Why a high ATAR does not mean you're automatically an excellent tutor!

[dmitridr]

Does a high ATAR = excellent tutor?

As 2015 begins to draw to a close, new graduates will begin to look for part time jobs to make extra cash. One of these viable casual job options is tutoring, as it’s not only lucrative for new graduates but also provides a chance to ‘give back’, while also being incredibly satisfying. As these graduates receive their results, one might ask, does a high ATAR automatically translate into an amazing tutor? As my tutoring agency LearnMate.com.au begins to approach 100 active tutors on the site, it’s time to reflect on this key idea that many students/parents bring up.

But what exactly does an amazing tutor look like? Oftentimes this can be very subjective depending on the student, but there are certain qualities that I look for in tutors when I interview them.

- Does the tutor has a friendly and positive personality? Nobody wants a tutor who is a negative nancy.
- Does the tutor have a desire to go ‘above and beyond’? What I mean here is will the tutor go out of their way to answer emails outside of the lesson and provide out-of-lesson support.
- Does the tutor care about the student? Part of being a great tutor is actually caring about your student and taking time to get to know them as a person. A great tutor should take time out of the first five minutes of a lesson and ask how they’re going and whether they’re enjoying year 12 etc.
- Can the tutor communicate? This is massive for me. If you can’t communicate your ideas into comprehensible meaning, then forget about becoming a tutor. You may be the smartest guy in the room, but if you can’t convey this meaning to the least intelligent person in the room, then tutoring will be useless for both you and the student.
- Is the tutor knowledgeable? This is a given. If you’re not an expert in the subject, then how do you expect your student to learn?
- Does the tutor have resources? This ties in closely with knowledgeability – if you’re an expert you’re more than likely to have accumulated a good amount of resources for your students.

[Alps]

Does a high ATAR = excellent tutor?
Does the tutor have a desire to go ‘above and beyond’? What I mean here is will the tutor go out of their way to answer emails outside of the lesson and provide out-of-lesson support.

This.

I wish my vce teachers were like that. Only one teacher was like that for me and out of all my subjects it is the one where i have a chance at 50. It really does help.

[spectroscopy]

- Does the tutor care about the student? Part of being a great tutor is actually caring about your student and taking time to get to know them as a person. A great tutor should take time out of the first five minutes of a lesson and ask how they’re going and whether they’re enjoying year 12 etc.

this one is always underrated. i used to think you should have professional, clinical, relationships with all your tutors because its a business transaction.   
but after finding 2 really good tutors in year 12 one for english one for methods, i now feel like if you dont end up being friends with someone after a whole year of seeing each other like twice a week then thats cooked LOL
it depends on personalities though i mean youre more likely to get along with a tutor/student who hangs out with a similiar crowd/goes to the same events than someone who exudes a whole different vibe

shoutout to my tutors if they see this