Tutoring is a respectable profession with countless responsibilities attached to it. The profession may sound easy, but in reality, it is very challenging. You will have the burden of countless roles, characteristics, and behaviors. Not only this, but you will have to deal with different types of students and understand their learning styles and capabilities.
So, are you an aspiring tutor looking for detailed information on what to expect from the profession of
tutoring? Don’t worry. As always, we have done the hard work for you. Keep Reading to see the roles and responsibilities associated with the profession of tutoring!
Who Is A Tutor?
We have all been in classroom environments at least once in our lives while taking instructions. However, we should understand that tutoring, especially
private tutoring is very different from teaching. A teacher is a person who teaches and educates a group of students in a school or college environment. While on the other hand, a tutor is a private educator who offers guidance to students outside the classrooms. Below is a complete comparison of a tutor and teachers to help you have a better understanding:
Teacher Vs. Tutor
In simple words, a teacher is only responsible for delivering the lessons, creating the curriculum, and examining the learning process of students. Teachers are the architects of the course students learn.
While on the other hand, tutors don’t have any link to building the course outline. Instead, they assist the students with the course and curriculum the teachers made for them. Also, tutors build an individual connection with the students so that they feel comfortable sharing their problems and concerns.
Responsibilities of A Tutor
Here are the most prominent and essential responsibilities that are included in the job description of a tutor:
- Conducting and creating personalized tutoring sessions and giving extra help to students who lack in studies and have academic deficiencies.
- Structure different activities and exercises to make sure students grasp all the concepts.
- Provide extra assistance, guidance, and counseling to students whenever they need it.
- Maintain a friendly and comfortable relationship with the students.
- Always move and plan ahead at the students’ pace.
- Always listen to the concerns and feedback of students.
- Help them in achieving higher grades in their examinations.
- Frequently take quizzes and assessments to make sure students are familiar with all the concepts and topics.
- Create effective lesson plans according to the needs and preferences of students.
- Improve the overall academic performance of the students.
- Should be skilled in both written and verbal communication.
- Should be familiar with all curriculums and academic programs.
Characteristics And Behaviors Of Tutors
Apart from responsibilities, there are some general characteristics and behaviors too that make individuals good and excellent tutors. Let’s take a brief look at those characteristics and behaviors.
1. Empathetic
A tutor will come across different types of students; confident, stressed, overwhelmed, etc. This is why tutors should always remain empathetic, even if the students are taking time to understand the material. Just put yourself in their shoes, and try to understand what the students might feel.
2. Use Problem-Solving Strategies
Have you ever wondered why students opt for tutors? Because they have problems going on. Therefore, it is important for tutors to handle and educate students with the help of problem-solving strategies. Yes, you don’t need to solve the problems for your students; you have to help them in solving their problems.
3. Critical Thinking
Being a tutor, you will come across several unexpected questions from students at the end of every lecture. Moreover, these questions will be very confusing and deep sometimes, so answering them will also be a tough task. Therefore, it is essential for tutors to be critical thinkers as well so they can answer every type of question.
4. Supportive
Next, tutors should always be supportive towards their students. Parents and students opt for private tutoring to enjoy the perks of a personalized and supportive environment - because this is something that teachers at school can not provide due to large student groups. So, it is essential for tutors to be supportive and build a personalized bond with every student.
5. Honest
Honesty is always the best policy, no matter what the case is! If you think you are not able to tutor a student, be honest about it, and don’t take the gig just for the sake of some cash. If you think a student needs someone more professional than you, be honest with your parents. Being honest will help you maintain a reputation as a tutor.
6. Enthusiastic
A good tutor should always be
enthusiastic and passionate about their profession. The more excitement and enthusiasm you show while teaching the subject, the more your students will enjoy learning. Just remain positive, happy, enthusiastic, and joyful during all your tutoring sessions.
7. Motivator
If students are taking tutoring from you for extra help, there are chances they will need more and more motivation to do better in their studies. Well, that is exactly what a tutor should do; motivate their students! Tutors should motivate their students to do their best, reach their targets and goals, and overcome all the obstacles they come across. Also, never tell them they can’t do a certain thing. Your main job is to motivate them, not demotivate them.
8. Show Respect
Tutors should always their students as respectable individuals. They should understand the struggles of their students, appreciate them when needed, and give them the right respect. Also, respect is a give-and-take thing. The more respect you give to your students, the more respect you will receive.
9. Non-Judgemental
Being a tutor, you will mostly come across students with academic problems and deficiencies. However, that does not mean you judge them because of this. These students came to you because they are willing to learn. So, always appreciate and motivate them to do better instead of being judgemental about their learning capabilities.
10. Good Listener
In the end, a tutor should always be a good listener so that the students feel comfortable while sharing their problems and concerns with them. Always pay close attention to your students while they are talking and listen to them with keen interest and enthusiasm.
Final Words
Being a tutor is definitely hard, but it is one of the most precious professions in the world. Tutors get to help countless students and watch them score higher grades in exams. If you are planning to become a tutor, all you need to do is understand the roles and responsibilities of a tutor, and learn the main characteristics. Also, try to maintain a positive role model image in front of your students to motivate and inspire them to do better.
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