JOIN OUR STAFF

Working at the Writing Center as a tutor gives caring, intellectually curious undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to engage in the highly rewarding experience of helping other writers.

Please consider joining our community of tutors. We value hiring a diverse staff from across all of DePaul's programs and colleges and we encourage applications from people of color or from currently under-represented groups.

Application Information, FAQs, & Process

You are eligible to work at the Writing Center beginning in Autumn Quarter 2024 if

1.) you will be enrolled as a full-time or half-time DePaul University undergraduate or graduate student Autumn Quarter 2024

2.) you are able to work at least 80% of your weekly hours in-person, in our Lincoln Park and Loop offices.

➡️ Applications will be due Monday, April 22, 2024 at 12:00pm (Noon). Applications for this year will be live soon!

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You are eligible if...

  • You will be enrolled as a full-time or half-time DePaul University undergraduate or graduate student Autumn Quarter 2024. Current non-student staff and faculty members, unfortunately, are not eligible for employment at the Writing Center. DePaul's Student Employment Office sets the policies for student employment, including specific criteria for the number of credit hours required to be considered full-time or half-time students.
  • You will be available to take a required four-credit Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse (WRD) course on writing center theory and pedagogy in Autumn Quarter 2024 (specific days, times, and online or in-person yet to be decided):
    • WRD395 for undergraduate tutors: Monday and Wednesday OR Tuesday and Thursday (TBD) LPC
    • WRD582 for graduate tutors: 6-9:15 Night Class (Day TBD) LPC
  • You are able to fulfill the required course practicum—5 hours/week (up to 10 hours/week but only 5 required), working as a Writing Center Tutor during weeks 2-10 of the quarter.
  • You are able to work at both the Lincoln Park and Loop Campuses and online (using various communications tools like Zoom, Slack, Google Drive, Word, among others).
  • You are able to attend two mandatory staff trainings, which take place the Tuesday before classes begin in Autumn Quarter and the first Friday of Winter Quarter.
  • You have excellent writing, research, communication, and interpersonal skills.
  • You have a demonstrable interest in and facility for working with others.

The primary responsibility of a tutor is to help people with writing.

Tutors are expected to work with writers in all appointment types we offer: written feedback, online realtime, and face-to-face.

When tutors do not have an appointment with a writer during a scheduled work shift, we expect tutors to do other work related to our programs and operations and to perform additional duties as assigned.

And overall, we expect tutors to show kindness and respect to everyone they interact with and in turn to be treated with kindness and respect.

Tutors work a minimum of 5 hours per week during their first quarter, up to a maximum of 10 hours per week. Tutors work a minimum of 5 hours per week and a maximum of 20 hours per week in each subsequent quarter.

Tutors have shifts at both the Loop and Lincoln Park campus locations and may, provided they have demonstrated the skill and ability to do so effectively, work 20% of their weekly work hours remotely.

In addition to one-on-one conferences with writers, tutors may conduct presentations, facilitate workshops, and staff events.

Tutors beginning work in Autumn 2024 are paid an hourly wage of $17.00 for undergraduates and $17.50 for graduate students. Each subsequent year, the hourly wage increases by $0.50 per year (with a 3-year cap for undergrads and 2-year cap for graduate students).

All new tutors must begin their tenure at the Writing Center during Autumn Quarter, and all new tutors are required to take Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy, our full-credit course, which is offered in Autumn Quarter as a graduate course and an undergraduate course.

WRD 395: Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy
Time and Days TBA; often MW 11:20a-12:50p and/or TTh 1-2:30p

Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy is the required course that all new undergraduate tutors must take during their first quarter at the Writing Center.

Course Description

WRD 395 fulfills the Experiential Learning Domain requirement in the Liberal Studies Program and is designed to allow each student to develop a theorized practice for guiding writing tutorials. Students study conferencing strategies, methods of response to writing, and multiple approaches to revision. Students read articles and do assignments designed to familiarize them with theories of writing and tutoring and to stimulate thinking about the issues these theories raise. Students practice writing comments on sample papers, participate in mock appointments, and reflect on their experiences as tutors.

Course Requirements

Students must satisfy a practicum commitment by working a minimum of 5 paid hours per week in the Lincoln Park and/or Loop Writing Centers. These practicum hours must be met during times when our office is open, which include some evenings, and Sundays. Students must successfully complete WRD 395 with a grade of "B" or higher in order to continue working at the Writing Center after the practicum is complete.

A Note About Registration

If you register for classes before we finish interviewing applicants, we suggest you sign up for your usual course load and, if you are selected to work at the Writing Center, adjust your schedule to accommodate WRD 395. Enrollment for the course is strictly by permission only; if you are selected, Writing Center administrators will send you registration instructions.

WRD 582: Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy
Time and Day TBA

Writing Center Theory and Pedagogy is the required course that all new graduate tutors must take during their first quarter at the Writing Center.

Course Description

WRD 582 is designed to familiarize tutors with current theories and practices animating writing center studies and to give them training in working with writers one-on-one. While our immediate concerns will be necessarily practical, we will consistently strive to theorize those practical activities and to recognize and account for institutional realities that both inhibit and make possible the work that writing centers do.

Course Requirements

Students in WRD 582 must satisfy a practicum commitment by working a minimum of 5 paid hours per week in the Lincoln Park and/or Loop Writing Centers. These practicum hours must be met during times when our offices are open, which include some evenings and Sundays. Students must complete WRD 582 with a grade of "B" or higher to continue working at the Writing Center beyond Autumn Quarter.

A Note About Registration

If you register for classes before we finish interviewing applicants, we suggest you sign up for your usual course load and, if you are selected to work at the Writing Center, adjust your schedule to accommodate WRD 582. Enrollment for the course is strictly by permission only; if you are selected, Writing Center administrators will send you registration instructions.

All tutors attend two mandatory staff trainings each year, All-Staff Orientation scheduled the Tuesday before classes begin in Autumn Quarter and Winter Retreat scheduled during the first Friday of Winter Quarter.

In addition to working with writers, tutors engage in required professional development activities/workshops each quarter focused on other topics relevant to their work.

All tutors prepare an ePortfolio through Digication as part of their staff development and performance evaluation conducted by Writing Center administrators.