What Does an Engineering Tutor Do?

An engineering tutor works with one or more engineering students or engineering professionals to help the student or professional understand engineering concepts. Often this includes working through problems, learning formulas, preparing for tests and exams, and addressing specific difficulties with individual students. There may also be engineering tutors for specific classes at colleges and universities to help students with class material throughout the semester.

Second, third, and fourth year students, professional engineers, and engineering instructors may all serve as tutors. A tutor who is also a student is typically called a peer tutor. The engineering tutor is well versed in engineering concepts and formulas and has a knack for teaching those concepts to others. Depending on whether the tutor is self employed or employed by an educational facility, tutoring sessions may be held on a regular weekly or biweekly basis or on an as-needed basis.

Students typically use a tutor as a supplement to readings and class lectures when they encounter a problem which requires more help than the teacher or teacher's assistant has time to give. Tutors are not supposed to complete homework assignments or engineering problems for their students. Instead, the engineering tutor guides the student through difficulties, helping the student to understand concepts and develop critical thinking skills.

Engineering tutors are usually paid by the hour either by an employer or by the students themselves. In some cases, an engineering tutor may hold tutoring sessions with multiple students. This is popular method of tutoring when the students are in the same class, learning the same concepts, or studying for a standardized exam.

Tutors may also meet with students one on one. Typically, they meet at a neutral location like the school or library. Many large educational facilities have a tutoring lab, in which many tutors in a variety of disciplines are paid to be available for certain hours during the day. In many cases, these tutoring facilities are available to students free of charge.

Engineering tutors may also be based online. The online tutor has the same job as the face to face tutor, but he or she must be able to work with online classroom software or video conferencing software in order to communicate with students. This includes troubleshooting when students inevitably have problems with the software.