Tutor
What is a tutor?
Related job titles
Major duties
Qualifications and requirements
Compensation
Who are the employers?
Where to find job postings
Professional associations and contacts
More relevant links
Questions found in many tutoring positions
Sample job posting
What is a tutor?
A tutor delivers educational aid and assistance to children and adults in various
fields of education. The role of a tutor is to give supplementary educational
support to individuals who are having difficulties in their educational situations.
A tutor often works during the school year although there is some demand for
summer tutors.
Tutors help students usually one-to-one or in small groups. The classes can be at the company sites, libraries, coffee shops or in homes of the student or tutor. One of the latest trends is tutoring through the use of the internet.
Although many of the tutoring job postings are related to school subjects, there is also a need for tutors of other languages, especially French. Parents who enrol their children in French immersion may not have the language background to help their children with homework and assignments. A tutor may also find opportunities teaching “heritage” or "international" languages for parents who would like their children to be literate in another language.
Related job titles
Other job titles for tutors include educational consultants, one-to-one teachers,
and instructors.
Major Duties
A tutor is responsible for teaching students either one-to-one or in small group
settings. The tutor’s duties vary with each organization. For example,
some organizations require the tutor to be responsible for creating lesson plans
prior to the tutoring sessions. However, most organizations have a set curriculum
and plan for each student.
The duties of a tutor may include:
- Assist students in their understanding of course requirements
- Assess students’ understanding of course content
- Develop time management and organizational skills
- Follow set curriculum for student (when provided)
- Develop supplemental material
- Correct tests and homework assignments
- Review basic concepts in subject matter
- Help students overcome difficulties in schoolwork
- Develop supplemental materials
Qualifications and Requirements
- Most companies require a Bachelors degree in education or the completion of a degree in the subject area
- Excellent background in particular subject matter
- Experience teaching and/or tutoring
- Excellent fluency and command of English, both written and oral
- Available for flexible hours, especially afternoons and evenings
- Knowledge of the current elementary/secondary curriculum
- Strong organizational and creative skills essential for administering lesson plans
- Patient, caring and friendly personality
Some organizations but not all require the following:
- Access to an automobile
- Completion of education in Canada
- Commitment to work to end of current school year
- Completion of a screening test
- Understanding of different learning styles
- Knowledge of learning disabilities
- Fluency in additional languages (French can be a definite asset)
These phrases and 'buzz words' may be useful:
- Custom-tailored programs
- Low student/teacher ratio
- Programs suited specifically for each student
- Help students overcome difficulties
- Tutors must have expertise in pertinent subject area
- Our agency strives to make an ideal match between the tutor and the student
- We build programs to suit the unique needs and learning styles of each student
- Assess the skills of the student in order to create long-term and short-term goals
- Tutors must brush up on their knowledge of the school curriculum
- Tutors and students must find a neutral meeting place within the negotiated area
- Conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times
- Clients must give 24 hours' advance notice of cancellations
Compensation
Tutors are usually paid an hourly rate. This rate ranges from $10 to $30 an
hour depending on experience, availability, education and area of expertise.
Hours of work vary considerably and are dependant on the tutor’s availability
and the need for the specific skill set that the tutor brings.
Who are the employers?
The primary employers of tutors are private companies. However, some tutors
are affiliated with a company but also do their own work privately, advertising
through the internet or at community centres.
Where to find job postings?
The majority of tutoring companies can be located in the yellow pages of the
phone book or through an internet search using the name of your municipality
and tutors. Other options include the following internet sites:
HRDC - tutors
www.toronto-tutoring.com
www.workopolis.com
www.educationcanada.com
www.jobcanada.org
www.jobsineducation.com
Professional associations and contacts
There is no professional association for tutors.
More Relevant Links
Another option for tutors is to be self-employed. There are a number of places
to advertise on the internet such as www.findatutor.ca
where tutors can place ads. Self-employed tutors can place other advertisements
in community newspapers or at community centres and libraries.
Those who wish to gain more experience and training with tutoring may consider volunteering at public libraries and adult literacy programs. Libraries offer training programs that cover philosophy, tutor responsibilities, program procedures, library resources and methods and techniques for tutoring learners. Call 416 395-5555 to become involved in this program if you live in Toronto.
Questions found in many tutoring positions:
What is your educational background?
What subject areas are you qualified to teach?
What background do you have in teaching/tutoring?
What grade levels have you taught before?
What background do you have in the Ontario curriculum?
How far are you willing to travel?
Sample Job Posting
We offer tutoring to children in grades JK to grade 12. We are located at Leslie/401. Teaching takes place at sites convenient to students.
Our company focuses on tutoring in math, English, ESL, reading, writing and science. We have an opening for the following tutor:
Math and Science tutor for three students in grade 8.
Days: Tuesday and Thursday
Time: 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Term date: February to June
Pay rate: $12-$20 depending on experience and qualifications
Qualifications:
- Three years teaching/tutoring experience
- Bachelor degree in subject area
- Excellent spoken and written English
- Access to vehicle and fluency in another language considered assets
Please send resume and cover letter and include the following:
- Specific subject areas
- Times available to teach
- Intersections of areas you can service