Volunteer Tutor

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The WCLC welcomes volunteers. We will train you, provide the resources and give you supportive guidance. All you need to bring is motivation and a positive attitude. Volunteer opportunities include one-to-one tutoring, assisting in classrooms, helping staff in office, or working at events.

For more information on becoming a volunteer, please contact the Volunteer and Service Coordinator at 920-236-5219 ext. 4802 or visit www.winlit.org.

Volunteer Tutor:

The focus of our tutoring program is to help learners improve their reading, writing, speaking, listening, math, and workplace skills. Tutors receive 2 hours of training prior to being matched with a learner.

In addition, English Forward training is offered quarterly. This training is a nationally recognized, evidence-based approach to literacy tutoring.

The WCLC staff will assist you to make the tutoring experience rewarding.

Minimum Requirements:

- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a high school diploma
- Be able to maintain confidentiality
- Agree to a criminal background check
- Understand and sign the Tutor Agreement form
- Attend all training sessions
- Commit to a minimum of one hour per week
- Report progress quarterly to the WCLC

Tutor FAQs:

What prior experience do I need to be a Literacy Tutor?

We are open to any volunteer tutors. Some come to us with a background in education, while others have no teaching experience. It is not necessary to speak a foreign language, and the majority of our tutors do not speak the native language of their learners. We provide training initially before tutoring sessions begin, and also ongoing in-service training to our tutors.

How many hours a week am I expected to commit?

We ask that our tutors commit to a weekly session at the very least. Sessions start at an hour long and can go longer if the learner and tutor have time in their schedules. Anything beyond that 1 hour per week minimum is at the discretion of the tutor; most learners will be willing to meet more frequently and for longer than 1 hour to improve their skills. Sessions lasting longer than 2 hours are not advisable, as it can become tiring for the learner and counterproductive to continue after that amount of time.

Where will my learner be from?

This varies. Many of our learners are refugees who are here from all over the world. We have students from the Sudan, from Myanmar, from Thailand, from Iraq, and a few from various countries through Europe and South America.

Can I work with more than one learner?

Absolutely!

We recommend that you keep your sessions as a 1 to 1 rather than working with 2 learners together, to provide individualized lessons and attention. However, if you have time in your schedule, you can work with more than one student during the week.

What is the cost?

The cost of our training is free to our tutors, and the service we provide to our learners is free as well.

When will I get to start?

Once you have attended a training session, and your application has been reviewed, you can be matched with a learner as soon as a week later. The time between training and your first meeting depends on how long it takes the learner you are matched with to respond, and when the Services/Volunteer Coordinator is available to meet with you and your learner. Your first session will be with your learner and the coordinator together, to make introductions, facilitate communication and further scheduling, and to make recommendations for early lessons and next steps. Typically there will be sometime between the training and the first appointment due to the unpredictability of these factors, but will fall between a 1-6 weeks in most cases.