Understanding your role
Quotes by Imp S and PT
Student perspective
“My personal tutor is a cheerful and very supportive person, so talking to him is always a great experience because he radiates positive energy. It is very important to see such qualities in a tutor for someone who seeks support, directions and generally feels insecure or unsure of what steps to take, be it a career or a degree question."
Tutor's tip
“I have found it really enjoyable to build trust and good relationships with my personal tutees. In this way, I can develop an understanding of the challenges facing my students. If any major issues do arise they will feel comfortable talking to me about them before problems escalate. I have enjoyed helping them with their development and seeing them flourish during their studies." (Personal Tutor, Department of Chemical Engineering)
What it means to be a personal tutor
Managing the relationship
Personal Tutors should seek to establish a supportive and professional relationship with each of their tutees. This requires making meaningful contact to develop rapport at the beginning of their university career and being in regular contact with tutees throughout their time at College.
Developing students
Personal Tutors have an important role in encouraging students to seek opportunities and make choices that develop them academically, personally and professionally. To help students to monitor their development Personal Tutors should maintain an overview of their tutees’ academic progress/development and provide regular one-to-one feedback and guidance.
Supporting students
Personal Tutors provide a source of support to their tutees, both pastoral and academic. If Personal Tutors do not feel qualified to advise on a particular problem, they should consult colleagues or direct the student to an appropriate source of support.
We strongly recommend that you attend the Educational Development Unit's 'Introduction to Personal Tutoring at Imperial' workshop that this online guide is designed to complement.
