The International Office in cooperation with the Student Union employs tutors (senior students) to acquaint new international students with the system of studies and campus life in Jyväskylä. Becoming a tutor for international students gives you an opportunity to help new international students and to get to know new people and new cultures.

We are recruiting international tutors twice a year as international students can arrive both in the beginning of the autumn semester and the beginning of spring semester. In the autumn there are both exchange and degree students arriving, whereas in the spring we receive usually only exchange students.

We welcome also Finnish students starting in international Master’s programmes and therefore some tutors will have also Finnish students in their groups. All groups are multicultural and offer an opportunity to develop your intercultural skills.

For the autumn we need about 85 tutors and for the spring semester about 25-30 tutors.

Tutors are assigned 4-6 international students.  The tutor groups are usually formed so that the tutor and the tutees study in the same department but this can’t be always guaranteed.

The task of the tutors include

  • contacting the international students in his/her tutor group via email well before their arrival (immediately after the tutor group information was shared with the tutor)
  • picking up the students from Jyväskylä Travel Centre and accompanying them to the student’s apartment. Prior to that, the tutor picks up the keys to the student’s apartment (and, if applicable, also the survival kit).
  • taking the tutees e.g. to the bank, International Office, accommodation office, host department and register office and advising them on related matters. In addition, in the beginning students might need help with doing the shopping and finding a bike, for example.
  • helping the tutees during the orientation programme at the beginning of the semester.  The tutor makes sure that the students find their way to the orientation, show how the student restaurants function and helps registering to courses in Sisu. During the orientation days the tutor should also give the tutee a campus, a library and a city tour, not forgetting to take the chance to enjoy the free-time activities with the foreign students.
  • general advising. International students have a lot of questions about a large variety of issues and tutors are expected to provide them answers or to help the tutees to find the answers to their questions.

The main duties of a tutor last for the first weeks or the first month after the arrival but tutors are also encouraged to assist the international students throughout their stay at the University of Jyväskylä.

The selected tutors are required to participate to the tutor training which consists of two parts.

If you are tutoring in the autumn, the first part is organized at the end of the spring semester and the second part just days before the arrival of the students. Both parts are obligatory.

If you are tutoring in the spring, the training takes place in early December.

Tutors are paid a small reward and can get 2 ECTS credits for their work.

For more information and the application form please see: http://r.jyu.fi/tutoring