I try to make sure to discuss this with tutors when I hire them, asking them to come and talk to me before things get so bad they have to quit. When we work out a schedule, I usually hold back hours for a couple weeks until they get their feet wet. Then if they feel they can take on more and I still have hours available, I 'll let them work more. When a tutor comes to me and says they are getting overloaded, sometimes it is just that several classes all have papers or projects due at once and the tutor is having a difficult time managing everything. Sometimes I offer to let the tutor work shorter shifts or even have a week off to catch up, or if it is a top tutor I will ask them to consider working one day a week. I will remind them how many students can benefit from even one day of their help. Usually this is all it takes and we are able to work out a plan. I have had only two in 4 years who resigned totally because of the situation you are describing, and in that case I respect their decision. You don't want to sacrifice your program's reputation if your tutors are supposed to be the top students at your school,and you also don't want to jeopardize the tutor's own educational plan. It is always hard to lose good people, but there may be a lot of other people whom you have overlooked. Each semester I am amazed at the talent that comes through my door looking for a job. Also, don't forget your faculty as a resource who can maybe refer someone to take the tutor's place. Good luck- Vanessa Vanessa Natseway Success Center Coordinator Arizona Western College P.O. Box 929 Yuma, AZ 85366-0929 (928)317-6031 -----Original Message----- From: Open Forum for Learning Assistance Professionals [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lawrence E. Whitman Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 6:04 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: tutor resignation Greetings! We are new in our tutoring program (just the second semester). Things have been going fairly well until yesterday when one of our top tutors unexpectedly resigned. He is an excellent student, but said that his own grades were falling. My question is, "what do you do when a tutor resigns during the semester and what preventive measures do you use to prevent this from occurring?" Thanks, Larry Whitman College of Engineering Wichita State University ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask]