Once you have accepted a job, you will want to make sure that the work you do meets your employer’s needs and your own, as well.
If you are tutoring or giving lessons as an independent contractor, the key to success is communication — with both the student and employer. Here are some suggestions that should help you succeed on the job.
- Talk openly with the student. At the end of each lesson, review with the student what went well and what didn’t. Ask the student her perspective on how the lesson went. Communicating your mutual assessments and expectations should help make future lessons succeed, as you will each know what worked and what didn’t for the other person.
- Talk with your employer. Set up a time after each lesson to let your employer know — either in person or by phone — what you accomplished that day, how your interactions with the student went, what you learned about reaching the student, and if you’ll try a different strategy the next time. It’s always appreciated by parents when you provide a written summary of the day’s progress and areas for future focus as well.
- Start on a trial basis. Make the first month of lessons a trial period so that you and your employer can both assess whether or not they are going as hoped for. If the student is particularly difficult to control, and you feel unable to reach him, having an agreed-upon plan to terminate the job after a month if it isn’t going well will provide a welcome relief. On the other hand, if you love the job, the trial period gives you an opportunity to adjust your teaching to meet the expressed needs of the client.
If you have been hired by a tutoring company, communication is important, as well.
- Set up a regular time to meet with your employer. Use the time to go over how the classes are going. If your employer gets feedback from students and parents, request that they pass the feedback along to you also.
- Be open about any issues that arise, such as a student’s difficulty focusing. Perhaps your employer has a strategy for handling them.
- If something is interfering with your job satisfaction, let the employer know. If a particular student is making you miserable, but you enjoy the class apart from that, perhaps that student can be shifted into another section. Or perhaps your employer can offer you an effective technique for addressing a problem.
- Listen carefully to concerns your employer has. Giving your employer the opportunity to regularly express concerns is to your advantage, as you will then have an opportunity to address and resolve them. Discuss different options for resolving these concerns with your employer and see if you can work out a mutually acceptable plan.
By communicating regularly with your employer, you will be able to meet most challenges that arise, creating a win-win situation in which you have job satisfaction and your employer has a successful tutor.
