The qualities of a great tutor are similar to those of a great classroom teacher. Just like a great teacher, a great tutor is caring and tries to identify with the needs of her students. A great tutor not only cares about the academic success of her students but also about their overall well-being. This nurturing and caring quality allows for the tutor to be able to establish a rapport with his or her students. A great tutor feels invested in the success of her students.
A tutor that has taught the courses that he or she tutors to a classroom of students is likelier to be better than one that just has a general idea of what material is covered in those courses. Someone that has taught a course in a classroom is more accustomed to the questions that can be asked by students and has learned how to best answer those questions. Moreover, great tutors always strive to develop and collect useful resources because of the potential value that these resources possess in improving the learning of their students.
Great tutors do not view what they do as a job because they love the process of helping students improve their understanding, and gain a great sense of satisfaction when their students do well. A great tutor not only loves to teach but also to learn and adapt. What students are taught in school and how they are taught changes with time. A great tutor will adapt her teaching practices to stay relevant with the times — just like a great classroom teacher would do.
