These ten tips will show you how to best prepare for and benefit from those sessions. Always bring all course materials to tutoring sessions. Continue work after the session. Don't expect your tutor to replace your teacher.
The first tutoring session always scares both the student and the tutor, since they don't know each other yet. It's best to be too prepared, but not to do too much. The first lesson should be used to start a relationship with your student. Try to make the lesson fun so that your student is looking forward to the next one.
Oh, and keep your main goals simple. They should be attainable, simple, and you should never have more than 2 or 3 in a single lesson. It's a good idea to “start” the topic of the lesson, but make sure you're in the main part of your lesson plan no later than 15 minutes. This is practically the cognitive and behavioral medium you need to succeed in your first tutoring session (and beyond).
Many budding tutors avoid talking about their long-term vision for a student or for themselves as tutors. Depending on the duration of the lesson and the student's mood, you may feel tired during the tutoring session. If every tutor had a penny for every time they forgot to set the task, it would be the highest-paid profession on the planet. If you're already at this end point of the article, you're most likely planning your first tutoring session.
If you're hoping to become an online tutor but haven't attended your first tutoring session, it's completely normal to feel a little nervous. Change enrollment from in-person classes to online webcam tutoring if your student is unable to attend class on time. As in all industries, the world of mentoring is constantly evolving and it is essential that modern tutors avoid being left behind. Whether academic, musical, or sports, your first tutoring session with a prospective student can seem like a daunting challenge.
A mentoring contract would help ensure that both parties understand agreements, such as late cancellations, payments, suspension of classes, or changing rates. Being late for class, taking a week to respond to parents' email, or just about any lack of punctuality is the kiss of death for a tutor. These simple clothing tricks can instantly make you look more welcoming and friendly, a prerequisite for becoming a tutor for students. This might be more difficult if you don't know what you're going to cover, but as you teach more and more, you'll create a large bank of resources and references that you can draw on.
Taking notes of all the positive aspects of your tutoring will help you repeat the same processes over and over again, until they are a natural part of your teaching performance.
