Is your student studying a new field? Is the student a beginner or a seasoned veteran? Is the student young or from a different culture?

The role of the workplace tutor changes as the skills of the student develop. The practices of tutoring also greatly depend on the size of your workplace and the number of learners.

Your role changes depending on the student

Professional development takes place at an individual pace for each person.

The need for tutoring is individual for each learner. Some need more support and guidance, others act and learn independently. Tutoring a person who is supplementing his/her professional skills and has vast experience of work life can be close to mentoring. Workplace tutors of young people often have a stronger pedagogical role.

Identify your own tutoring style

In addition to the student, your own learning style and earlier learning experiences also affect how you implement the tutoring. Regardless of what kind of learner you are, it is good to remember that you do not have to develop the student into yourself.

As a new workplace tutor, it is sufficient that you recognise what you are like as a learner, how and why you tutor in a certain way. Tutoring develops through experience. Adapting your own style to the needs of the learner is a skill of an experienced workplace tutor.