Introduction for New Tutors

Eligibility

America Reads & Counts is open to all UMass Dartmouth students. Because it is a federal work-study, community service initiative, ALL America Reads*Counts tutors must fall under one of the following categories:

  1. Work Study - Students must be awarded a work-study award;
  2. Volunteer - Students are interested in volunteering or have a community service commitment they must complete; or
  3. Internship/Experiential Learning - Students are tutoring for academic credit.

​

Time Commitment

All America Reads & Counts tutoring is done during the school week, Monday-Friday. Hours range from morning (8:45 AM) to early evening (8PM). There is no work on weekends. Tutors must be able to commit between 3-11 hours per week.

​

Locations

The schools and community centers are located in New Bedford and Fall River. Transportation to the sites is provided via the Corsair Shuttle or LOOP bus.

​

Placement and Training

We will provide you with orientation before you are sent to your site. The site may also provide an on-site training. If you are placed in a school, the site coordinator will assign you to a classroom teacher (or teachers) to work with. Placement is made based on tutor's availability, the needs of the site, and transportation considerations. Placements for returning tutors can also be based on their site preferences, based on previous experience.

​

Scheduling

Working with our office, we will create a work schedule that accommodates your class schedule and any other extracurricular commitments you have. You may only work eight hours in a day and there is a weekly maximum of twenty hours. Once you agree to your schedule, we expect you to keep that schedule for the semester.

​

Supervision and Work

Your work will always be done in the presence of, and under the direction and supervision of, a classroom teacher or school/site employee. Your work will vary -- you may, at times, work one-on-one with a student; you may work with small groups; you may work with large groups. Although you may be asked to perform occasional clerical or housekeeping tasks (making copies, straightening room, etc.) the great majority of your time will be helping students with their academic needs. If a teacher is asking you to do things that are not academic in nature, we will assist you in correcting that situation.

​

Time Off

You are not expected to work during UMass Dartmouth holidays. You are allowed to take time off; however, we expect you to inform our office, your site, and your teacher (if applicable) beforehand about your absence.

​

Payment

You are paid for the time you work with children. The teacher or site coordinator will supervise your work, tell you what to do, which students to work with, etc. You are also paid for orientation/training and reasonable travel time.

You will be paid a starting wage of $13.25 per hour. Returning tutors may be given a raise on their hourly rate of $0.50, depending on their job performance. You will be paid every two weeks on a schedule set by the University.

​

Start Date

You can begin work shortly after you attend orientation. You can work until you have exhausted your federal work study allowance. The average annual FWS allowance at UMass Dartmouth is between $1,500-$2,000. You have the job for the entire year. If you work more, you could earn the whole amount; if you work less, then you may not earn all of your FWS.

​

Transferring Sites

You will stay at the same site(s) for the entire semester. While we would prefer that you stay at the same site(s) for both semesters, we understand you may not be able to do so because of changes to your class schedule. You can work in this program as long as you are a UMass Dartmouth student with a federal work-study award and your work is satisfactory.