You’ve got questions, and we’re here to help.

We have some answers to the most common queries that we hear from both tutors and teachers.  If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to contact areads@adelphi.edu for further assistance.

Tutors

No. However, if you sign up promptly for an orientation session, chances are extremely good that you will be offered a position. You will know shortly after the orientation whether you have been selected, and will receive your school assignment shortly thereafter.

No. Students from all fields can make fine tutors, whatever their experience to date. What is needed most is commitment, reliability, and enjoying children.

Currently, the participating schools are located approximately 10-15 minutes from Adelphi’s Garden City campus.

You are not required to work during university holidays. However, many tutors prefer to work in the schools during winter and spring recesses, since public schools are open and students are available to work full-time during breaks. While we understand your first priority is your studies, tutors must also understand they have responsibilities and obligations to both the teachers and their students. With that, if you need to take off to study for exams or are sick, you may only do so after notifying both the AR/AC program director and your teacher about your availability.

Tutors are utilized by their teachers in a variety of ways, but tutor feedback indicates that the greatest use of tutors in one-on-one with students identified by the classroom teacher as needing additional help. With that said, you will be working with that child in a classroom setting, and your teacher will always be present in the room where you are working. Most classrooms are designed so a tutor can work privately with a student or a group of students while other classroom activities go on.

If you received a letter from us about the program, you probably qualify. We can usually tell you the amount of your award, but all other financial aid questions must be directed to the Office of Student Financial Services at 516.877.3080.

Yes. Once you meet all of the program requirements and are hired, you will need to fill out additional paperwork at the Office of Human Resources. When you fill out the paperwork, you will need to bring documentation regarding your work eligibility. You must complete this paperwork before you can get paid.

You can download the America Reads Timesheet (PDF) and America Counts Timesheet (PDF) or you may also pick them up at the Center for Career and Professional Development in the Nexus Building during regularly scheduled hours.

You can drop off completed timesheets signed by your cooperating teacher at the Center for Career and Professional Development. If the office is closed, please drop signed timesheets in the mailbox located outside of the front door. If you leave your timesheet in the mailbox, please notify the Career Center Staff by phone or email. Your supervisor can also fax them to us at 516.877.3136.

Teachers

America Reads/America Counts tutors are undergraduate students from all academic disciplines at Adelphi University; most are not in teacher training programs. Although tutors have received some pre-service training, they are not trained teachers or literacy experts. For this reason, tutors are expected to work solely under your direction performing tasks specific to your school and classroom. Tutors may record on their timesheets any training sessions provided by you or your school.

These tutors are paid employees, not volunteers. They are paid 100% from their federal work-study packages and may earn up to, but no more than, their federal work-study allotment. Students are paid $10 per hour. We hold tutors to a very high standard, and so should you. If your tutor is anything other than cooperative or helpful, please report this to your principal or to our office immediately. Chronic tardiness and absences, lack of cooperation and unprofessional behavior are not acceptable. If the tutor is not helpful to you, the tutor should not be in your classroom.

The tutor’s efforts must be aimed at improving literacy or mathematics. To this end, you may use tutors in whatever manner you see fit: working with students one-on-one; in small groups; for class-wide projects; helping with homework and classroom assignments, etc. You might at times even use tutors to work with advanced students to free yourself—the trained expert—to work with children who are struggling. Like everyone in a school, your tutor can help with occasional housekeeping and clerical tasks; however, the tutor’s primary purpose is academic. They are not to be used as clerical or disciplinary aides.

All Adelphi University America Reads/America Counts tutors are full-time students at the University, so it is not possible for us to send you a tutor to meet your ideal schedule. Tutors must sit down with you and work out a mutually agreeable schedule.

We hope you will try to accommodate a tutor’s scheduling needs, just as we expect the tutor to accommodate yours. But if you are not able to work out a satisfactory schedule with a given tutor, direct the tutor back to your principal for a new assignment. We cannot guarantee that we can send you an alternate tutor. Together, you and your tutor will fill out and sign a Work Schedule Form (PDF). You should give a copy of this form to the school principal and fax a copy to the Adelphi University Career Center at 516.877.3136. We will expect the tutor to follow that schedule (as should you). Please keep a copy so you’ll know when your tutor will be in your class.

Tutors are not permitted to:

  • supervise children in the absence of a teacher
  • fulfill any serious counseling role with the children
  • monitor hallways, lunch rooms, or playgrounds
  • handle disciplinary problems.

Other than supervising your tutor in the literacy and math help they are there to provide, your only responsibilities are to verify and sign off on the tutor’s Work Schedule (PDF) (usually only at the beginning of each semester) and to sign off on the tutor’s timesheet (every two weeks). Tutors will fill out these time sheets themselves, and submit them to you for your signature. We hope you will maintain these records carefully.

Please review all timesheets carefully before signing, and keep a copy in your records. You should verify only those hours when the tutor worked in your classroom, or you otherwise have first-hand knowledge of their work in your school. Any irregularity in time sheets will result in the immediate suspension of a tutor. If a timesheet is reviewed for any reason by this office and does not conform to the copy you have kept, the tutor will be suspended.

Terms of Use: The Center for Career and Professional Development at Adelphi University acts only as an information service. The office does not endorse any individual employer and cautions you to ask appropriate questions to be sure that the position is right for you. The center makes no recommendations or guarantees about the positions or employers listed through our office or about those who visit campus to meet students or alumni. Students and/or alumni are responsible for verifying the credentials and integrity of the employer. Adelphi’s Center for Career and Professional Development is not responsible for safety, wages, working conditions or other aspects of off-campus employment. Jobs and internships posted on Handshake may not be reviewed before posting. Site users are urged to validate job postings and use caution and common sense when applying. Do not disclose security numbers, credit card information or bank account numbers to unknown employers. This website also contains links to other websites that are not under control of the University or the Center for Career and Professional Development. The University and the Center for Career and Professional Development are not responsible for any error or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. Site users who discover any misuse or abuse of this service are encouraged to report the matter as soon as possible.
The Center for Career and Professional Development does not guarantee a student or alumnus will obtain an internship or job opportunity.
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Nexus Building, 225
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  • Regular Semester Hours Mon-Fri: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
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