Be a role model. Support a child’s learning.

What it Takes to Become a Tutor

Above all else, the students we tutor mostly need consistency from their tutors. Some of the students we serve lack consistency in their lives, so our tutors must be consistent academic role models.

How much time does it take to apply? The Tutor Application should take about an hour to complete. We hope that you give thoughtful answers so we can truly get to know you, your experiences, your qualifications, and why you want to become a tutor. Our interview lasts about 20 minutes and our training is 1-2 hours long. In total, it takes 3-4 hours to become a tutor.

What is the time commitment? We expect our tutors to tutor once or twice a week until the end of the school year. Tutoring sessions will last 1 hour.

What will tutoring look like? Once a week, you and a few other tutors from your high school will go to an after-school program in your community after school (on weekdays). You and your fellow tutors will split up to help the students at the program with their homework. The students you tutor may range from elementary schoolers to high schoolers (5-18 years old). You may be asked to tutor one-on-one or in small groups. We hope that you will tutor the same student(s) for the most part so they can get to know and trust you. You may assist them with homework assignments, studying for tests, or general practice. Sometimes it will be your responsibility to ask the students if they have any homework and encourage them to do it. So far, all of our tutors have become friends and mentors with most of the students they have tutored. You will likely find students who look up to you. Your encouragement and advice may have a large impact on their schooling and on their lives.

What do we look for in tutors?

• Commitment: Like we stated above, our tutors need to be consistent. Thus, commitment is the most important characteristic we look for. We want to know that the students we choose to become tutors understand the importance of their role and have the time to tutor almost every single week. We expect our tutors to tutor once a week for the entire academic year.

• Thoughtfulness: We want to know that the tutors we select are thoughtful of the circumstances that the students we tutor face. It is not necessary that you have worked with students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but it is necessary that you are willing to learn how to interact with such students in a sensitive and productive way.

• Character: We want to surround the students we tutor with tutors that will be positive role models and caring friends. We want to see that you are compassionate, caring, and honorable. Furthermore, we know that tutoring may not always be easy. We want our tutors to have patience and a willingness to work through challenging situations.

• Academically Qualified: We recruit tutors who take school seriously and have solid grades. If you are a strong student, not only will you be equipped to teach material, but you will also understand the importance of education, which will likely rub off on the students you tutor. We also do not expect that you are an expert in any subject as many of the students we tutor are in elementary or middle school and their academic content is easy to teach for a high schooler. Though, please indicate if you are particularly strong in a certain subject because we do tutor high school students who may require specific skills.

• Experience: It is a plus if you have experience with childcare or tutoring, but it not necessary as we will be providing a free training to all tutors.

Why You Should Become a Tutor

• Most importantly, tutors directly impact the lives of students in their community. You may be the reason a student begins to complete their homework more often, feels more confident in school, and improves their knowledge in a subject.

• As a tutor, you are likely to get to know a student who will look up to you and directly benefit from your support. Our tutors have expressed that they have all grown close with the students they tutor and benefit from the relationships greatly.

• Tutoring is a way to effect real change in your community. By providing an affordable option for academic support, you can help families support their students academically. By expanding opportunity for those furthest from educational justice, you can promote equity and lower inequality. Furthermore, research shows that students with mentors are far more likely to graduate from high school, stay out of jail, and escape poverty.

• You will get the chance to meet students and gain new perspectives that you may have otherwise never gained.

• Tutoring is a learning opportunity. You will learn how to teach students effectively, which may be a skill that will be useful later in life if you become a TA in college, a teacher, a parent, or a just friend looking to help a fellow student. Also, you will learn how create relationships with students from diverse backgrounds. This will improve your relationship skills all around and help you interact with people who you may have had trouble interacting with in the future.

• Teaching is a proven method of improving knowledge and skills of the material you are teaching and storing information as long-term memory. By tutoring, you can sharpen your skills on certain subjects and increase your chances of remembering content for the long-term.

• Tutoring is a meaningful way to gain community service hours.