Info for Private Tutors

Who is eligible to become a Private Tutor?

ANSWER:  Enrolled SPU undergraduate students who have strong academic background in the courses they hope to tutor.

What is my role as a Private Tutor?

ANSWER:  To encourage students to better understand their course material, offering insight and clarification as needed.  It is not your role to do the students' home work or give them answers for exam questions.  They are responsible for their own work and grades.

How do I become a Private Tutor and get my name on the Tutor Referral List?

ANSWER: 

To be a "faculty recommended" tutor, contact a faculty member who knows your academic performance in the subject area you would like to tutor.  If the faculty member chooses to recommend you, he or she should send an email to mjallen@spu.edu stating which courses you are qualified to tutor.  We will respond to you with further information.

To recommend yourself as a tutor, send a message to cfltutoring@spu.edu. This option is for students who are new to SPU but have had previous experience as a tutor in other settings.  Once we receive your message, we will respond with further information.

How many hours a week do I have to be available to tutor?

ANSWER: That's up to you.  If someone contacts you for an appointment and you don't have time, respond and recommend they contact another tutor.  They can get further recommendations from the Center for Learning or faculty members.

How will students interested in tutoring contact me?

ANSWER: We will give them your email address.  We recommend that you respond to all requests within 1 business day, even if you need to say you are unavailable.

What should I do if I need to cancel a tutoring appointment I made with a student?

ANSWER:  Send an email to the student immediately and try to reschedule.  Except in cases of emergency, we recommend that you give a student 48 hours notice if you need to cancel a session.

Where should I meet with the students I tutor?

ANSWER:  All tutoring sessions should take place in well-lit, public areas.  Below is a list of recommended meeting places on campus. No tutoring should take place in private residence hall rooms, private homes/apartments or behind closed doors.  This will help maintain the safety of both parties.

Recommended tutoring locations:

• Library
• Weter Hall Lounge
• Otto Miller Hall (study spaces located on first floor upon entrance; also on second floor)
• Science Building Lounge
• Student Union Building (tables and booths available)
• Hill Hall (large lounge and small study room located on main entrance level)
• Ashton Hall (large study lounge on main entrance level)
• Emerson Hall (common study lounge on main level; study lounges located on each floor)
• Moyer Hall (common study lounge located on second floor)

How much should I charge for tutoring services?

ANSWER: It is up to you. For the tutoring referral list, choose between one of three options

• Specific $ amount per hour (At the CFL, we pay our tutors $10 per hour.)
• Rate is variable (so that you could occasionally adapt your rate for students with challenging financial situations)
• No charge (In short, offering tutoring to other students as a form of community service.)

How will I get paid?

ANSWER: You will need to arrange with the student when you will be paid.  We recommend that the student only pay for one session at a time so that you are not faced with refunding money for sessions you need to cancel.

What if a student asks a question I can't answer?

ANSWER: We strongly recommend that you are honest with students about what you know and don't know.  When you don't know something, recommend that the student contact his or her faculty member for clarification.

Have more questions?  Email the Center for Learning at cfltutoring@spu.edu.