1210212.us16.myftpupload.com Managed WordPress Site

Tag: tutoring

  • How Tutoring Can Help You Make the Most out of Campus Life

    How Tutoring Can Help You Make the Most out of Campus Life

    College and university campuses offer great freedom to students. The customized schedule, self-directed study, and access to numerous campus events provide ample opportunities to lead a fulfilling post-secondary life. The choices you make can have a profound impact on the years following your graduation. One of the best ways to capitalize on this unique setting is to offer tutoring services on campus.

    If you are primarily looking for income, tutoring is in many ways preferable to more traditional part-time jobs. Many tutors charge amounts far higher than minimum wage. Sessions with each pupil last one or two hours. It only takes a few clients for this to add up to a healthy weekly income. This is money that can be saved for the future or used to help you with course materials, transportation, and living expenses. Having your own tutoring business also teaches you what it takes to run a company. You will have to set your own hours, which can ideally be placed before or after your commuting to a job.

    All jobs have transferrable skills, but it is easier to demonstrate a connection between tutoring specific subjects and careers in those fields. Whichever topics you decide to focus on, ensure that you have a strong passion for them and credentials to support your choice. No one will be interested in a tutor who can supposedly teach anything. Credentials can include your major, minor, certificates, previous work or teaching experience, and anything else that could be used on a resume. By using the subjects of your major or minor, you will be better focused on your studies. Tutoring others can in turn be a great way to help you perform better in your courses.

    Once you have committed to the idea and selected your areas of expertise, prepare a pitch for your services. This is not all that different from a cover letter, and must succinctly explain what you are offering to teach, why you are qualified to do so, and how students can benefit from your services. This is not the time for modesty; feel free to include your grades, achievements, and testimonials from previous students or teachers. This advertisement can be placed online using sites such as Craigslist, Kijiji, university forums, and Facebook groups. Many campuses, coffee shops, libraries, and community centres have notice boards and will allow you to post your printed advertisement.

    All of this requires greater initiative compared to handing your resume to a company for a part-time job. However, there are many benefits to reap from tutoring on campus. The ideal location, flexible hours, great pay, and valuable experience make it unique from other part-time work. You can easily schedule your students so that you can engage in other events and activities on campus. The experience can be crucial in helping you acquire work after graduation. Tutoring while in college or university is a fantastic way to utilize the opportunities your post-secondary years have to offer.

    Sources:

    Butler, Jake. “How to make money as a private tutor.” Save the Student. http://www.savethestudent.org/make-money/make-money-as-a-private-tutor.html

    Sloane, Cathryn. “Why tutoring is one of the best part-time jobs for students.” USA Today. http://college.usatoday.com/2012/11/09/why-tutoring-is-one-of-the-best-part-time-jobs-for-students

  • Having a Tutor in College and University

    Having a Tutor in College and University

    Deciding to get assistance from a tutor during your academic career depends on how you feel about your classes, your grades, and your study skills, and does not mean you are a bad student. There are good reasons to get help from a tutor for a single assignment, a specific course, or for the whole semester, regardless of your grades.

    Maintain or Improve Academic Standing

    Grades are often the main consideration when deciding to get a tutor. You want to do well in school, and a tutor can help. Particularly for students who are relying on grade-dependent scholarships and grants, having a tutor can ensure you are able to keep your grades up where they need to be to continue receiving this support. Depending on the direction of your academic career, future programs may require minimum grades for application and consideration.

    Get Help for a Particular Assignment, Course, or Subject

    No one is an expert in everything, and you may have a class or assignment containing a lot of new material with which you are not familiar. If you start feeling confused or overwhelmed by course material, a tutor can be a great help. They can explain and demonstrate concepts, offer study tips, and suggest ways to organize the information to increase understanding. They can also help you plan and outline assignments, or read over a draft of a report or essay and offer suggestions for improvement.

    Recover From a Low Grade

    You don’t necessarily want to wait until after you get a low grade on an important exam or assignment to consider getting a tutor. However, if that is what happens, a tutor can help you review your work, explain the comments from your professor, and talk through where you could have improved or what you may have missed. Then they can help you study and work on future assignments, for a better understanding of the material next time.

    Tutoring can help you at any time during school – not just when you‘re a freshman or having trouble with a class. You can gain a clearer understanding of course material and avoid low grades before they happen. You will also gain confidence in your study skills and in your ability to complete assignments. Getting a tutor early on and having regular meetings with them (even if it is just a few times a month) can give you an excellent academic boost.

    There are various options for finding a tutor. Most colleges and universities offer tutoring services free through academic counselling and student services departments. These can be either drop-in sessions, or pre-arranged appointment times for one-on-one assistance. External tutoring services also operate independent of any specific school, though usually there is a fee.

    Lastly, if you know another student in your year, or a year or two ahead, you can ask them personally if they would be willing to tutor you. Just remember to take the tutoring sessions seriously, as they are willing to share some of their time with you.

    Sources:

    http://www.collegeparentcentral.com/2010/05/tutoring-can-help-your-college-student-succeed-twelve-reasons-to-start-early/

    University of Western Ontario Student Development Centre

    http://sdc.uwo.ca/learning/

     

  • Would You Benefit from a Tutor?

    Would You Benefit from a Tutor?

    Many students will experience difficulties with academic subjects at some point during their academic career, but all universities provide some type of resources to help during those times.

    Professors are probably the best people to ask when you need some clarification about something, but they usually have limited office hours. In that case, your school’s resource centre is your best bet to finding more accessible help. Hiring a tutor through your school also means a higher likelihood that the person is a reputable tutor and could even be offered at a subsidized cost to you.

    You can find a tutor outside of your school, but consider taking the extra time to ensure the person you hire is in fact knowledgeable in the field and understands the tutee/tutor relationship in order to be worth the money you are paying.

    “I think it depends on how much help one needs as a tutee. If one is lagging behind in a class and wanting to catch up, then tutoring will be helpful as it re-teaches the material; but if one needs tutoring for a specialized personal need or wants to excel in an area, then tutoring is only useful if the tutor is competent and one-on-one, and most tutors are not competent enough for that”, said Virginia Zhao, 4th year UBC student.

    “To that effect, I don’t find tutoring helpful in most situations. When I need help, instead of asking for a tutor, I ask for ‘higher authorities’ such as teachers [and] professors…they are more helpful and efficient than peers” continued Zhao.

    For more specialized purposes, such as wanting to start building a foundation for a particular career while still in school, you might consider working with a mentor. Mentors – whether you work with them in your job or at school – have proven to expand knowledge, help narrow down focus and improve decision-making in their mentees.

    Colleges and universities might have mentorship programs in place where students are carefully matched to their mentors to ensure both parties will gain value from the experience. If a student is even more certain about what they want to do when they finish post-secondary they should consider becoming members of the related associations and join programs where mentorship is available.

    “My mentor was easy to get along with and was very helpful in refining my technical skills” Marko Martic, IT Diploma graduate from BCIT, said. “I Kept in touch with my mentor even after I was done my program and he introduced me to a network of people in my field that eventually helped me find my job”.

    “Maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to be a mentor and help someone like my mentor helped me – there are always mentees looking for mentors and more people will see the benefits once they get into it” Martic said.