A tutor is not just someone to help students get caught up or get ahead. A tutor can also help your student build confidence and serve as a mentor.
While we would wish every tutor has these qualities, that’s just not true. Ultimately, other than knowledge of the subject these are 4 qualities you should expect from your tutor:
- Patience. Many students get tutors because they need someone who can work through problems with them at a different pace to what the teacher is teaching in class, either by moving more quickly through the problems (for students ready for more challenging work) or more slowly (for students who are struggling). Some students may also need frequent redirection as they get easily distracted. You need to be patient and help students work through the problems at their pace, not yours.
- Clarity. A good tutor makes sure that the student understands exactly what they have been told. They also understand how to communicate directions to the students, so the student knows clearly what to do. Part of clearly explaining work to the students also include writing neatly, having a good sense of how to organize material on the page (including the use of color), and picking the best examples.
- A Plan. A tutor always has a plan for every lesson. Even if the plan isn’t followed perfectly, it gives a framework of where each lesson is going. There is a goal of what parents and students expect the tutoring sessions will achieve, and so the plan helps the student stay on track towards the goal. However, while there is a goal, vary the lessons so that students stay interested and engaged.
- Rapport. A tutor will connect with the student. This also means that tutors can read students and notice when they are tired, more emotional, happy and frustrated. As a result, they vary the pace and topics taught during the lesson to keep the students engaged. They look for every opportunity to connect and guide the student to do their very best and develop long term.
- Business skills. A tutor knows how to provide excellent customer service, communicate with parents, schedule and organize lessons, bill and invoice, and market the business. Tutors should make sure these processes are as smooth as possible so that their clients have the best possible tutoring experience.
Being a tutor is fun and rewarding, and with the right mindset, all these qualities can be developed. If you are interested in learning more about how to get tutor training message us for more information.
If you are interested in finding a tutor, contact us here and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
