What does a writing tutor do?

A writing tutor is responsible for developing the students' writing abilities, teaching them the writing processes and techniques, including the proper use of language and composition structures. Writing tutors assist the students in their school papers, guiding them to discover their writing skills by letting them write what they want and checking it afterward. In most cases, writing tutors provide multiple samples of writing pieces, asking the students to observe each construction and communicative delivery. A writing tutor records students' progress, identifies areas of improvement, and adjusts teaching strategies to meet those difficulties.
Writing tutor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real writing tutor resumes:
- Facilitate workshop and lead discussions on poetry, fction, and non-fction.
- Manage organization events and branding via Facebook, print and university website.
- Provide exceptional knowledge of language, grammar, and composition in order to assist international students to achieve academic excellence.
- Tutor incoming freshmen in research and writing including grammar, syntax, style, APA and MLA citation styles
- Assist students in developing writing strategies as well as student workshops in various writing styles including MLA & APA formats.
- Act as administrator on university database system for scheduling appointments with specialists and student satisfaction survey.
- Tutor peers in chemistry and calculus.
- Create fliers using Photoshop and word processors.
- Create syllabus and select new text for courses.
- Tutor peers at Muhlenberg's drop-in writing center.
- Edit documents for students, alumni, and professors.
- Develop writing curricula for ENG 110 and ENG 111 courses.
- Review and give feedback on student practice bar exam essay questions.
- Use Skype (or similar) to conduct live sessions for students.
- Create syllabus, select new text for courses, featuring contemporary articles.
Writing tutor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Writing Tutors are proficient in Proper Grammar, Writing Process, and ESL. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Patience, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Writing Tutors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Proper Grammar, 17%
Educated students on proper grammar, wording, and organization in academic papers.
- Writing Process, 15%
Provided fellow college students with insight and constructive criticism during their academic and creative writing processes- Edited academic papers
- ESL, 8%
Tutored students in multiple academic disciplines with reading/writing assignments- Provided support for ESL students
- Literature, 6%
Assisted fellow college students in critical reading, literature analysis and paper writing assignments.
- MLA, 5%
Assisted students in developing writing strategies as well as student workshops in various writing styles including MLA & APA formats.
- Academic Support, 4%
Provide academic support to students that need additional assistance writing scholarly papers and doctoral dissertations.
Most writing tutors use their skills in "proper grammar," "writing process," and "esl" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential writing tutor responsibilities here:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a writing tutor to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what writing tutors do because "teacher assistants need to be clear and concise in discussing student progress with teachers and parents." Additionally, a writing tutor resume shows how writing tutors use communication skills: "offered constructive criticism and support for students struggling with written communication. "
Patience. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling writing tutor duties is patience. The role rewards competence in this skill because "working with students of different abilities and backgrounds may be difficult." According to a writing tutor resume, here's how writing tutors can utilize patience in their job responsibilities: "assisted students in learning the japanese language and culture which required patience and communication skills. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of writing tutors is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday writing tutor duties, as "teacher assistants must be able to develop relationships with a variety of people, including teachers, students, parents, and administrators." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "assisted international esl students with their academic writing using my interpersonal and language skills. "
The three companies that hire the most writing tutors are:
- Pearson51 writing tutors jobs
- CARE18 writing tutors jobs
- C2 Education17 writing tutors jobs
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Writing tutor vs. English language arts teacher
English language teachers are in charge of establishing a classroom setting that advance in each student the skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. They assist in the development and recognition of fine literature of all types, inspire students to read extensively for information and recreation, and develop guidelines for analytical judgment of written and oral communication. Also, they attend to students' exceptional needs as well as find out and develop their special talents.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a writing tutor are more likely to require skills like "proper grammar," "writing process," "mla," and "academic support." On the other hand, a job as an english language arts teacher requires skills like "language arts," "language," "english language," and "classroom management." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
English language arts teachers earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $47,098. On the other hand, writing tutors are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $27,679.On average, english language arts teachers reach higher levels of education than writing tutors. English language arts teachers are 14.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Writing tutor vs. Teaching fellow
An individual who works at an institution to foster the students' academic strive is known as a teaching fellow. They are known as a self-motivated and education-based counselor. They help to pursue a better career perspective in an individual's academic endeavors.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, writing tutor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "proper grammar," "writing process," "mla," and "apa." Meanwhile, a teaching fellow has duties that require skills in areas such as "classroom management," "rehabilitation," "math," and "teaching methodologies." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Teaching fellows earn a higher average salary than writing tutors. But teaching fellows earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $49,553. Additionally, writing tutors earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $27,679 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Teaching fellows tend to reach higher levels of education than writing tutors. In fact, they're 9.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Writing tutor vs. Tutor/mentor
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.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a writing tutor is likely to be skilled in "proper grammar," "writing process," "literature," and "mla," while a typical tutor/mentor is skilled in "math," "homework assignments," "role model," and "organic chemistry."
Most tutor/mentors achieve a similar degree level compared to writing tutors. For example, they're 2.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Writing tutor vs. Adjunct english instructor
An Adjunct English Instructor prepares and distributes a departmental syllabus that informs students about course requirements, testing assignments, and other pertinent information. They maintain necessary records about student performance and submit reports in a timely manner.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between writing tutors and adjunct english instructors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a writing tutor might have more use for skills like "proper grammar," "literature," "academic support," and "lab reports." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of adjunct english instructors require skills like "student learning," "syllabus," "instructional materials," and "professional development. "
In general, adjunct english instructors earn the most working in the education industry, with an average salary of $52,797. The highest-paying industry for a writing tutor is the education industry.The average resume of adjunct english instructors showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to writing tutors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 27.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 2.0%.Types of writing tutor
Updated January 8, 2025











