Personal Tutoring
The purpose of personal tutoring is to support the personal and academic development of our taught students, by providing an ongoing personalised point of contact. It is an essential part of helping our students know we care about them, and helps them navigate their journey through higher education.
As personal tutor, you will be the first port of call for your tutees, for advice and direction on personal and academic matters. As such, you are a vital part of the scaffold of support we give to each of our students, with the University also providing a wide range of specialist services and support upon which students can call, such as the Student Health and Wellbeing Service, Students’ Union and Careers Service.
This page hosts resources to support you in your role as a personal tutor. This includes guidance on topics you may wish to discuss with your tutees, information about how and when you may wish to refer students for specialist support, information on training, and role outlines for personal and senior tutors. You will also find information on the approach to personal tutoring at Newcastle University, and what is expected of you in this part of your role.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
The University expects a minimum of four face-to-face contacts between personal tutors and taught students, in each stage of their studies, and recommends that these are through individual and group tutorials. However, there is flexibility for Schools to adopt their own approaches in light of their own student feedback or culture. Where personal tutoring is already known to be working effectively, as reflected in student feedback, these approaches should continue, with little or no change.
Please note that NU Reflect is available to manage your personal tutorial sessions. Its use is optional but recommended, and many tutors find it useful. Second, nobody expects you to take on the responsibility of supporting students with serious mental health difficulties. If you are concerned about the wellbeing of your tutees, please contact the Student Health and Wellbeing Service for advice and support.
