The main role of a tutor is to provide 1-1 lessons or small group support to help students become independent learners. However, there is more to the role of a tutor than you might think. Tutoring jobs go beyond short term catch up, as tutoring is often used for students that require more than just educational support.
Increasing Demand for Tutoring Jobs
The impact of the global pandemic left thousands of students struggling, and in response, the Government introduced the catch-up premium. This premium can be used by schools to hire additional support where needed, meaning that the number of tutoring jobs available is predicted to increase. Should you undertake a tutoring job, here is some useful information to help you excel within the role.
Tips for Tutors
An important part of being a tutor is establishing a positive relationship with your students. A positive tutor-student relationship is a key part of motivating your students and many students will find it easier to learn from someone they trust. Some ways of bonding with and motivating students include:
- Giving praise regularly and delivering feedback in a positive way
- Making sure they are happy with the content they have learned before moving on
- Adapting your teaching style to suit your students
- Creating an atmosphere that ‘doesn’t feel like school’
- Making yourself seem like a person and not just a teacher
As a tutor it is important that you make sure your students are included in the setting of goals, discussions about what you are achieving together, and creating a plan with your students outlining how you will achieve set objectives. Discuss short-term and long-term goals with students in a way that seems achievable. This activity is to inspire confidence, so do not plan any overwhelming goals as this may knock the confidence of a student.
Things to Avoid
It is crucial that you do not “spoon feed” students through activities and work. A tutor’s job is to promote self-learning and thinking. You should be planning activities that encourage them to solve problems, you are there to offer support but not to complete activities for them.
It is often easy for a tutor to simply pass on activities provided by the school’s curriculum and teach students the correct answer. The idea is that you give students the ability and tools to be able to return to class and solve challenges themselves.
Planning Ahead and Following Up
Any tutor worth their salt needs to know how to plan ahead and look forward. Be it through planning lessons and learning units ahead of time, or thinking about the reintegration back into the school system and how your teachings will translate to the classroom setting, foresight is a valuable skill for any tutor to have and can really set you apart from others.
Throughout your sessions you should be keeping track of anything that you have identified, and at the end of each session it is best practice to note down what you have completed and identified.
Some key points you should be noting after sessions are:
- What have you completed this session?
- Was there anything that the student struggled with?
- Which activities or tasks went well?
- Concentration levels
- Understanding of the work
- Any challenges that you came across, either with the student or the work
Showing Initiative and Advanced Tips
Over a longer period of sessions, it is important for the tutor to identify any additional needs, habits or tendencies that need to be considered or catered to. It is not uncommon that students who need tutoring may have underlying learning needs that may have been missed by the school. This is something that should be brought to the school’s attention when they are reintegrating back into school.
It is also very beneficial for the tutor to sit down with the school and report back what has been happening in the sessions prior to the return back into school. This gives both parties the opportunity to implement strategies to reengage and support students when they are back in. During this “handover” the tutor should discuss their findings with appropriate members of staff. The student you are supporting may not have an EHCP, but you may have found some tendencies or traits of additional learning needs during your time with them.
What makes tutoring special is the chance to bond with your students and to see them progress based on your ability to guide them. Whether you are looking for a part-time tutoring job or a more permanent tutoring position, Simply Education can support and coach you into becoming a highly sought-after tutor. Register with Simply Education today for more learning resources and the chance to find the perfect teaching jobs for you.
