How To Become A Peer Tutor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a peer tutor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Cynthia Carver

Peer tutors meet with students on a one-to-one, small-group, drop-in, or classroom to give learning assistance. Peer tutors help students in improving their courses and become effective learners. They establish the parameters of the tutoring relationship with their students. They recommend various learning resources to those they are tutoring. Besides that, they develop easy learning strategies and help slow learners. Furthermore, they attend to student's inquiries and help students in facing the examination. Additionally, they encourage them to participate in seminars and deliver public speeches. Similarly, they facilitate a positive learning culture.

Academic requirements for this role vary. However, you must have the same level of education as the person you are instructing. You are required to have a minimum GPA of 2.5. Key skills include communication, interpersonal, patience, public speaking, and teaching skills. Peer tutors earn an average annual salary of $29,128. This varies from $17,000 to $49,000.

What general advice would you give to a peer tutor?

Dr. Cynthia Carver

Associate Professor & Chair, Oakland University

Be prepared to work hard - your first year of teaching will be demanding - but know that you are doing important work. We are the profession that makes all others possible. And don't forget to ask for help.

ScorePeer TutorUS Average

Salary

2.1

Avg. Salary $26,473

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

9.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.49%

Asian 11.68%

Black or African American 10.24%

Hispanic or Latino 15.57%

Unknown 5.84%

White 56.18%

Gender

female 59.32%

male 40.68%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

3.9

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.4

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a peer tutor

Explore peer tutor education requirements

Most common peer tutor degrees

Bachelor's

66.7 %

Associate

19.9 %

High School Diploma

6.0 %

Start to develop specific peer tutor skills

Skills	Percentages
Math	12.60%
GPA	10.68%
Organic Chemistry	6.77%
Academic Support	6.72%
Study	5.89%

Complete relevant peer tutor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New peer tutors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a peer tutor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real peer tutor resumes.

Research peer tutor duties and responsibilities

Provide individualize student help and teaching in anatomy & physiology, microbiology, and chemistry.
Provide one-on-one instruction to students in various courses, direct them towards more efficient time-management and better-design study habits.
Tutor subject-specific material, primarily anatomy and physiology via interdisciplinary collaboration
Tutor math and chemistry, communicating ideas effectively and helping students understand basic concepts.

Prepare your peer tutor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your peer tutor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a peer tutor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable peer tutor resume templates

Build a professional peer tutor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your peer tutor resume.

Apply for peer tutor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a peer tutor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do peer tutors rate their job?

-/5

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1 star

Peer tutor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

The pedagogical autonomy. Teaching is an art and every year is (and should be) different. I recreate goals, programs and targets according to the needs of the students each year. Maine is an incredible place to teach as it doesn't require 3 page (or more lesson plans for each day. The admins are supportive and teachers are encouraged to improve and change their craft as needed.