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Questions from TNKR tutor applicants

I wrote this in response to questions from tutors joining our May 9th Matching session.

TNKR holds about one Orientation Weekend per month recruiting tutors and welcoming back previous volunteers. Prospective volunteers should apply here: www.lovetnkr.org/tutor

I invite all applicants to call me, to clarify things, to ask me their toughest questions about joining TNKR as a volunteer, or just to say hello as they go through our application process.

Here's what they have asked so far.

Q: What is the orientation session like?

A: We explain our process and give tutors the opportunity to ask questions.

* Tutors introduce themselves.
* TNKR co-founder Casey Lartigue will be leading both Orientation sessions this weekend, so he will outline TNKR's history and approach.
* Questions and clarifications from prospective volunteers.

The May 9th session will have a special bonus: TNKR student Chanyang Ju will be returning for a jewelry making workshop. See the flyer at the bottom of this FAQ.

* * * *

Q: How long does the Orientation last?

A: That depends on how many people participate, when they arrive, how much they have prepared by reading about TNKR and watching videos, and how many questions they have. Without any questions, it would probably take about 110 minutes.

* * * *

Q: What is the Matching session like?

A: Here's a clip from a TV special showing a bit of what a TNKR Matching session looks like, it can be viewed on Instagram even if you don't have an account. That was made for TV so it doesn't exactly follow our process, but you can see a bit what it is like.

* Reminders about expectations, presentation of certificates and gifts to volunteers who have become TNKR Members.
* Tutor introductions
* Refugee introductions
* Tutors can edit one remark.
* Selection time!
* Advocacy Workshop
* Wrap-up session by reviewing a little about each student.

* * * *

Q: Are teaching materials provided by TNKR, brought by the students, or are tutors expected to bring their own teaching materials?

A: It depends on the student. 

* YES! Some students know exactly what they want to study ("Here's my 800 page TOEIC book. Please help me."), they may have a textbook from school or a language institute, or they may have some other very specific plan for attacking English. In this case, you can try to work together to figure out the best way to proceed.

* MAYBE SO: They kind of know what they want but they have no idea how to get there. They may have a book that is above their level. In this case, you can try to work together to figure out the best way to proceed.

* NO: They are probably beginners and have no confidence about how to learn English. In the case of such students, tutors may need to take the lead somewhat. In this case, you can try to work together to figure out the best way to proceed.

Regardless of the group that a particular student may be in terms of their preparation for studying English, we remind them that they need to come to class prepared. Volunteers should not be expected to lead 90 minute classes with refugees, it should be team work. Yes, we call them tutors, but "study partners who are fluent in English" would be more accurate. However, if we put that on a flyer, people might be confused, so the shortcut is to say "tutor."

No matter how competent a tutor may be, from beginner to certified professional, we do hope that tutors will leave some space for refugees to take the initiative and to be deeply engaged. That means the student should bring something to each class--it could be a vocabulary list, a dialogue, an article, book, etc., as part of the class.

In addition to all of that, volunteers are invited to have a separate chat room of just tutors and TNKR staff discussing curriculum.

* * * *

Q: The application says to list 2 subjects I want to tutor, but what if I can teach anything?
A: This is just the starting point. If you tutor one or two students long enough, then it is likely that you will end up teaching everything. But for the refugees, it would be good to start with something the refugees might be most in need of studying now.

TNKR is learner-centered, so think about it from the perspective of the refugees. If we have 11 tutors in the room, and they say they can teach anything, then that doesn't give refugees guidance about what tutors may be especially good at teaching, it doesn't show them particular language skills they could study with tutors.

Some tutors want to know the learning styles of students--that is flexible. Some students are just starting English so they are now developing their style. Some want tutors with different teaching strengths and styles. So just present what you can do, let the students decide.

* * * *

Q: What is the difference between being a TNKR Member and a TNKR Sponsor?
A: This is one of my favorite questions! A Member means that you expect to volunteer with TNKR. Being a Sponsor means that you want to support the organization, but you don't expect to volunteer.

* * * *

Q: What if I don't get chosen?
A: We do our best for everyone to be chosen. Refugees can choose multiple tutors, we recommend that each tutor be ready to accept two students. But the absolute maximum is three.

Q: Do I need to sign the waiver? 
A: Yes, everyone joining TNKR must sign the waiver. In 2014, we received advice from a consultant to have everyone sign a waiver, to be clear about our expectations. Another reason is that if we don't have a waiver, even feel-good organizations making a positive difference in the world are at risk of being sued by someone who has a bad experience.

Q: And why does TNKR want me to agree it can show my likeness?
A: As far as the likeness, that is necessary because we realized that some people with connections in North Korea occasionally join our program. We have even heard about refugees and even others who are not from North Korea people selling information to North Korea  about refugees they meet.

We have had some applicants who said wanted to hide their activities with TNKR. It turned out that they wanted to engage in activities in North Korea. We don't highlight everyone who joins TNKR, but if we have a reason to post photos or to share them with media, it would be difficult and a bit strange to hide some volunteers who have come to us.

One volunteer told me that we were going to lose some applicants, and I agreed.

* * * *

Q: Do I gotta do the entire application process...
We have many applicants who would like to take shortcuts.

Tutor 1: What if I don't fill out the entire application? I already sent you an email saying that I want to tutor.
Tutor 2: I sent you an email, do I also have to send you a Kakao message?
Tutor 3: I already sent you a Kakao message, do I have to send you an email?
Tutor 4: I already called you, do I need to send a Kakao message?

Etc.

A: Yes.

If we ask for it, then it means that it is part of our application process. Why fill out the application? For one, many people SAY they want to do things, but they often don't follow through. Also, some people will tell me or other TNKR staffers that they want to join, but how can we keep track of things without documenting this. And about documenting, TNKR is not a social club, so we do need to document what we do.

Email is a bit out of style these days, but it is great at also keeping track of things. The Kakao messaging system is nice, but Kakao often crashes, it isn't easy to search messages, and messages can quickly get lost.

And... you would be surprised how many people type in the wrong emails and phone numbers when they apply to join TNKR.

Etc.

****

Q: Okay, got it! I checked every video, read every article, I even dreamed about signing the TNKR waiver.  So when can I start tutoring North Korean refugees in TNKR?
A: It usually takes a few days after the Matching session. We do final checks with tutors to make sure they understand. We have some tutors who go through our process, then after the Matching session, they seem to join a Witness Protection Program, then they suddenly resurface a few days later. So if tutors are on it, responding to messages, confirming they understand our process, then it is just a few days, but it can take up to a week if it turns out that people were sleep-walking during the application process and didn't take it seriously.

****

Apply here if you haven't already done so: www.lovetnkr.org/tutor
Support TNKR: www.lovetnkr.org/donate

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