Boundaries are needed to avoid future difficulties and to make clear that, while you are a support figure for your tutees, they should also learn to be self-reliant and not emotionally dependent on you. Explicitly articulated boundaries are part of being clear with students, colleagues, and yourself. Boundaries provide stability, clarify the limits of the tutor/tutee relationship, help to keep the relationship healthy, appropriate, and safe, and promote trust between tutor and tutee. Your position should always be professional, and this can be helped by deciding in advance where and when to meet, defining the kind of help that you can offer, and explaining the purpose of Academic Tuition and the tutor-tutee relationship.
Other things that you could do to set boundaries include:
- Stating how often you will meet, and when and where meetings will be held
- Describing the main themes of each tutorial in advance
- Providing tutees with information about your office hours and how students can make an appointment to see you
- Responding to tutees emails within 3 working days, and letting them know when you will be away from the University
- Informing tutees of the consequences of failing to attend a meeting, and following up on these
- Defining your limits of confidentiality
- Defining what your role covers and what you can offer to your tutees, making clear that you cannot act as a counsellor and that you cannot solve their problems for them