Supply of College Tutors for Summer Work Exceeds Demand Says Daly--Compares Such a Position to That of Governess

The following article dealing with the routine of the work of tutors and tutor companions was written especially for the Crimson by W. W. Daly '14, Secretary of Student Employment in the University.

There is no work that is more generally sought after by college undergraduates than that which may be covered under the heading of, "Tutor or Tutor Companion." Such work is generally well paid. It is distinctly of a white collar nature; it is very pleasant, and, in most cases, is neither tedious nor laborious. Due to the nature of the work, many people desire it, but the number of jobs in this field is relatively small. The number of men who will actually qualify for it is usually equally small, due to the qualifications that are required from such men.

Tutor Really a Governess

Strictly speaking, of course, a tutor is a private teacher, and in summer such a tutor aids in making up work or preparing for examinations. It is a fact, however, that practically all of the men who get a job as tutor or tutor companion are much akin to the masculine from of governess. When a boy gets to a place where he is no longer a fit subject for a nursemaid, and when his parents wish to provide him with a virile and inspiring companion, they look for some one whose title is that of tutor, whose work is really that of a boy leader. When we consider that in addition to being a boy leader, a man may be expected to fit into the social atmosphere and be generally useful, we find a number of qualifications which would not ordinarily appear in any definition of tutor. The man usually is expected to be able to handle horses, sail boats and manage everything in automobiles from Fords to racers; it may be desirable that he speak one or two foreign languages and be able to make up a fourth hand at bridge whenever the party is short.

Many people looking for men as tutors require some one with experience, and while it is begging the question to ask where a man is to get his experience, it has been frequently noticed that all of the men each year who have had experience are generally taken up before very many inexperienced men have any opportunity of getting work.

More of the requirements for tutors have to do with personality than with scholarship. A man who is particularly well appearing and who has some prowess as a college athlete or who has been engaged in some from of University activity is much more esteemed as a tutor than a man whose activities have been chiefly scholastic It is true also that many people who are engaging tutors feel that mere scholastic ability is not of the highest merit. They are mostly interested in a person of a strong, virile personality, who can inspire as well as teach, than they are in the man who may have greater knowledge but less ability to impart it. A men's scholarship in applying for a position as tutor, should be satisfactory; unfortunately, perhaps, it is not always required to be high.

One of the reasons why each man registering for summer employment was asked to specify several different kinds of jobs was that it was expected that a great many men would ask primarily for jobs as tutors or tutor companions. It is probable that more than 60 percent of the men who are registered for summer work have asked for consideration on this type of work.