As a former student at CNC, one of the major problems I noticed while I was in attendance there is that there's not a lot of student support. There are quite a few classes where it would be beneficial for the students to have tutors available to them to help them understand difficult concepts and to get over the hump. Often times it is just a few stumbling blocks that are causing difficulties and a small amount of time will be necessary to get the student back on track. Rather than having them fail and waste time and money, a tutor is generally a good way to not only help the students, but also for the college to get a better return on the students that they do have there.
There are a lot of reasons why the college has insufficient student support. A big one is college policy. I decided to investigate the situation and I was told to go talk to their HR department. (Never a good sign). HR bluntly told me that the policy for all 'tutors' that are hired by the college have to have a master's degree!
I've never heard anything so silly. For a position that might pay around 4-5K a year if you're doing well, you're expecting to be able to hire someone with a master's degree? Tutors have traditionally been upperclassmen or graduates looking to earn a few dollars, the reason being so is mostly economic. There are plenty of other jobs that pay better than tutoring, so it's hard to keep such a position staffed as well as to find (and keep) someone qualified. This crazy policy isn't helping anyone, least of all the students who when they need help aren't going to get the support they need.
So what's the solution? Simple. Go back to how it's always been done. Having sensible requirements for tutors (i.e, a degree in the related field and/or experience) will allow more people to work as tutors and there will be more tutors available for the students. This way our students at the college can get the help that they need rather than waiting for the two hours, three times a week when the tutors are in.
But what do I know? I'm just yet another graduate from the college that isn't good enough for the college to hire.
Sean Ollech, Prince George
