FAQ about the Tutoring Services Position and Application

Undergraduate tutors’ required time commitment during the academic semesters is between five and eight tutoring hours per week plus six staff meeting hours per semester. We also ask that undergraduate tutors commit to their positions for the full academic year (with the exception of study abroad, see “I am planning to study abroad next year. Can I still apply to be a tutor?” below).

The five to eight tutoring hours per week commitment are categorized as “tutoring shifts” and are assigned for the full semester with tutor input on their preferred ideal and available schedules. Each tutoring shift hour is 50 minutes of peer tutoring followed by 10 minutes for record keeping. Tutoring shifts are usually assigned in blocks of two or three hours. Tutors can count on a weekly shift that is regular and recurring.

The mandatory staff meetings are offered six times each semester, on Thursdays and Fridays at 4:00-5:00 p.m. Tutors are able to choose which of those two meeting times best fits their schedule, while also committing to keep a time to attend a meeting at one of those times open as they register for classes each semester. The staff meetings continue building on the mandatory, intensive two-day August training for new and returning tutors.

The mandatory tutor training in August is offered on the Monday and Tuesday before classes start in the fall. Tutors are required to attend both days of training, from 9:00am – 5:00pm. We recognize that students have many opportunities and commitments at Vanderbilt, and our required August tutor training window may be in conflict with other student commitments. While we will do our best to work with other offices to accommodate scheduling issues, a student may be asked to make a decision between programs.

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To be qualified to tutor for a particular course, a Vanderbilt Tutoring Services tutor must meet the following criteria:

• Earned a grade of B level or higher for the course in question.
• Have taken the course in question at Vanderbilt or have received equivalent credit for the course as reflected on the tutor’s transcript.

GPA: We do not have a minimum threshold for overall GPA. In our holistic review process, we consider the record of success in an applicant’s subject(s) of interest as well as overall record of academic success.

Yes! Taking part in trainings and ongoing professional development activities are an essential part of working at Tutoring Services and are therefore paid time for all tutors.

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Yes! It absolutely does, and we strongly encourage applications from students who anticipate having Federal Work Study next year.

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First of all, yes! While we highly recommend applicants familiarize themselves with Tutoring Services by holding an appointment, there is no requirement that applicants must do so to submit an application, and past applicants have successfully interviewed with us and landed the job without having ever held a tutoring session themselves.

One major advantage of familiarizing yourself with how tutoring appointments work at Tutoring Services is that it will help you have a clearer idea of the job and our workplace, which should help you craft a more informed application.

The next several entries below also address some of the biggest questions we hear from applicants new to Tutoring Services.

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Students sign up for appointments using our online scheduling platform, WCOnline, which is accessible via the “Schedule an Appointment” button throughout the Tutoring Services site.

You can learn more about our scheduling system on the following pages:

• Welcome! Tutoring Services (an overview)
• How to Make a Tutoring Appointment

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Tutoring clients are provided with a space to enter a short description of their proposed work for the tutoring session. However, they are not prompted to upload a preview of their proposed STEM work, nor are they expected to email their tutor to ask for preparatory work. All tutors are asked to work alongside their clients, accessing the clients’ materials in real time, and collaborating on thoughtful conceptual and analytical problem solving together.

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Yes, undergraduate tutors’ weekly shift schedules are the same each week after being set at the beginning of the semester.

In the lead-up to both the fall and spring semesters, tutors fill out an availability survey indicating the times, given their class schedule and other commitments, during which they would prefer to work, could work if necessary, and cannot work. The Assistant Director for Tutoring, Dr. Miriam Erickson, uses those responses to build the weekly schedule for that semester.

Our Assistant Director can also work with tutors when changes to their class schedule or other circumstances require a permanent change to a tutor’s current weekly shift assignments.

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Tutors are responsible for arranging coverage by another tutor when they are not able to attend a regularly scheduled shift due to a one-time conflict for which it is possible to plan ahead. Our staff listserv is the primary way tutors call out for a shift sub or swap, and all are encouraged to make arrangements as far in advance as possible.

Of course, we know that tutors get sick sometimes or find themselves facing unexpected circumstances that prevent them from working a shift, as well, and we have processes for addressing those instances, as well.

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Short answer, yes! All students who have taken and excelled in STEM courses at Vanderbilt are encouraged to apply to work as a tutor. While most of our peer tutors are undergraduate students who have taken the range of STEM courses at Vanderbilt, we have had excellent graduate students as tutors who provide targeted peer tutoring in one subject area discipline.
Additionally, Tutoring Services maintains a robust partnership with the Vanderbilt Math Department, wherein all incoming first-year math graduate students are trained and work as Tutoring Services’ tutors in single-variable and multivariable calculus as part of their first year commitment to the Math Department pedagogical learning program.