The first step in starting to tutor is choosing the site. I didn't do any research at all on where I wanted to tutor, but I knew that I wanted to work with younger children, possibly in a classroom setting. Soon after getting in touch with a teacher at Harris Elementary, I started my tutoring.
In order to be effective at the site, the teacher/supervisor and tutor first need to sit down and communicate to each other the specific duties that each will undergo to make the experience beneficial to both. I state doing this because I didn't sit down with my teacher, and as time progressed, I ended up not doing anything that was very useful to myself or the students.
One of the next steps would be to get to casually know the student or students that you're tutoring. The more comfortable that they feel with you, as the tutor, the harder they will try, which in turn will make the whole experience less frustrating. After getting to know the student more, you'll be able to better prepare yourself in advance for the tutoring session because you'll understand their needs and actions.
While tutoring at this site, I was taking a very heavy load of classes at school, which made my time much more precious. I made time for myself because I love working with children, and I was always looking forward to my time at the school, sort of as a break from the norm of just attending classes and going to work everyday. There is a definite benefit to a tutor if they have more time than myself, but I believed that if you enjoyed what you were doing and knew that you were helping out children, then any extra time outside of school is worth spending on a child.
The time spent with a child is so beneficial and gratifying. Not only do you, as a tutor, make a lasting impression on a child's life, but you also expose yourself to the experience of a lifetime in helping to inspire a child's future. These children are our future, and just by spending an hour or so a week with them, either in the classroom or out, will help benefit their future. I definitely started feeling this way after realizing how much of an impact I had made on each child's life.