How Do I Become an Organic Chemistry Tutor?

If you want to become an organic chemistry tutor, then you better be pretty good at organic chemistry. This is actually an understatement as successful tutors need an extensive comprehension of and experience in the subject matter along with an incredible ability to communicate. Joining the ranks of tutors can help you earn money or just plain help students. Either way, this endeavor is very worth your time.

Organic chemistry sounds like another language to most people, but to the few who understand its origin, it refers to the study of chemicals involving carbon. Carbon is essential for sustaining life; therefore, the implications of organic chemistry are both vast and important. In addition to providing students with potentially crucial knowledge, organic chemistry also sometimes acts as a weed-out course. Courses of this nature are designed to require specific levels of analytical skills and dedication, acting to separate or weed out serious students from slackers.

If you want to become an organic chemistry tutor, there will be no shortage of work for you. Many students struggle particularly with this discipline due to the amount of memorization it requires. While hard work goes a long way, there is a common belief that a mind fit for organic chemistry is a predisposition. If you are one of the lucky few blessed with this intelligence and have found your way to excelling in this field, a good choice may be to become an organic chemistry tutor.

The ability to communicate effectively with others may be innate, but a social butterfly or fly on the wall can both improve their skills. Just because you are great with people does not necessarily make you a great tutor. Conversely, if you are antisocial, don't assume you can't become an organic chemistry tutor.

The key to teaching is the ability to relate. This means taking material foreign to your students and putting it in a context they can understand. The most gifted organic chemist may not be the best tutor, and a student barely passing the class could certainly help others if he or she is able to communicate effectively.

Putting yourself in the shoes of your students is a great way to better communicative abilities. Doing this can help you understand what it's like to have someone teach a new subject to you. Experience is also the best measure for improvement as practice makes perfect. Putting all of these keys together can help you on your quest to become an organic chemistry tutor. Remember, few great academics would exist without great tutors.