the kind of big-picture problem-solving that has proven to be an important foundation in my professional development.
What keeps me here is the people and the mindset. I have been lucky to work alongside peers who are similarly driven, and to learn directly from senior leaders like our CEO and branch directors who are invested in mentoring and building capability. There is a consistent push to “be better and do better” for our students, families and staff, and that culture has been key to shaping my professional growth.
I initially saw Alpha One as a tutoring job. Today, I see it as a place that backs young professionals, trusting them with responsibility, giving them room to prove themselves, and turning potential into valuable career development.
Could you share a few defining moments or milestones in your journey at Alpha One as an HR Manager?
Key Milestones That Shaped My Leadership Style
A major milestone for me as HR Manager was leading the end-to-end tutor hiring and onboarding cycle. Having worked across each stage beforehand, I could see where parts of the process caused setbacks and where excessive manual effort slowed us down.
Early in my time as HR Manager, I worked on streamlining this process by connecting the stages, simplifying steps, and building cleaner processes which turned a complex process into something predictable and far less labour-intensive. It also ensured key details were clearly documented, recorded on the back end, and communicated to the right people. It was the first time I owned a multi-stage process that directly impacted growth, and it sharpened my ability to plan, prioritise, and deliver at scale.
A second, more behind-the-scenes milestone has been shaping clearer progression pathways. As HR, a continuous goal of mine is to keep making growth visible and accessible to all our employees so they can see what Alpha One has to offer, know the steps to get there, and are recognised and rewarded when they take on new opportunities.
Collectively, these moments have shaped my leadership style and taught me the importance of staying calm under pressure, people-first, and clear in my communication.
What do you think sets Alpha One apart as a place to work and grow your career?
An Environment for Growth: How Alpha One Supports Career Development
Alpha One stands out for its inviting, supportive culture and its genuine commitment to helping staff grow. From day one, you're trusted with real responsibility and given space to learn, paired with guidance from experienced peers and senior leaders. That balance of autonomy and support creates a high-trust environment where progress feels both achievable and rewarding. Growth here is never stagnant. I have worked as a Tutor, Mentor, Administration Staff, Manager, and now in HR, and at every stage there has been room to step into something bigger or take on a fresh challenge. Cross-functional work is encouraged, so you build broad, transferable skills while delivering outcomes that actually matter.
There are also many staff that are in their early years of university, often studying similar degrees or even attending the same universities which helps build an environment that isn’t always focused on work. What makes the biggest difference, though, is if you are curious, proactive and eager to learn, Alpha One will always give you the necessary support, trust and opportunity to grow.
What advice would you give to someone considering a role at Alpha One?
Thriving at Alpha One: Advice for Future Team Members
Be curious and vocal. Ask questions, ask for help, and if there is something you are passionate about, say it. Make your interests known and show you are willing to go the extra step, whether that is taking a small task off someone’s plate or putting your hand up for a new task or opportunity. Reliability and clear communication builds trust quickly, and trust leads to bigger opportunities.
I wish I had known earlier just how much growth and exposure exists within what looked like a “regular tutoring job.” There are real pathways for growth now and if you consistently show initiative, you will grow faster than you expect. Alpha One is truly a place where interest turns into opportunity, and effort turns into progression.
Alpha One provides staff with the opportunity to advance in areas that align with their university studies such as Marketing, Accounting, Software Development, HR etc. Join our team to kickstart your career as a Tutor, Marker or Admin. To find out more: https://www.alphaonecollege.com.au/join-our-team
