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Tutor Positions

Position Overview

The tutoring program is a free resource designed to support the academic success of primarily first- and second-year students in introductory STEM courses. Tutors meet with students individually or in small groups to discuss course concepts and share effective learning, studying, and test-taking strategies specific to their course. Tutoring supplements and personalizes classroom instruction.

Job Responsibilities

  • Meet with students individually or in small groups to assess and support their current learning needs in a course.
    • Emphasize skill transfer, thinking and learning strategies, and adaptable problem-solving.
    • Engage students with active learning strategies so that they participate rather than just listen.
    • Adapt your tutoring methods and explanations to the current, unique needs of each student.
  • Write and submit appointment summaries through Navigate within 24 hours of each appointment.
  • Complete all required training, both online and in person.
  • Attend required biweekly staff meetings for continued professional development.

Employment Conditions

Eligibility requirements

  • Have authorization to work in the United States.
  • Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
  • Have a B+ or better from Virginia Tech in the courses you would like to tutor.
  • Maintain a history of good conduct standing and academic integrity.
  • Complete CRLA Level 1 certification by the end of your second semester tutoring in order to continue.

Availability requirements

  • Commit to tutoring in both the fall and spring semesters following your application.
  • Tutor at least 4 hours per week during working semesters.
  • Attend biweekly staff meetings.
  • Participate in biannual fall and spring training days on the first Sunday of each semester.
  • Complete 10 hours of training before beginning to tutor.

Compensation

Tutors receive hourly pay for all time spent tutoring or in training. Since we are certified by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA), tutors can complete additional training to achieve up to three levels of CRLA certification, each of which leads to a $0.50/hour pay raise.

  • Starting: $12.00/hour (individual), $13.00/hour (group)
  • Level 1: $12.50/hour (individual), $13.50/hour (group)
  • Level 2: $13.00/hour (individual), $14.00/hour (group)
  • Level 3: $13.50/hour (individual), $14.50/hour (group)

Application Process

  • February: Interested students can complete the online application in Handshake.
  • March: Application review.
  • Late March to mid April: Selected applicants will be invited for interviews with the Student Success Center.
  • Mid April to mid May: All application materials will be compared with tutoring needs. Additional applicants may be invited for interviews.
  • Late May to early June: After classes end, the SSC will screen all finalists for GPA eligibility, check faculty references, check student conduct and academic integrity records, finalize tutoring needs, and send out decisions to all applicants.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of becoming a tutor?

Tutoring offers an opportunity for you to grow as a student and person. You can challenge yourself to develop new skills and qualities that will serve you well both in college and beyond. Tutoring strengthens interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills. It solidifies your understanding of course concepts. It can also help clarify your career goals by revealing new interests or skills.

What qualities are you looking for in a tutor?

  • Academically, excellent tutors have strong content knowledge and excellent academic skills and habits that they can model for their students.
  • They can clearly explain information in multiple ways, and their communication skills are enhanced by their ease with establishing rapport.
  • Personally, the strongest tutors are empathetic, patient, compassionate, and genuinely want to help others.
  • Finally, the best tutors believe that anyone can improve regardless of where they start, and they bring that optimism into all of their tutoring interactions.

Can I tutor any class I want?

Unfortunately, no. With so many classes to choose from, we focus on around 60 mostly-STEM courses that large numbers of students take every semester. These courses are mostly at the 1000- and 2000-level. You can see the full list of courses in our application, or you can look at the courses we are tutoring this semester (scroll to the end of the page).