Tutoring ABC and why life wouldn’t be so good without it
Three forms of tutoring and a possibility to specialize in three different categories. Puzzling? That’s the feedback we get quite often. To make things easier to understand, here’s a short introduction from you three different forms of tutoring
Peer tutoring – for better and for worse
Peer tutors are the right (and sometimes the left) arm of each Finnish degree programmes’ new student in the beginning of their studies. They familiarize the new students to Jyväskylä and JAMK, introduce them to Asio, Elmo, Optima, to student life and whatever it has to throw at them.
In addition, you may see our tutors in JAMKO’s events such as Snowday, which is just around the corner. Sport tutors will gladly take you to test out new sports and also throw you out of Academic Sports’ shifts if you don’t possess an Academic Sports sticker (Well, not throw but kindly guide you how to get one for yourself). Peer tutors are also a big help to JAMK’s marketing department and tutors do school visits and attend affairs all around Finland to promote JAMK and their degree. It’s fun and educational, also good practise for working life!
International tutoring – Get international by staying in Finland
Imagine if you were to go abroad to a strange country and you knew no one from there. Some may call it an adventure, but for some this would be a nightmare. Now switch this image to this: You have been selected for and exchange period, right after the letter of acceptance you get and email from a friendly student from the school you’re going to telling all the necessary things about your destination country, what to bring, how to get around and that she/he would be there to pick you up from the train station when you arrive. That’s the goal in JAMKO’s International Tutoring: to welcome and make all the exchange students feel themselves secure even before they arrive to Finland.
After their arrival International Tutors will show them around Jyväskylä, introduce them to Finnish culture and customs and also help them with practical matters. Almost every International Tutor have also applied to be a tutor so that they could get to know different cultures and make friends around the world. And when you get a friend from a Finn it’s a life-long friend!
Degree tutoring – Mix the two above and there you have it?
Well, not as simple as that, but almost. Degree tutors offer peer support for new students of the English degree programmes (Nursing, Logistics Engineering and International Business). In order for one to become a degree tutor one must study in one of the degree programmes mentioned earlier.
Degree tutors help the Finnish and the English speaking degree students, Finnish with mostly starting their studies and getting to know JAMK and Jyväskylä. With foreign degree students Degree Tutors must familiarize them also to the Finnish culture and way of life. Not an easy task, but manageable. Tutors are given an extensive training consisting of three lectures and an overnight tutor camp. Even after the trainings they have the support of JAMKO’s tutor responsible and me.
Degree tutors can also do sport tutoring and are encouraged to do marketing tutoring. This year Degree Tutors will also be helping with the incoming exchange students during the fall semester. More and more exchange students are coming to JAMK and why wouldn’t they, it’s a great place to study! (As I graduated last December from JAMK I could almost say the best)
Tutor t-shirts are green and noticeable, but there’s a reason for that!
The two common thing all tutors share are the green tutor t-shirts they are given in the beginning of their year of tutoring. The colour may seem ugly for some, but it’s noticeable. And being noticeable when tutoring is important because how else would the students know who to contact when they have questions and concerns?
Tutoring is not just a study module or a period of time, it’s a way of life.
-Oona, Tutor and Sports Secretary
tutoring (one way or another) in JAMK 2011-2015