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What does an academic tutor do?

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
What does an academic tutor do

An academic tutor is responsible for assisting the students' learning goals and development by helping them with school work and related academic tasks. Academic tutors implement effective learning strategies to improve the student's academic standing, such as identifying areas of improvement and addressing those difficulties by administering learning activities to evaluate the student's progress and adjust the learning approach as needed. They also review the school's curriculum and present educational materials adhering to the requirements, encouraging the student to set goals for learning objectives.

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Academic tutor responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real academic tutor resumes:

  • Provide one-on-one tutoring to students in a variety of levels of mathematics including basic math, algebra and trigonometry.
  • Tutor middle school students in algebra and geometry, with capacity to address all academic subjects.
  • Provide academic assistance to fellow students in the biological sciences, systems physiology, and physics.
  • Provide academic assistance to undergraduate students in economics, college algebra, and philosophy.
  • Experience in laboratory settings pertaining to anatomy, chemistry, biochemistry, cell physiology, and microbiology.
  • Tutor other students one on one in algebra, pre-calculus, and chemistry
  • Tutor student-athletes in biology, chemistry, psychology, pre-calculus, and calculus.
  • Tutor athletes in composition, American literature, British literature, and world literature.
  • Tutor college students in algebra, geometry, calculus, chemistry, biology, and English.
  • Help students learn concepts in math, chemistry, and environmental science classesLevel 3 CRLA certify tutor
  • Prevent a student from entering summer school by introducing an interactive lesson plan to raise the GPA.
  • Tutor students in algebra, trigonometry and calculus in both group settings and on an individual basis.
  • Assist academically trouble freshmen in their second semester of high school and greatly make change in most students' GPA.
  • Provide English language and math enrichment during individual tutoring sessions for school-age children.
  • Customize tutoring sessions to suit student's individual needs, focusing around elementary math and reading comprehension

Academic tutor skills and personality traits

We calculated that 18% of Academic Tutors are proficient in Math, Mathematics, and Academic Support.

We break down the percentage of Academic Tutors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Math, 18%

    Customized tutoring sessions to suit student's individual needs, focusing around elementary math and reading comprehension

  • Mathematics, 11%

    Provided one-on-one tutoring to students in a variety of levels of mathematics including basic math, algebra and trigonometry.

  • Academic Support, 9%

    Organized outreach activities for elementary schools, presented information regarding skills and academic support available from tutoring center and participating organizations.

  • Student Athletes, 6%

    Tutored and mentored Division 1A student athletes at risk of academic ineligibility.

  • Organic Chemistry, 5%

    Teach organic chemistry to undergraduate students while facilitating a positive and interactive learning environment for students.

  • GPA, 4%

    Assisted academically troubled freshmen in their second semester of high school and greatly made change in most students' GPA.

Most academic tutors use their skills in "math," "mathematics," and "academic support" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential academic tutor responsibilities here:

See the full list of academic tutor skills

The three companies that hire the most academic tutors are:

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Compare different academic tutors

Academic tutor vs. Learning center instructor

Learning center instructors' primary goal is to give direct mediation instruction for recognized students. They cooperate with staff members on suitable student placement for constructive learning. Their duties include directing all activities concerning planning, organization, development, communication, and delivery of training programs as well as initiatives. They work on leadership strategies for assisting children's emotional and social development and handling their behavior. Additionally, they coordinate with community organizations, facilities, and other professionals to design balanced recreational routines for participants.

We looked at the average academic tutor salary and compared it with the wages of a learning center instructor. Generally speaking, learning center instructors are paid $82 higher than academic tutors per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both academic tutor and learning center instructor positions are skilled in math, mathematics, and academic support.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an academic tutor are more likely to require skills like "student athletes," "organic chemistry," "gpa," and "pre-calculus." On the other hand, a job as a learning center instructor requires skills like "professional development," "basic mathematics," "course curriculum," and "child care." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Learning center instructors tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $37,954. In contrast, academic tutors make the biggest average salary, $32,838, in the education industry.The education levels that learning center instructors earn slightly differ from academic tutors. In particular, learning center instructors are 3.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an academic tutor. Additionally, they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Academic tutor vs. Supplemental instructor

A physical education teacher is responsible for devising lessons and strategies to educate the students about health and physical fitness through various sports and recreational activities. It is also their responsibility to facilitate such activities, ensuring the safety and camaraderie between students. It is essential to evaluate and monitor everyone's progress, record all activities, and prioritize every student's health and mental well-being by maintaining a safe and disciplined classroom environment. Furthermore, it is vital to implement school regulations, all while coordinating with faculty and staff.

A career as a supplemental instructor brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of an academic tutor. In fact, supplemental instructors salary is $2,758 lower than the salary of academic tutors per year.A few skills overlap for academic tutors and supplemental instructors. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "math," "mathematics," and "academic support. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that academic tutor responsibilities requires skills like "student athletes," "gpa," "provide academic support," and "language arts." But a supplemental instructor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "c++," "punctuality," "class sessions," and "student learning."

Supplemental instructors earn similar levels of education than academic tutors in general. They're 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Academic tutor vs. Physical education teacher

Tutors and mentors are two different teaching jobs. Tutors oversee helping students understand varied subjects, assessing as well as encouraging them during the learning process. On the other hand, mentors go far beyond the role of tutors. They are wise and trusted counselors who help students get the motivation they need to advance in their chosen careers. Also, they share with their mentees their career paths, act as their role model, as well as provide guidance and emotional support.

An average physical education teacher eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of academic tutors. The difference in salaries amounts to physical education teachers earning a $16,605 higher average salary than academic tutors.By looking over several academic tutors and physical education teachers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "mathematics," "student athletes," and "k-12." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, academic tutors are more likely to have skills like "math," "academic support," "organic chemistry," and "gpa." But a physical education teacher is more likely to have skills like "classroom management," "professional development," "student learning," and "public schools."

Physical education teachers make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $50,712. On the other hand, academic tutors are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $32,838.physical education teachers typically earn similar educational levels compared to academic tutors. Specifically, they're 3.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Academic tutor vs. Tutor/mentor

Tutor/mentors typically earn lower pay than academic tutors. On average, tutor/mentors earn a $1,680 lower salary per year.While both academic tutors and tutor/mentors complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like math, mathematics, and academic support, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between academic tutors and tutor/mentors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an academic tutor might have more use for skills like "course materials," "pre-calculus," "provide academic support," and "economics." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of tutor/mentors require skills like "mentoring students," "role model," "community services," and "at-risk youth. "

The average resume of tutor/mentors showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to academic tutors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.4%.

Types of academic tutor

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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