Identify the age group of students you would like to mentor and tutor. Some volunteers find that working with college-age youths fulfills their needs best, while at other times a possible mentor prefers the interactions with elementary school-age kids. When making this decision, you may draw on prior volunteer experiences or simply the comfort level you have already attained in personal interactions through parenting or work.
Check your calendar to ensure that you can make the time commitment. Many times a volunteer organization will ask that you agree to a pledge of time for four to six months. Although volunteer coordinators understand that something may come up, such emergencies should be the exception rather than the rule.
Access the Internet. Use the online search engines to locate a volunteer organization that offers mentoring and student tutoring opportunities. Such an organization should be easy to reach, have a goal or mission statement with which you identify, and also serve a segment of the population for which you have a special affinity.
Pass a background check. If you are working with children or teens, the organization most likely will run a criminal background check and also take your fingerprints. Failure to pass this background check will eliminate you from the pool of eligible mentors or tutors.
Undergo the mentoring training the volunteer organization offers. This is an important step in understanding more clearly what the volunteer opportunity is all about, how to portray the image the organization wants to put forth in the community, and also how to mentor or tutor a student within the scope of the involvement the volunteer position offers. This is especially important if this is your first time working in a mentoring or tutoring capacity.
Attend the mentoring orientation the organization holds at the onset of a new commitment period. Whether it is a commitment for three, four or six months, most organizations hold an informal meet-and-greet where new mentors may interact with those who are more seasoned. Don't let this date slip past you, as this is an important aspect of your mentoring activity. Even if you have previously participated in a mentoring or tutoring relationship, it's a good idea to attend the orientation anyway.
Embrace the mentoring and tutoring opportunities you are given. The student you are tutoring may need a friend or a cheerleader who enthusiastically expounds on even the smallest successes. Tailor your approach to the needs of the individuals you are working with.