Tutors
The word tutor is derived from the Latin word tutor, which means “a watcher, protector, or guardian.” However, in Modern English, a tutor can generally be referred to as a private instructor. A tutor is usually someone who teaches a person on a personal or one-on-one basis, or a small-group of people where the main focus is to provide for more individual attention to each student. In many instances, tutors have no formal training or license to formally teach in a classroom setting. More often than not, tutors are other students who are willing to volunteer their time to other students to help them in their studies or prepare them for an exam. In many cases, tutors can be hired for money to assists students, but those who are paid for their services often have a background as former professors, thus giving them a professional grade worth paying for their time. When it relates to students tutoring other students, its usually done in a school setting where the appropriate materials can be provided and usually there will be a teacher or professor overlooking the student tutors in order to provide for further assistance. Many schools and institutions form after school programs where tutoring in various subjects is made available to students seeking extra help with the material or subject matter. Tutors who are available for hire most often offer their services personally and by word of mouth. Many teachers provide tutoring sessions at the homes of students as a secondary source of income. This particular example is one that may prove to be of most worth and value in terms of the kind impact it may have on a student learning from a qualified instructor on a one-on-one basis. However, this method also tends be too costly for some, and rely on tutors who are volunteering their services, or even other students who have better grasp and command of that particular subject.
Tutors will often tend to specialize in a particular subject matter, especially when referring to high-school studies and beyond. For example, a professional tutor may specialize in English because he/she was a previous English teacher at the high school level, or has degree specifically relating to English studies.
There also exists various companies that specialize in partnering tutors with students that offer specific types of study or even exam review. These private institutions will have professional tutors that specialize in particular subject matters or help students prepare for standardized tests such as the SAT or Regents Exams. When referring to exam review, many of these companies actually place certain guarantees that entices students and/or their parents to hire them for their services. An example of such a guarantee is that a student is guaranteed to score 300 points higher of their SAT exam than they scored in their practice exam if they get tutored by the specialists in their company. Many find this an extremely attractive opportunity depending on the importance placed on SAT scores by colleges and universities.