Job Description

Tutor


In high school, I excelled in all my math and science classes every year. Naturally, if I wanted a job related to the subjects that I enjoyed, I could teach them to others. I then reached out to my teachers who recommended me to a paid tutoring program, teaching subjects that I excelled in with my teacher’s recommendations. I loved that this job allowed me to share my knowledge and techniques with others. This job created a new sense of respect for those that teach others.

 

A tutor possesses expertise in the subject that they teach and can articulate a way of approaching topics in that subject. Additionally, tutors must possess crucial skills such as patience and communication to become successful in their roles. A student leaving with a better understanding of the subject taught results in a successful learning session for the tutor. As a teacher, you may also learn diverse ways of thinking from the students you teach.

 

The four main characteristics of a successful tutor are:

  • Mastery
  • Creativity
  • Versatility
  • Humility

 

I will give a main takeaway and example for each characteristic in practice.

 

Mastery

  • Understand what you teach.

You must know the content of what you are teaching. When teaching math for example, there are shortcuts to solving problems, however teaching these shortcuts cuts out the critical thinking necessary to solving more complex problems. Teaching students the mechanics behind the shortcuts benefits the student more than showing them shortcuts to the answer. Tutors must be honest with themselves in what subjects they feel comfortable teaching. A tutor should not say they can teach a subject just so they have more sessions. Lying about what you can teach is a disservice to yourself and the student.


Creativity

  • Change things up!

Creativity in lessons can increase the engagement of students. From my experience, a student does not want the same experience that they receive in a traditional classroom. Students respond better to different methods of teaching. Research different methods of teaching and figure out ways to incorporate them into your lessons. Students learn better from fun and engaging content rather than reading out of a textbook.


Versatility

  • There are multiple ways to do things.

Building on creativity, a tutor must be able to adapt lesson plans to each student. Each student will prefer different teaching methods, so finding the most effective method for them is important. Many students prefer active learning though practice problems, while other students prefer to learn from real world application of the subject.


Humility

  • People learn differently.

When teaching it is important to understand that everyone learns differently. Not everyone will understand a subject to the degree you do. Some students have shorter attention spans or may take more time to grasp a concept. If you take the time to help them and you do not give up on them then you will make progress. Having patience and humility are attributes crucial to being a great tutor.

 

Flesch reading ease: 61.7

Grade level: 8.2

Passive sentence: 0%


Comments

  1. Alyssa CustinoJanuary 21, 2024 at 6:50 PM

    Hi Alexis! I agree that understanding everyone learns differently is a huge part of being a successful tutor! It sounds like a fun but challenging job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nathan ViennetJanuary 22, 2024 at 12:05 PM

    Hey Alexis, this is actually something I did extensively in high school as well and that I really enjoyed. Although my field was more maths and econ the skills you state here are exactly the ones I would've mentioned

    ReplyDelete
  3. Adam RealJanuary 22, 2024 at 5:16 PM

    Hey Alexis. Great to see your breakdown of key tutor characteristics. I think humility is crucial to do the job in an effective way.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ramneek SinghJanuary 29, 2024 at 1:31 AM

    I also tutored over the summer and because not all kids learn the same, I routinely had to mix things up as well so that every student would learn something each day. Being creative is a prerequisite for most jobs and none more so than being a teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AlmaJanuary 29, 2024 at 9:42 AM

    Hi Alexis! I have also tutored math and I love how you focused on the idea that students learn in different ways. It is great to see that you were adaptable and patient with the students.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anders MarshallJanuary 29, 2024 at 11:14 AM

    Hi Alexis! I am interested in applying for a tutoring job and this has helped inspire me further to apply. I imagined tutoring requiring all the skills you listed and I am glad to hear that is true.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hannah WuJanuary 29, 2024 at 11:15 AM

    Hey Alexis! I tutored English to ESL students during high school. I 100% agree not all kids learn the same and it can be a struggle to tailor a lesson plan to their needs. It's great that you took away many lessons from the experience.

    ReplyDelete
  8. KevinJanuary 29, 2024 at 5:05 PM

    Hey Alexis. Your characteristics for being a successful tutor are spot on!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Vivian 340January 29, 2024 at 11:22 PM

    Hey Alexis! I think humility is a necessary skill for tutors and it's great that you recognized that. I've always thought that it would be cool to excel so much at something that you can teach others, but unfortunately I'm not a very patient person so I don't think it's in the cards for me.

    ReplyDelete

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