7 Tips for College Students to Be Peer Tutors

BY LORRAINE McKINNEY

 

If you are looking for a great way to make extra money while studying at college, you can tutor others in the subjects that you excel in. Not only is this a good way for students to earn money, it can also be a highly rewarding experience. At most colleges, you will find a large number of peer tutors, and they are sharing their knowledge while making money. If you do exceptionally well at one or more subjects, and you are interested in becoming a peer tutor, check out the following tips that will help get you on your way.

 

1. Put Yourself Out There – The first thing you need to do is get the word out that you are available to be a peer tutor. There are several ways you can do this. Start by visiting your student center, guidance office, resident advisor, etc., and ask them if there are students who are in need of your help. You can also advertise via bulletin boards around the campus, and of course, through the campus website, social media, and other websites like Tutor.com.
2. Recognize Learning Diversity – Not everyone learns at the same pace, and not everyone learns with the same learning tools. You need to recognize this, and be able to adapt your tutoring style to each individual student that you are working with. In some cases, you may have to adapt to a lot of things, including where you study. Some students may not be as comfortable working in one area as they are another.
3. Create the Right Resume – No matter what type of job you want to get, you should have the proper resume. Sure, you can offer your services as a tutor and hope to get a few students to work with. But, if you are able to produce a resume that shows the skills and experience you have that makes you a great tutor, you are likely going to get better results. Find clean resume templates that will highlight your skills.
4. Be Yourself – If you are unsure about something yourself, don’t try to pretend that you have all of the answers. Let the students you are tutoring know that you need to learn as well, and you can learn together. This can often be just as effective as teaching, because you are working together to figure things out.
5. Be on the Same Level – You are no better than the people you are tutoring, and you shouldn’t act like you are. This is not going to help you get a connection with them, and they are not going to be able to learn nearly as much from you as they could. Build a human connection with them, and let them know that you are all there for the same thing, to succeed in college and beyond.
6. Use Many Teaching Tools – This tip kinds of goes right along with the above tip. Because not everyone learns in the same way, you will need to be able to use a variety of teaching tools. Take advantage of different types of media, get students to draw diagrams, etc. Do whatever it takes to make them remember the information and pass their courses.
7. Don’t do the Work for Them – A lot of peer tutors make the mistake of doing the work for the students they are tutoring. This really isn’t helping them much. Yes, you need to help them, but you can’t just give them the answers. Instead, help them find ways to get the answers themselves. They will see their progress, and feel empowered to do even better.

Lorraine McKinney is an academic tutor and elearning specialist.