JLV College Counseling
Being a good tutor requires many inherent qualities. Not everybody can become a teacher, and in the end, not everybody should. However, there are some visible signs that you might be a good fit in the educational field. Here are eight main characteristics of a good tutor.
1. Compassion
If you care for others and love helping your peers, you are definitely a compassionate person. Good tutors and teachers are mentors to whom children will always come. They impose respect, yet they are leaders in their communities. If students are struggling with their work, compassionate tutors will hide frustrations, and assist them with their needs.
2. Open-mindedness
Not all people think and act the same. We are all unique in our own ways. A good teacher understands that, and works with what he or she has. When students confess their inner thoughts, great teachers must listen and be willing to accept perspectives different than their own.
3. Passion
Passion has a wide range of meanings – as a teacher, you might be passionate about working with children, helping them succeed, or having a strong impact in someone’s life. Whatever your passion is, if it’s there, that’s a clear sign that you are going to be a great tutor.
Remember! Passionate teachers don’t give up on their dreams once they come across obstacles or difficulties. They continue their work and excel in their fields. Consistency shows how passionate they really are.
4. Consistency
Working with children requires teachers to be consistent in many domains, including in their personal field. Maybe patience is not one of your strengths, and that is OK. You don’t have to be perfect in order to become a teacher. However, you must be willing to work on your skills and improve your qualities in order to succeed. You can’t afford to give up on yourself!
5. Determination
A good tutor is determined to thrive. A great tutor is determined to help others thrive, too. If you are willing to give up your free time to help others overcome difficulties and hard times, you are definitely one of the greatest. Staying focused can be challenging, especially in difficult situations. Choosing to be calm and perceiving things objectively always helps.
6. Creativity
Students love games, analogies, and interactive ways of learning. Thus, being creative as a teacher or tutor is a must. As I’ve mentioned before, not all children have the same capacities to learn. Therefore, you will need to brainstorm many ideas in order to find the perfect explanations for each of them. If there are moments when you lack creativity, that’s not a problem – there’s always someone close to whom you could go for help.
7. Optimism
Pessimist people barely succeed in educational fields. That’s because children are young, excited, loving, and determined to constantly acquire new information. Teachers who lack enthusiasm, positivism, or optimism might drag children into their states of minds. Thus, children won’t be able to connect with their teachers, expose their opinions, communicate, and therefore, advance. Being optimistic is crucial if pursuing a career in teaching.
8. Flexibility
No school day will be the same for you. Therefore, you must learn to be flexible in your actions and decision-making process. There might be some moments in your life when teaching life lessons is more important than teaching actual lessons. You must know when to change approaches and open a talk with your students. Thus, a rigid mindset can be hard to keep as a tutor. Flexibility is the key.
Wrapping Up Ideas
Compassion, open-mindedness, passion, consistency, determination, creativity, optimism, and flexibility are just some of the qualities a good tutor possesses. Don’t worry if you feel like you should work more on some of them – we all do!
| Hillary Hope has been a world-traveler and passionate teacher for five years now. She’s published several books on how to become better at teaching, and has worked in the educational field all of her life. Hillary is now a mother, and working for Assignment Masters as a successful freelancer. |
JLV College Counseling 
I agree that these are great qualities, Hope, for a tutor. I would add, “Knowledge”. Without a skillset and content knowledge, enthusiasm will only get you so far. A good tutor knows how to help students develop study skills and other habits of successful learning. A good tutor knows the subject’s content well enough to break it down for the student. A good student understands effective strategies for learning as well as the impediments.