Why Is Tutoring A Leadership Role? – Our Guide

If you’re applying to college or a job, you might have been asked if you possess leadership skills and to state any leadership experience you’ve had. 

If you’re looking for a way to gain leadership experience, tutoring can count as an example of leadership since you are teaching and enabling others to do better.

We’ve discussed in more detail below what leadership means, why it’s important, why tutoring counts and some other examples to help you gain experience.

What Does Leadership Mean? 

Before we get into why leadership experience and leadership qualities are so important for college admissions officers and jobs, let’s start with a definition of what leadership means.

Leadership can have varying definitions according to the context it is used in, most people describe it as being able to influence others to reach their goals or developing people for the future.

Why Is Leadership Experience Important On Resumes/College Applications?

College administrators and some jobs are always looking out for students who have leadership skills to join their community.

This is because people who have leadership role experience tend to have high emotional intelligence and are very motivated, it also shows that they can work well with others and show effective leadership in solving problems. 

These qualities are important since they can help in an education and work environment when working alongside peers.

Why Tutoring Counts As Leadership 

Many people wonder if they can put tutoring down as a style of leadership on their college or job application, and yes you can!

We’ve listed some reasons why tutoring others counts as valuable leadership experience below. 

• It shows real-world leadership – Tutoring shows that you can apply what you’ve learnt in real-life applications making it a valuable hands-on experience.
• Organisation skills – Having time management and creating presentations for students is key when tutoring, and showing initiative.
• Communication skills – In tutoring, key elements are explaining concepts, giving instructions and understanding, all these elements are effective leadership skills.
• Creativity – Tutors have to make material in creative ways to keep students engaged, they have a leadership role in being creative.
• Reliability – Good tutors are reliable and dependent which are key qualities in a leadership role, it also shows a willingness to help others as a school student.

What Are The Benefits Of Tutoring As A Student?

If you are looking to earn some side income after finishing school in between applying for college, there are many benefits to becoming a young tutor, one of them being leadership experience! 

• Flexible working times – As a tutor, you set your price and hours, this allows you to teach flexibly around your study schedule and other activities.
• Reinforces knowledge – Teaching others knowledge you have learnt helps consolidate your knowledge in your head and makes you smarter and more experienced.
• Brings a side income – College can be expensive, and having a side income from tutoring allows you to save and have more spending income to support yourself during your studies.

Other Ways To Gain Leadership Experience 

If you’re a student and aren’t ready to take on tutoring yet, there are lots of other ways you can get experience in leadership and make yourself stand out during the college application process. 

Community Involvement 

Volunteer and community service can look good on a resume or college application for a bit of leadership experience. Some examples could be planning a volunteer event, getting involved in fundraisers and organizing other kinds of events.

At Work 

Have some time over the summer? Get some leadership abilities by working, you could do local babysitting around where you live or even become a camp counsellor to supervise other kids.

In School 

There are plenty of opportunities to gain a leadership role during school which can be used on your application for college, we’ve listed them below in more detail to help you out. 

• Social activism clubs – Social activism clubs at school give students a chance to voice their opinions and join together over important matters, it also boosts your confidence by showing a form of leadership.
• Sports – Sports teach students winning and losing with respect as well as delayed gratification.
• Youth committee/Student clubs – Youth committees are great to join for developing teamwork and problem-solving with like-minded individuals. 
• Volunteering – Volunteering shows that you are not just in it for yourself and want to support and help others, colleges, universities and employers are often looking for these individuals to join their teams.
• Internships – Internships can give you very valuable experience and are transferable to many careers. 

Extra Activities 

Why not gain some excellent leadership experience in your free time? You could organise a passion project outside of school, sell online or be a boy/girl scout. This shows a formal leadership situation outside of the classroom and independence.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tutoring & Leadership Experience 

What is a leadership activity for students?

Some popular examples of leadership activities for students could be; Social groups, volunteering, sports, cross-cultural experiences, internships and student groups.

Does the student class president count as leadership? 

Being student class president shows classical leadership experience to colleges and is excellent to put on your application, this is because you lead other students and influence/organise events around the school and groups.

How do I become a young tutor? 

Most tutoring sites need you to be 18 and over to tutor, however, some sites allow you to tutor at a younger age as long as you have a certificate in the area of the subject you want to teach.

You can also list your tutoring services locally on sites like Indeed or Craigslist. 

Do admissions care about leadership during the college application process?

Admissions at colleges do care about leadership experience since it shows initiative and teamwork with other students, it also shows high emotional intelligence.

What is the definition of leadership?

The official definition of leadership is the action of leading a group of people, influencing them or helping develop people for a cause/future, it can have various meanings in different contexts.

Final Words

To conclude, tutoring does count as a form of leadership experience which can be used on your application when applying to college and jobs to make you stand out. Tutoring online between studies is also an excellent way to make a side income.