Hiring Information
TASC/WC Application to Tutor
The writing center hires new writing consultants before each fall semester and as needed before each spring semester. If you're interested in applying to be a writing consultant, please complete the TASC/WC application and attach a writing sample of at least three pages of your academic work. Listed below is also a list of our frequently asked questions about hiring.
Why work for the MiraCosta Writing or Tutoring Centers?
What qualifications are necessary to be hired as a tutor or a writing consultant?
How do I apply to be a tutor or writing consultant?
What’s the job like?
How much can I/do I have to work?
How much will I be paid as a writing consultant?
Isn’t tutoring a boring job?
How will I learn to be a tutor or consultant?
Will I have homework or training?
Can I tutor a subject I’m not majoring in?
Can I tutor writing if I'm not an English major?
Which courses can I tutor?
Do you expect me to know everything about the subject or class I tutor?
What if English isn’t my first language?
Are there opportunities for career or personal growth?
Why work for the MiraCosta Writing or Tutoring Centers?
The Writing Center (WC) and Tutoring and Academic Support Center (TASC) employ the most student workers at MiraCosta. Students enjoy the convenience and experience this job provides. You can work before, after, and between classes, without commuting! Working at the WC or TASC offers great opportunities and work experience too.
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What qualifications are necessary to be hired as a tutor or a writing consultant?
How do I apply to be a tutor or writing consultant?
We require a faculty recommendation for all of our tutors by the instructor who taught the course(s) you’d like to tutor. We solicit recommendations from faculty near the end of each semester, but you can also obtain one yourself and attach it to an application. Applications are available here.
Additional requirements: You must have earned an A or B in the course(s) you will tutor. You should be available a minimum of 10 hours a week for tutoring (Saturdays excluded), and you must be available to attend pre-semester training. You must be eligible for employment with the district.
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What’s the job like?
Tutoring is an incredibly social job. We sit down with students and talk about their work, so we pride ourselves on our friendly, helpful, and approachable staff. Mostly we work in an open environment, asking each other for help when we’re stuck.
Our tutors for various subjects and our writing consultants work with students in one-to-one sessions, and facilitate learning communities (student study groups). Our writing consultants may also work in the drop-in center and classroom labs. We try to match our staff with their interests and provide opportunities to give them a diverse work experience.
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How much can I/do I have to work?
Tutors and writing consultants must commit to a minimum of ten hours per week to be hired. Student employees may work a maximum of 19.5 hours a week; non-student employees may work a maximum of 40 hours a week.
In the Writing Center, some of our hours are guaranteed, meaning you might have regular assignments in a classroom, or in our drop-in service, every week. A large portion of your hours, however, may be designated for appointments. These hours are paid only when students book appointments with you. This means your schedule may depend largely on demand. Typically our consultants and tutors find they aren’t very busy near the beginning of the semester, but become much busier as the semester draws to a close.
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How much will I be paid as a writing consultant?
Our writing consultants and tutors make $9 during their first year tutoring and $11 during their second year. If you have an academic degree, your starting salary may vary.
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Isn’t tutoring a boring job?
We laugh so much, sometimes we wonder if we’re really supposed to get paid for this work. Our tutors and writing consultants frequently comment that our centers are some of the best places they’ve ever worked. We enjoy our creative and relaxing work environment. We build a community among ourselves and the students, we know many of our tutees by name, and we know we can talk to our supervisors about anything. We work in creative ways, too, sometimes cutting and pasting, sometimes building with toys, and sometimes drawing pictures and coloring. We love our jobs!
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How will I learn to be a tutor or consultant?
Will I have homework or training?
All tutors and writing consultants are required to attend pre-semester training before the semester starts. Writing consultants and learning community facilitators are also expected to attend training sessions on select Fridays throughout the semester. Also, new writing consultants complete a training agreement which invites you to reflect on your learning and experience as a new consultant. All training work is paid. And because we value this education so highly, if you’re unable to attend these training sessions you cannot be hired as a tutor or writing consultant.
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Can I tutor a subject I’m not majoring in?
Can I tutor writing if I'm not an English major?
Of course. Some of our best writing consultants are math majors, and some of our best math and science tutors are literature majors. As long as you’re comfortable in the subjects you tutor and have performed well in those classes, you can tutor them. Our writing consultants are trained to work with all student writers, regardless of what course they’re seeking assistance with. Therefore it benefits the WC greatly to hire writing consultants who have experience writing for a variety of subjects.
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Which courses can I tutor?
You may tutor any subjects you have earned an A or B in, and which you feel comfortable tutoring. You should have received a faculty recommendation from at least one instructor for a course you’d like to tutor. You may not tutor a course you are currently enrolled in or have not completed.
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Do you expect me to know everything about the subject or class I tutor?
Not at all. We expect you to be comfortable with the subject(s) you tutor but we don’t expect you to know everything. Even our most experienced writing consultants, for example, still need to look up answers to grammar questions once in a while. We keep textbooks on hand for most subjects you’ll tutor, so there are always resources available. The important thing is that you’re comfortable enough to admit when you don’t know something and are willing to help the student find the answer.
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What if English isn’t my first language?
Many of our best tutors and writing consultants speak other languages and have learned English later in life. In fact, we pride ourselves on our diverse staff and their ability to assist MiraCosta’s students.
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Are there opportunities for career or personal growth?
Absolutely. We believe in supporting the lifelong goals of our staff and we frequently offer opportunities to foster educational, career, and personal growth. Many of our tutors and consultants attend and develop conference workshops, contribute to and publish a department newsletter, assist with training, and facilitate student learning communities. Many of us develop lasting relationships with students and instructors, creating networks of caring individuals and friends.
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