If you're a recent university grad, it can be maddeningly difficult, when looking for work, to get your foot in the door. To get your foot in the door, you need to have some work experience. But to get some work experience, you need to get your foot in the door.
It's okay, if you're a recent college grad, to feel trapped in a catch-22. In some cases, you truly are.
Thankfully, though, that you can find a decent gig that rewards all your schooling: tutoring. There will always been a demand for doctors, because doctors heal, and there will always be a demand for tutors, because tutors teach.
As a recent college grad, there's a good chance you're qualified to work as a tutor in the subject area you majored in. If you got into a top tier college, you could also tutor the SAT.
So, how can you know if you'd make a good tutor?
You Enjoy the Area or Major You Specialized In
Someone who isn't enamored of biology probably won't enjoy spending hours teaching the subject, just as someone who doesn't enjoy pickles won't enjoy eating pickles every day.
Good tutors, like good profs, tend to enjoy the subject they teach. Their enthusiasm can be contagious and motivating. A math tutor in Winnipeg provides an essential service for students who are struggling, and can be a rewarding job for someone who believes in the importance of the subject.
This isn't to say you need to be in love with the subject you teach. Being curious about or interested in the subject can be enough. But being in love with the subject you teach certainly won't hurt.
You Enjoy Working with Kids
Being a tutor in most cases means spending time with kids from different age groups. Being comfortable around kids is key.
Tutors aren't babysitters. Neither are they authority figures. Tutors are more like very smart and personable older peers.
As a tutor, you won't have to tell a kid to behave, or anything of the sort. You will, however, have to spend lots of time at their side, so it's important that you enjoy their company, are able to gain their trust, and talk to them peer to peer.
You Don't Mind Travelling
Online tutoring is becoming increasingly popular. Due to the pandemic, in fact, it's now the norm. But in-person tutoring may make a comeback, and if it does, tutors will once again have to travel from place to place. Only few tutoring services offer in house tutors. Most tutors, whether freelance or with a service, have to travel around.
In places like New York City, this means taking many subway rides. In a more suburban city like Winnipeg or Kitchener-Waterloo, you might need to have a car. Tutors can arrange to be paid for their commute time, though, so you can be rewarded for your travelling efforts.
You're Patient
Some pupils learn faster than others. Some may speed through certain concepts only to spend a month or more stuck on one. Everyone learns differently. A good tutor, like a good teacher, must be patient and able to work with their students according to their unique needs and learning styles.
Perhaps the best thing about becoming a tutor is that you get to spend more time developing your own knowledge. It's one thing to study something as a student, and quite another to teach it. So if you're ready for an exciting adventure, get in touch with a local tutoring service to find out more.
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