ESL Conversation Partner: Job Description
Second Language Services’ ESL tutors provide peer language support to BSU students for whom English is an additional language. Tutors help students achieve a higher proficiency in public and conversational speaking, listening comprehension, writing, and reading. Students and tutors are paired at the beginning of the semester and meet for an hour each week. Tutors might also be asked to staff SLS desk hours for walk-in tutoring and assisting with other desk duties. Tutors must take ENGL 205 each semester in order to receive continuous feedback on tutoring strategies.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Reserve Mondays from 2:00-2:50 for ENGL 205 (1 credit) in order to report to the director of the Second Language Services on a weekly basis.
Maintain the position for one academic year.
Model effective communication practices in academic English.
Offer feedback on the development of fluency, accuracy, and clarity of students’ academic English through weekly one-on-one sessions held at the AAC.
Work closely with the SLS Graduate Assistant, Kate Camerlin, to resolve day-to-day issues.
Prepare language learning activities to use in sessions and participate in events organized by the SLS to promote cross-cultural exchange.
Keep a log of all tutoring sessions and turn in online time sheets on a weekly basis.
Qualifications:
Required GPA 2.70. Preferred GPA 3.0 or higher.
Preference given to students who have 30-40 credits.
Candidates must have a commitment to working with students for whom English is not a first language. Excellent communication skills in English, a working knowledge of English grammar, good writing skills, respect for diversity, and familiarity with American academic culture required. Knowledge of foreign languages is a plus, but not a requirement.
Available Hours: TBA
Start Date: September 2013
Location: Second Language Services Desk, Academic Achievement Center, Maxwell Library
Contact Person: Dr. J. Stakhnevich, or (508) 531-2805.
Or Kate Camerlin, .
Application to be an ESL Tutor
Thank for your interest in working as an ESL tutor! This is a great opportunity for students who aspire to be teachers, communication consultants, and/or plan to teach abroad or work with adult second language populations in the US. Applications may be emailed to Dr. Julia Stakhnevich at or turned in to our desk at the Academic Achievement Center. We are looking for up to 10-12 student applicants. Please feel free to answer questions on a separate sheet of paper if needed.
Name of Applicant: ______Email address: ______
Phone Number: ______Major: ______
1. Year in college: freshman sophomore junior senior
2. What is your GPA? (A GPA of 2.50 is required, 3.00 is preferred.) ______
3. When do you plan to graduate?
4. How did you hear about this job opportunity?
5. One of the requirements of this job is enrollment in ENGL 205 Supporting Second Language Learners, a one-credit tutor-training course (Mondays 2-2:50). The course may be repeated for up to three credits, and ESL tutors are expected to take it during their first three semesters of working in the Second Language Services. Because the course is repeatable for credit, it will count toward graduation. Will you be able to take ENGL 205 in Fall 2011?
6. Why do you want to work with second language students?
7. ESL tutors are must have a commitment to working with ESL students, excellent communication skills in English, respect for diversity, and familiarity with American academic culture. Do you think you would make a good ESL tutor? Why?
8. Although knowledge of another language and international experience are not required for this job, they are a plus. Can you comment on your foreign language skills and experiences of interacting with people from other cultural backgrounds?
9. Please list below the names and phone numbers of two references (current or former employers, teachers, college professors). No letters of recommendation are necessary, just contact information.