The successful tutoring candidate exhibits a number of qualities. Foremost among these qualities, a tutor needs to have knowledge of the target language and the customer service skills to work with students of diverse backgrounds, experiences. A tutor should be an exemplary student who can act not only as a study aide within the scope of a language course, but can also impart motivation and knowledge about good study habits to the students with whom they work.
Click here and send your application to our Modern Language Tutoring Center if you are interested in working as a student tutor.
Required Skills and Qualifications
- Native or Near Native Fluency in your Tutoring Language: Because SMC offers classes
of all different levels, our tutors must be able to help students from the beginning
to the advanced levels. This requires the ability to clearly explain:
- the rules of grammar
- the rules of the writing system used by the language
- proper pronunciation
- how to read in the target language
- how to compose written responses in complete sentences to oral questions
- how to write compositions using grammatically correct constructions
- Customer Service Skills: A successful tutor must be able to form relationships with students, discuss their concerns, and help them through the process of finding an answer. This requires patience, kindness, and an energetic, friendly demeanor.
- Intercultural Communication Skills: SMC's student body is large and diverse. A tutor must be able to work amicably with students of all different types of backgrounds. All are welcome here.
- Full-Time Status: Our student tutors are required to be actively enrolled full-time (12 units) in their program of study. Tutors who are recipients of the Federal Work Study award as part of their financial aid are eligible to work while enrolled in 6 units. During Summer and Winter Terms, student tutors can work while being enrolled in 3 units, on the condition that they are enrolled in enough units to be work eligible in the following full semester.
Desired Skills and Qualifications
- Prior experience with language learning/teaching/tutoring: If you have taken foreign language courses (especially the courses you hope to tutor) here at SMC that can be a huge benefit to students who are going through the same experience. Share your insights with them as a tutor!
- Demonstrated Academic Success: A tutor should be an exemplary student. The role of a tutor in the Modern Language Tutoring Center is not only to help with questions about language, but with developing good study habits, test taking skills, etc. The skills learned with a tutor should be applicable to any class a student takes.
If you've read through these requirements and think you fit the bill, we'd love to meet with you to discuss the position!
As a first step.
Applications are accepted at any time and tutors are hired throughout the year as needed. The hiring process involves an interview, testing, and a mock-tutorial.
We look forward to meeting you!