On this page:
How to find a tutor
We don't maintain a database or register of prospective tutors for you to choose from. To find a tutor you need to lodge a job on our system Careers Online and students who are interested in the position will contact you.
Submit a tutor job on Careers Online
- Go to the Careers Online employer registration page
- Select Individual as the employer type
- Fill in your name and contact details and create a username and password for yourself
- Continue on and fill in the online job form - make sure you give an adequate description of your requirements such as the subject and level of tutoring (e.g. Year 12 Maths Methods), days / times and location of tutoring, gender preference (if any) and experience required.
- The rate of pay offered should be at least those listed below
- Please make a note of your username and password and job ID number for future reference.
Your job will be approved within one working day. Interested tutors will contact you directly to apply or to discuss your tutor job. See steps to choosing a tutor for some ideas on how to screen and select a suitable tutor.
Changing and / or closing a tutor job
Go to Careers Online FAQs (Questions 8 & 9) for instructions on how to edit or close a tutor job.
Rates of pay for tutors
The University of Melbourne uses the rates that were recommended by the Student Employment Officers’ Association of Victoria (an association that represents all Victorian tertiary institutions). Currently the rates are:
| When person being tutored is |
Rate charged by the tutor |
|---|---|
| Primary and Secondary level up to Year 10 | $22 per hour |
| VCE - Year 11 and Year 12 | $25 per hour |
| Tertiary level | $30 per hour |
- Postgraduates may charge an extra $5 per hour (negotiable)
- Tutoring two students together may be charged at time and a half and three together at double time
Steps to choosing a tutor
Step 1: Think about what you want the tutor to do
- Do you require a coach to help achieve the best possible performance, or someone to teach concepts for a student who is struggling to pass?
- What subjects will they cover?
- When, where and how often will the lessons be held?
- How long will the tutoring continue (a month, a term, a year)?
Step 2: Devise some questions
It is useful to create some questions to ask every person who calls you to apply for the tutoring job. By asking everyone the same questions, you can compare each tutor and make the best decision.
Some possible questions:- Do you have a Working with Children Check? (This is mandatory).
- What are you studying at University and what experience (if any) do you have as a tutor?
- What times are you available?
- My son/daughter needs help with … how would you be the best person to help?
- What strategy would you use to motivate my son/daughter to do their homework?
Remember to write down responses from each person (make sure you take down their name and number) and any comments from your own observations (e.g. sounded confident/vague on the topic).
Don't promise the position to people until you have had the chance to interview enough to be able to make a considered decision. Always keep the details of your second or third choice handy in case your first choice is unavailable.
Step 3: Choosing the best tutor
- Consider the responses to your questions for each tutor and each answer on a scale of 1 to 5 and add up the totals to help decide who may be the best tutor.
- Think about how you felt about the tutors. Were you comfortable with them? Were they confident?
- When you have finished interviewing tutors, login to Careers Online and close your tutor advertisement (otherwise you will keep getting phone calls!).
Other things to consider:
- Did you check their references? Calling people who they have worked for in the past can be useful to find out if they were reliable, honest, etc.
- The tutor who got the highest ENTER score or a perfect study score will not necessarily be the best tutor. What other attributes will make them a good tutor – communication skills, reliability, etc?
Step 4: I’ve made a decision, now what?
- Call the successful tutor and ask them if they are still interested in the job.
- Arrange to meet to discuss the tutoring arrangements. A neutral location, such as a café, could be a good place to meet.
- The aim of this meeting is to work out finer details: how, when and where the tutoring is to be conducted. Discuss what you want to achieve, and talk about how to best get those results. Do not commence any tutoring at this meeting!
- Make a verbal agreement that a tutoring relationship is being entered into (or have a paper agreement available.
- Ask the tutor to develop a plan for the tutorials, which you should review.
Step 6: Arrangements for cancelled tutorials
- Discuss the arrangements to be made if either party needs to cancel or reschedule a tutoring session.
- It would be appropriate to pay the tutor for your cancelled sessions, particularly if short notice is provided (i.e. less than 48 hours).
What if things go wrong?
Sometimes, the relationship between you or your child and the tutor do not work well. Try and resolve any difficulties by discussing them with the tutor. If you start the tutoring arrangement with clear ideas about what you want to achieve, and how it will be done, then this can help in resolving any problems.
If you cannot resolve the matter or you need some advice, please call Careers & Employment (C&E) on +61 3 8344 0100.