Tutor Portland is Hiring

Tutor Portland is hiring good math and science tutors.

If you have recently studied or taught math, chemistry, or physics, we would like to speak with you! We highly value teaching & tutoring experience. Applicants with a masters in math and science education, or another advanced teaching degree, will be given priority.  That being said, we have also been to know to hire recent graduates and students working towards their undergraduate degree. This is because we look for more than simply strong math skills. We look for people skills. Tutoring is as much of an art as it is a science. Having a rock-solid understanding of the material is very important. But you must also be able to convey that information effectively to different types of learners. You must be able to connect and build rapport with clients. This is because our model of tutoring is based around a long-term client-centered approach. We want to serve our clients incredibly well. We want to be the best service they have ever used. In order to do that, we must understand human psychology and have a high degree of empathy, understanding, and unconditional positive regard. 

We believe strongly in active learning. What is active learning? It means that we try to engage learners. Lectures often provide a surface-level understanding. People who only attend lectures, or who absorb information passively, are leaving massive learning gains on the table. There is a significant body of research showing that when students are engaged actively — when they are asked to verbalize and discuss their own mathematical reasoning and thinking — they have vastly better learning gains in content and understanding. Since we encourage our tutors to use an active approach, we highly recommend that you research the active learning method of facilitation before interviewing with us. 

Many of our tutors come to us with a degree in mathematics or engineering. Our focus, as a company, is centered around teaching students mathematics. However, we also help with general science courses, english, writing, reading, Spanish, and the social sciences. So we are accepting applications & resumes from all of these subjects. We just tend to focus more on mathematics. So, if you are currently working towards (or have) your undergraduate degree in math or engineering, please consider reaching out to us. 

What do we look for? 

We look for tutors who are passionate about math and who are also able to describe difficult concepts in easy to understand ways. This means that we are looking for strong communicators. 

Must have at least 10 hours per week available for tutoring. Must have a car or motorized vehicle to get to in-home tutoring sessions. We are seeking tutors who value long-term relations and who are available to tutor for one (1) year or more.

We are currently hiring tutors for several different subjects. We are seeking qualified tutors for math, science, various foreign languages, English, reading & writing, and the social sciences. Please submit the contact form above to apply. Once you hear from us, we will ask you to send us your resume. Please have that prepared in PDF format.

We are firm believers that resumes should be no longer than one (1) page in length. There is a significant body of research showing that when reading resumes or evaluating others, humans tend to average other peoples experiences, rather than adding them together. This means that it is likely in your best interest to submit a short and concise resume to us, listing only your most impactful experiences and those which have affected you the most profoundly. Please be sure to highlight for us any teaching and tutoring experience that you have had. 

Teaching experience is not required, but it is necessary that you have the proper mental attitude and mindset towards teaching and learning. These qualities are harder to teach. They must come from within you. You must decide and work to cultivate the right mental attitude and frame of mind. The best teachers are also always the best learners, they are constantly growing, gaining skills, and learning new approaches. It is also important that you have a passion for your subject and also for teaching and learning. These qualities will give you a huge head-start and put you on your way to becoming a top-notch tutor.   

How tutoring works with us:

Most tutors with us have a set schedule. That’s how our model is built. We develop long-term relationships with clients. Our business is built around a monthly membership. This means that families choose a certain number of hours of tutoring per week. Most families then stick to a set schedule. For example, a typical family might have math tutoring sessions on Monday and Wednesday from 5 to 6pm. As a tutor, you would be responsible for assisting the student during those hours. You can see how your schedule could quickly fill up with clients. We normally recommend that applicants have at least 3 week nights open (available to work) per week. Families will normally request tutoring times during the afternoon & evening hours Monday through Thursday, and sometimes Friday and the weekend. Therefore, we prefer applicants who can devote 3+ nights per week to tutoring. Ideally for at least one year. 

Many of our families see strong results from our membership. This is something you will see – and be part of – often. Our tutors tell us that is the most rewarding part of the their job. And it’s one big reason why they keep tutoring and teaching others. Another benefit of tutoring is that you can brush up on your own skills! All of our tutors tell us they really value this aspect of the job – it helps them with their own learning & understanding. 

Please be prepared to:

Please be ready to speak to us about why you want to teach. Why does tutoring make sense for you right now? Why is this something you want to do? Your answer doesn’t have to be perfect. The reason doesn’t need to be some grand vision to save the world. But we expect to feel that tutoring makes sense for you at this juncture in your life. Also, you should be prepared to speak a little bit about your own approach to tutoring. Do you do things differently? What are your best practices? If you haven’t tutored much yet, then you may want to spend some time reflecting on who some of your favorite teachers were. What did they do that was effective? What teaching and learning strategies did they use?