What do distance learning or online tutors do?

A distance learning or online tutor is similar to a teacher in many ways. Much like a teacher, the role of a distance learning tutor is to provide academic support and guidance to a student; however as the support is provided through distance learning, the service is provided online through use of internet communication systems. 

The majority of distance learning providers have a list of requirements which ensures their tutors will have a particular set of skills and experience in order to ensure quality support to their student’s education.

Some examples of what a distance learning tutor will do within their role include:

• Providing one-to-one support in a specific subject area to a number of students
• Offering support and feedback throughout the course
• Marking assignments and coursework
• Providing their own knowledge and guidance of the subject area

Ultimately, the role of the tutor is to support the student to achieve their individual education goals and reach their full potential.

“Getting to work with a wide range of types of learners, often those who have struggled in school before, and so it is a great feeling to be able to help rekindle someone’s love of education.”  – Claire Shields, IGCSE Computer Science and A level Biology Tutor 

Is there a demand for online tutors?

Although many distance learning/online tutor roles are not offered as full-time employed job roles, the need for committed tutors is still considered high. 

As the numbers for online education students continues to rise and distance learning has become increasingly popular as a quality alternative to traditional school settings, the demand for online tutors has increased with it.

Not only is the role of a distance learning tutor both important and rewarding, many tutors find their role additionally beneficial due to the role acting as an additional source of income or an ‘income boost’.

How do you become a distance learning/online tutor?

There is no set route to becoming an online tutor as some roles can be gained through agencies and others through online job boards or direct business job pages on their own website.

At NEC, we advertise for tutor and other specific roles on our Join the Team page, on social media and job boards such as Indeed. Additionally, we always encourage people interested in working at NEC to get in touch. 

“The best thing about tutoring for NEC is the colleagues and the teams in all departments. Their support is second to none, much more efficient, closer and friendlier than in all my previous physical jobs. Also, unlike in my previous jobs, management knows what’s going on in all departments and listens to you.” – Delia Moreno, Spanish A level Tutor

If you would like to find out more about how to become an NEC distance learning tutor, keep an eye out for our next blog post full of details to help you decide if you would like to become the next addition to our friendly team.