Tutoring at university: What to expect and what is expected.
June 12, 2010 6:58 PM Subscribe
I've just applied for my first university tutoring position (English Literature) and just want to know a bit about what I can expect. Example: how much of the preparation/material is guided by the lecturer of the course you end up tutoring for?
Tutoring, like lecturing, seems to be one of those things that have no set route for getting into. While I'm sure the pay rate for tutoring on campus varies from one university (and probably, from one course) to another, is there an applicable standard rate to keep in mind? Any tips and advice will be greatly appreciated.
Response by poster: Sorry, no - this is for a tutoring position at Victoria U of Wellington, New Zealand.
posted by New England Cultist at 7:57 PM on June 12, 2010
posted by New England Cultist at 7:57 PM on June 12, 2010
Can you help us Americans understand what a tutor is?
In British academic-ese, I'd translate it to American TA.
posted by k8t at 8:03 PM on June 12, 2010
In British academic-ese, I'd translate it to American TA.
posted by k8t at 8:03 PM on June 12, 2010
Response by poster: Ah. Sure. By tutoring I mean the smaller scheduled meetings (tutorials, 10 - 15 people) that take place on a weekly basis, led by the tutor, and usually covers the material of the preceding lecture. 50-55 minutes duration.
posted by New England Cultist at 8:14 PM on June 12, 2010
posted by New England Cultist at 8:14 PM on June 12, 2010
My experience (Australia, currently doing a research honours, working as a demonstrator/tutor for 1st-year science students), and assuming you mean running topic- or activity-based discussion/tute groups rather than open-ended 'please help me!' group tutoring sessions:
It depends. Where the subject hasn't changed much from previous years the lecturer pretty much provides the whole thing right down to the activity (usually supplied in lectures or on-line the week before), to be researched by students beforehand and presented/discussed at the tute. As a tutor you get a copy of that, plus lecture notes, plus the lecturers outline of what the targets are and the outcomes might be. You'll need to spend a bit of time boning up on the subject to refresh your mind ;-)
Where the subject has changed and new tutes need to be developed, it's usually up to the demonstrator(s) to create them based on the lecturer's notes and ideas. This varies - from researching and writing a tute based on the lecturer's plan and outline, up to developing and implementing a tute from scratch. I've never had to do this.
Pay? Well… let's just say that for me demonstrating pays a bit over 2x the national minimum wage, before tax. Existing tutes are paid at about 2x the demo rate; the first time you run a new tute the pay is about 1.5 times that (on the basis that it'll take about as long to develop the tute as it will to run it, i.e. you don't get paid directly for prep time; it's rolled into the presentation rate for the first session of a new tute). YMMV; my demo sessions run for ~3hrs, while tutes are generally 2 hrs. I don't know if my uni pays differently for humanities or other subjects where the tutes are only 1hr.
posted by Pinback at 9:55 PM on June 12, 2010
It depends. Where the subject hasn't changed much from previous years the lecturer pretty much provides the whole thing right down to the activity (usually supplied in lectures or on-line the week before), to be researched by students beforehand and presented/discussed at the tute. As a tutor you get a copy of that, plus lecture notes, plus the lecturers outline of what the targets are and the outcomes might be. You'll need to spend a bit of time boning up on the subject to refresh your mind ;-)
Where the subject has changed and new tutes need to be developed, it's usually up to the demonstrator(s) to create them based on the lecturer's notes and ideas. This varies - from researching and writing a tute based on the lecturer's plan and outline, up to developing and implementing a tute from scratch. I've never had to do this.
Pay? Well… let's just say that for me demonstrating pays a bit over 2x the national minimum wage, before tax. Existing tutes are paid at about 2x the demo rate; the first time you run a new tute the pay is about 1.5 times that (on the basis that it'll take about as long to develop the tute as it will to run it, i.e. you don't get paid directly for prep time; it's rolled into the presentation rate for the first session of a new tute). YMMV; my demo sessions run for ~3hrs, while tutes are generally 2 hrs. I don't know if my uni pays differently for humanities or other subjects where the tutes are only 1hr.
posted by Pinback at 9:55 PM on June 12, 2010
I tutored on an English lit seminar at a New Zealand university. I received 3 hours pay for a one hour seminar (which took into account preparation and marking time). If I recall correctly, the pay was somewhere in the region of NZ$20/h. The lecturer, the other tutor, and I would formulate questions for the seminar one week in advance and they'd be posted on blackboard for students to download. We used the seminars to work through some of the more theoretical texts/questions whereas the lectures focussed specifically on a given work and its context. Memail me with any questions!
posted by lumiere at 11:12 AM on June 13, 2010
posted by lumiere at 11:12 AM on June 13, 2010
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posted by k8t at 7:50 PM on June 12, 2010