Being an Academic Tutor is a rewarding experience but can also be challenging. Effective tutoring requires a wide-ranging set of skills. A survey by Leeds Metropolitan University (Race 2010) found that effective tutors
- Genuinely care about the students
- Show empathy
- Are good listeners and non-judgemental
- Show by their actions and words, a personal interest in students’ welfare and a desire to help them succeed rather than catch them out
- Know the different services available in the University to help students in the best possible way
- Know how to ask the right questions
- Are accessible and approachable
- Have a friendly nature, enabling them to build a good rapport with the students, but are also able to be firm when necessary
- Are sensitive to each individual student’s background, intellect, experience and needs
- Calmly help the student to keep things in perspective
- Are aware of their limitations, of what they can personally manage and cope with, and respect the boundaries of the role
- Promote peer relationships between tutees right from the start of the course, encouraging them to look out for and care about one another and to confidentially raise any worries about a fellow student
- Genuinely welcome request for help from tutees
- Have the experience to spot when someone is clinically depressed, suicidal, or just anxious, or may be affected by undisclosed mental health issues or learning differences
Adapted from Race, P. (2010). Making Personal Tutoring Work. Leeds Metropolitan University
Some of these attributes and skills do not come easily to all tutors, and the wide range of them can seem daunting to those new to a tutoring role. Most of these attributes and skills develop with experience and improve with practice. If you feel that you lack some of these attributes or skills when faced with a tutee and their issues, that’s ok. Recognise that no tutor is perfect and that many of these skills and attributes will develop the more you engage with the tutoring role. The most important thing is that you try to help the student in the best way that you can, whilst recognising the limitations of your skills and experience. If you really don’t feel equipped or able to help the student, that isn’t a failure on your part, it is simply a time when you should defer to your Lead Academic Tutor for help and advice. The Lead Academic Tutor will normally have significant tutoring experience and can guide you in the best way to deal with that student whilst building your own skills and experience. In serious or difficult cases, your Lead Academic Tutor can intervene and deal with the student directly.