It can be a daunting decision to start a new career path. There will always be many doubts and questions that may make the move even more difficult. If you are a new home tutor, chances are you are also having the same doubts. How can I be a good home tutor? What if my student doesn’t achieve his goals with my help? Will I be effective in helping my student? These are only some of the questions that may pop into your head every now and again. There are already countless articles across the internet that provides tips for new home tutors on how they can better help their students in their academics. However, home tuition isn’t only about academics, work ethics also come into play especially since you will be working closely with your student in their own homes.
It’s very important to practice good work ethics so that you can earn your student’s trust as well as their parents. Aside from this, it will also help cement your credibility as a home tutor. In this article, we’ll be tackling some work ethics that you must practice as a home tutor.
It’s true that you will be working mostly with students during home tuition. However, since they are also mostly students relying on their parents, the parents are essentially the ones employing your services and they are the ones paying you for the tuition sessions. This means that though you are tutoring the students, your clients are their parents. Hence, you have to be very careful when making decisions and to make sure that you are not going against their parent’s wishes.
Especially for younger students and minors, you have to make sure to put emphasis on their parents’ decisions. This also means that you have to consult their parents with simple matters such as whether you can contact your student directly via their phone number if they have one or if the parent prefers you contact them instead. If you are not sure, you can also suggest creating a group chat with your student and their parents so that their parents would also be kept in the loop of what is going on or how the tuition sessions are progressing. Aside from this, they are also assured that they are getting updates about their child’s progress.
Speaking of updating progress, you should also be initiative in doing so. Giving them feedback and updates will help in building a relationship with the parents as well as them building their trust in you. It can also prevent any miscommunication or misunderstandings that arise especially with younger children as they may not know how to communicate appropriately yet.
Additionally, since the world is becoming more modern, some students may also ask to connect with you on social media. However, you should also consult their parents if you are permitted to do so. Some parents may consider it inappropriate as they may think their child is too young to know how to use these platforms effectively.
As the name suggests, home tuition usually happens in your student’s homes and if you are conducting home tuition, it is a basic courtesy for you to follow the rules of the house you are visiting. Each home has its own set of rules that each member should follow. And in the case of COVID-19, some families may be more specific about rules for people coming into their homes.
Being a home tutor, you have to respect and follow the house rules of each home you go to for tuition. Some homes may ask you to wash your hands before entering. A more common rule may be for you to ask to wear indoor or house slippers when coming.
When your student is very comfortable with you and trusts you as their confidante, it can easily slip your mind that they are your students. Maintaining a good and comfortable relationship with your students are some of the ways for tuition to also become more effective. They will be more open to you thus, they are also more open to asking questions and clearing up their doubts. However, to avoid misunderstandings as well, you also have to keep a respectful distance from your students. And this isn’t only strictly because of gender. It will not be beneficial if your students think of you as their friend rather than their home tutor. If their parents also request an open-door policy during home tuition, you should also respect their wishes.
Being on time applies to all jobs and not just in home tuition. However, time is really a precious thing when it comes to home tuition. Every second that is used for tuition sessions has to be maximized to benefit the student’s learning goals. It should also be noted that students also have all sorts of other academic and extracurricular commitments. And due to these commitments, you can’t just make changes with regards to tuition time whenever you wish. You have to respect and keep with the agreed timing.
You should exercise respect for your student’s and their parents’ time so make sure to come in with ample time to use in preparation for the lessons. Additionally, you should also be responsible for your lessons. If you can’t make it to the sessions on time or at all, you have to inform your student or their parents as soon as possible.
Integrity in relation to your work is doing the right thing even if no one else is looking. This means as a home tutor, you should always put your best effort into helping your students even if their parents aren’t watching. Although home tuition is still a job to earn money, you should also prioritize your student’s well-being instead of just clocking in hours in order to get your pay. You should not forget that home tuition is to help struggling students understand lessons or topics they are having trouble with and for them to catch up with their peers in school.
Be enthusiastic about helping your students reach their academic goals. You should give your all to the students because parents entrust you with helping them with their academics. And if you manage to help your students reach their goals and have maintained a good relationship with their parents, it would also affect your reputation as a home tutor. Many parents also rely on other parents’ feedback with home tutors so the better you work with your students, the more clients you’ll also get.
Although helping your student succeed academically is your primary responsibility, you should also be concerned with their welfare and moral development. Check on your student sometimes to look for indications of harassment, abuse, or mental diseases like depression. Inform the student’s parents right away if you have any reason to believe that something serious is going on with them.
A tutor can assist mold a youngster and have an impact on their lives, just like school teachers do when they teach lessons about character development in the classroom. For instance, you can gently nudge the student to distinguish between right and wrong if you perceive that they may be rude to you, their peers, or even their parents. However, you should also make sure to set your boundaries and not take on matters into your own hands too much without giving consideration and respect to their parents. No matter how much you spend time with your student or know your student, at the end of the day your relationship is as their home tutor so you have to make sure you are also not stepping out of line even if you are trying to help. If you teach in a group setting, try to get to know each student personally so that they feel at ease approaching you for assistance.
Carelle is a teacher who has been through the ups and downs of the teacher and learner life. She wishes for every learner to gain educational satisfaction that will help embody the people they want to be in the future.
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FamilyTutor is an established and the people’s favourite home tuition agency in Singapore! We match a suitable tutor for you not just to improve the student’s grade, but also to build a good rapport and meaningful relationship with the student and even with the student’s whole family! With FamilyTutor, every Singaporean son & daughter is in good hands.