Apply to work at the CWL

Job Description

The goal of the Center for Writing and Learning is to help students become better, more independent learners. A Writing and Speaking Advisor serves as an experienced peer reader and feedback provider to students who are working on drafts of papers, speeches, and presentations from across the disciplines, at any stage in the composing process. A Writing and Speaking Advisor also assists faculty and students in first-year seminars, helping to lead workshops and to provide student feedback on speaking and writing assignments.

While we welcome applicants who feel confident in tutoring either writing or public speaking, it is essential that tutors demonstrate a willingness to help students cultivate skills in both writing AND speaking when working at the CWL. Training and professional development will prepare advisors to work with students in both areas.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities

• Work one-to-one with students who come to the CWL with papers or presentations at any stage in the writing or composing process.
• Act as a liaison to first-year seminars and work with faculty and students in those classes by going to the class and giving an introduction to the CWL, meeting one-to-one with students in the class, and offering writing and public speaking workshops to the class.
• Collaborate with other writing and speaking advisors, subject tutors, and CWL staff to develop and offer CWL programming.
• Participate in ongoing training and professional development, including CWL orientation at the start of the fall semester, ongoing readings and activities, and biweekly CWL staff meetings.
• Other duties as needed.

Minimum Requirements

Candidates must possess these requirements in order to be hired into this position.

A Writing and Speaking Advisor has an invested interest in supporting students to cultivate strong writing and public speaking skills. They also demonstrate empathy for others and the ability to connect. They must collaborate well with fellow tutors, faculty, and staff. They must be organized, responsible, and able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Finally, they must have a positive attitude about writing and public speaking, a strong sense of integrity, and the ability to listen well to others. Prior tutoring experience is not required, but the candidate should describe in their cover letter how their prior experiences prepare them for the role of peer tutor.

Writing and Speaking Advisor positions are open to students with at least a 3.3 G.P.A. Preference will be given to rising juniors and seniors, though we will consider exceptional rising sophomores. The CWL values international travel, and a student’s plans to study abroad in the spring do not prevent their application from being considered.

Candidates must be able to explain and/or demonstrate that they possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to safely perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Hours per week

7-9 hours/week. Weekly workload includes about 6 scheduled hours in the CWL and about an hour of liaison work with first-year seminars, plus up to an additional 2 hours/week in fall semester for professional development. Writing and Speaking advisors participate in ongoing training and professional development with an intellectually and socially engaged team of peers at the CWL.

How to apply

Apply through Handshake and submit the following documents: 

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter addressing the following –
   • your interest and fit for the tutor position
   • any previous experiences that have prepared you for the role (ex: interactions with the Center for Writing and Learning and the Center for Effective Speech and Advocacy, personal or academic experience in public speaking, relevant coursework, etc.),
   • how your experiences have prepared you to contribute to a safe, respectful, and diverse learning community.
3. An unofficial transcript
4. Two papers (scanned) with professor's comments (preferably from different classes or disciplines)

OR

• One paper (scanned) with professor's comments AND one presentation recording or speech outline with faculty feedback.

* If submitting work with comments is challenging, please reach out to jchristoph@pugetsound.edu. There are circumstances where getting comments may be challenging, and we don't want that to be a barrier to you.

Apply for this position via Handshake. You can search by job title, “Subject Tutor” or "Writing & Speaking Advisor," or look through the list of jobs under the “on-campus” filter.

If you are creating a resume for the first time, or would like some direction on updating your resume for this application, please review the Career and Employment Services Resume Guide or use Handshake to make an appointment with a career advisor.

Last updated January 16, 2025.

Job Description

The goal of the Center for Writing and Learning is to help students become better, more independent learners. Subject tutors serve as experienced peer mentors in their discipline and provide students with one-on-one support in the content of their classes, their discipline’s habits of mind, and their study skills. Subject tutors also organize and lead review sessions and occasional workshops on topics in their discipline.

While Subject Tutors should feel confident tutoring content from classes that they have taken, it is equally as important that they wish to help all students develop the habits of mind and skills at the core of their discipline, and that they are willing to help students who are working on coursework that they as Subject Tutors, have not taken. Training and professional development will prepare tutors to work with all students.

Because some of our current Subject Tutors will return for another year at Puget Sound and will keep their position in the CWL, we do not hire new tutors in every subject area every year. We are currently seeking applicants for tutor positions in:

• Science: Physics, Chemistry, and Biology
• Foreign Languages: German, Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, Greek & Latin
• Math / Statistics: Math, Statistics, Psychology (with an emphasis on Psychology Statistics), Computer Science
• Other: Economics, Accounting & Finance

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities

• Provide coaching, both one-on-one and in groups, on disciplinary content and study skills.
• Organize and lead review sessions and workshops on topics in their discipline.
• Act as a liaison to their department by visiting all 100-level and other relevant classes in order to introduce themselves and the CWL resources, and communicating with faculty to raise awareness of CWL resources and to assess departmental needs for support
• Collaborate with other subject tutors, writing and speaking advisors, and CWL staff to develop and offer CWL programming.
• Participate in ongoing training and professional development, including CWL orientation at the start of the fall semester, ongoing readings and activities, and biweekly CWL staff meetings
• Other duties as needed.

Minimum Requirements

Subject Tutors blend strong content knowledge and academic growth with empathy for others and the ability to connect. They must collaborate well with other peer tutors, faculty, and staff. They must be organized, responsible, and able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. Finally, they must have a positive attitude about learning, a strong sense of integrity, and the ability to listen well to others. Prior tutoring experience is not required, but the candidate should describe in their cover letter how their prior experiences prepare them for the role of peer tutor.

Subject Tutor positions are open to students with at least a 3.3 G.P.A. who are enrolled at the University of Puget Sound. Preference will be given to rising juniors and seniors, though we will consider exceptional rising sophomores. The CWL values international travel, and a student’s plans to study abroad in the spring do not prevent their application from being considered.

Candidates must be able to explain and/or demonstrate that they possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to safely perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Hours per week

7-9 hours/week. Weekly workload includes about 6 scheduled hours in the CWL and about an hour of outreach to their home departments, plus up to an additional 2 hours/week in fall semester for professional development. Subject tutors participate in ongoing training and professional development with an intellectually and socially engaged team of peers at the CWL.

How to apply

Please apply through Handshake and submit the following documents:

1. Resume;
2. Cover Letter addressing your interest and fit for the tutor position, and how your experiences have prepared you to contribute to a safe, respectful, and diverse learning community. Please also include any previous experiences with the CWL and describe courses you’ve taken at Puget Sound in your subject area;
3. An unofficial transcript.

Apply for this position via Handshake. You can search by job title, “Subject Tutor” or "Writing & Speaking Advisor," or look through the list of jobs under the “on-campus” filter.

If you are creating a resume for the first time, or would like some direction on updating your resume for this application, please review the Career and Employment Services Resume Guide or use Handshake to make an appointment with a career advisor.

Last updated January 16, 2025.