When we say education, most people think of schools, classrooms, books and teachers. It is true that these images make up your typical educational experience. Schools are designed not only to educate their students in academic subjects but also how to socialize and interact with their peers. But when it comes to these academic subjects, not everyone can excel.

Perhaps most of us has had trouble with a particular school subject at one time or another. Some are really bad in Mathematics and anything that has to do with numbers. Some cannot seem to remember the important dates and figures in History, while some just cannot spell or write a decent composition paper without copying from their friends. This is where tutoring comes in.

Learning outside the classroom

Tutoring can have many definitions. It can mean a seminar or a lecture held for undergraduate students, or it can also be a small number of students conducting an academic discussion under a facilitator.

Typically, a tutorial involves a setting where the tutor can pay more attention to the student. It can involve only one student or a small number (less than that of students in a typical classroom). The tutor can be a teacher or a professional educator. Some tutors are also graduate students. Tutors can be anyone who possesses expertise on the subject. It can be a form of home schooling.

The tutorial can address academic areas that the student is having trouble with say, Trigonometry or English. But it can also involve a subject that is altogether new to the student, such as learning a new language or studying advanced material. Whatever the circumstances may be, the tutor is there to assist and encourage the student in the learning process.

Is tutoring for you?

If you are seeking to be a tutor (or are already one), it\'s important to decide if tutoring really is for you.

1. Clearly, you have to be very knowledgeable about the subject that you are teaching. Your knowledge and skills is what the client is hiring you for, after all. If you think you haven\'t had practice in a while (for example, Physics or doing equations in Geometry), now is the best time to review your skills and put them in practice. Nothing is more embarrassing than being shown up by your own student or feeling incompetent when you should be the expert.

2. It is also important that you and your student are on the same page. Ask your student what he wants to achieve from your learning sessions? What areas does he need improvement in? And what methods of learning does he prefer?

3. Since you are studying outside of the classroom, it is also important to set some rules and follow them. Your session might not be as formal as that in a class but do not let the student forget that you are still the teacher and that there has to be mutual respect.

4. Finally, do not be afraid to compliment and acknowledge your students improvements. After all, one of the best rewards of being a tutor or teacher is seeing all your hard work pay off.