What to Expect and What Not to Expect From a Tutor

By Brittany Loeffler on November 15, 2017

Some college students may have a preconceived notion of what a tutor is and is not. Some students may think that a tutor is someone to help them pass a class without putting in much effort. Some students may think that a tutor is just another instructor that gives them more homework. Both of these expectations are wrong.

If you have decided or have been thinking about hiring a tutor, it’s important to know what to expect and what not to expect from your tutor. When you know what to expect from your tutor, you will have a higher chance of succeeding and passing the class you are getting help with.

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Will NOT do your homework

First thing’s first, you are not hiring your tutor to do your homework for you. Hiring a tutor is not an easy way to get an A in a class. While a tutor may look over your homework with you and help you solve problems you are struggling with, don’t expect your tutor to take a pen and write down the answers for you.

Your tutor is there to help teach you and explain the concepts and problems you are having trouble with.

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Will teach you strategies

A tutor is hired to help you learn how to learn. They are there to teach you more than just the topics you are learning in class. In fact, they are there to teach you what strategies you need in order to understand the material and solve problems.

Tutoring is more than just solving problems that have been assigned to you. It is teaching you skills and processes you will need in order to solve these problems when they are assigned to you.

Will NOT reteach lessons

You pay tuition so you can go to class and learn lessons from your professor. You don’t pay your tutor to reteach the lessons you may have missed because you skipped out on class. Your tutor is not an instructor but is rather a guide who is there to help you through the material you do not fully understand.

You are responsible for going to class and coming to your tutoring sessions with questions about the lesson and topics you need to spend more time on. Your tutor is not sitting beside you in class, so expect to have an open and honest conversation about your struggles.

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Will review class materials

Though your tutor will not reteach lessons, they will go over lessons that you did not fully understand. This is why it is so important to attend class and come back with questions for your tutor. The great thing about hiring help outside of class is that you get another perspective. Your tutor may explain the topic differently than the professor, in a way that makes you understand the material.

Will be patient with you

Hiring a tutor is like hiring a therapist. They will get to know you and your learning style during your sessions together. This allows you to form a relationship with one another. Tutors are trained to be empathetic towards their students and will be extremely patient. Don’t ever feel that you are wasting your tutor’s time because after two or three sessions you still struggle with the same concept.

Your tutor is there to help you with whatever you are struggling with and will never judge you. They will go over a topic or problem as many times as you need until you are confident that you understand the material and can solve that type of problem.

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Will NOT guarantee a passing grade

Just because you hired a tutor does not mean you will pass the class. What it does mean is that you are serious about your studies and want to take an extra step to learn the material. However, if you do not pull through on your responsibilities as a student to your tutor, then you will not pass your class.

Your responsibilities include going to every class, completing every assignment, coming to your tutor with questions, completing any extra assignments, and studying for tests.

Will help you to the best of their ability

Remember, your tutor may not be a certified expert in the field they are teaching you so they will not know every answer to every one of your questions. It is expected that they will take their own time to find the answer to your question and come back to you with it.

It’s expected that your tutor will use all of their energy and resources to help you the best they can. There may be a time that you do not work with a tutor that you can get along with and learn from and that’s okay. Make sure you are working with someone who you can benefit from and learn processes in order to pass your class.

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