Today, we’re speaking with Paul van Dommelen, an experienced tutor at MAK. We’re talking with him about his experiences as a tutor, his personal development, and what led him to become a tutor. Let’s start by introducing Paul to you:
Paul is 24 years old, currently pursuing his MSc in Finance, and has been an active tutor at MAK for about three to four years. During this time, he has taught various courses, ranging from Mathematics to Financial Accounting, Microeconomics, and several finance courses. Paul started as a tutor because he always performed well in his courses, achieved high grades, and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with fellow students. “When I realized that I enjoyed explaining things to my classmates and that I was good at it, the idea of tutoring came naturally”, says Paul. What initially started as something to try out has now grown into a long-term experience that he continues to enjoy.
When Paul began tutoring, he was aware that teaching involves more than just sharing knowledge. The challenge in education often lies in presenting information in a way that others can easily understand. Paul discovered that being a tutor at MAK not only helped him academically but also contributed to his personal development and skills. He mentions that his presentation skills have improved, and he does not feel nervous about presenting. “Besides presentation skills, you also improve the skill to handle unexpected questions, which makes you feel more comfortable presenting in front of a group. For me, teaching is a way to further develop my didactic skills. It’s not just about transferring knowledge but also learning how to communicate it effectively, which can sometimes be quite challenging. I now teach tutorials at the university, and I can see how much this experience has helped me there”, he explains.
For Paul, being a tutor isn’t just a side job; it’s also a highly valuable learning opportunity. Moreover, it aligns well with his ambition to pursue a PhD in the future. “Pursuing a PhD means you’ll eventually have to teach at the university level, so the experience I’m gaining here is certainly useful”, he shares.
What Paul finds crucial is ensuring that his students stay engaged during his sessions. “You can tell when students are losing focus, and it’s essential to keep them interested. You learn how to keep your story going so that students don’t lose their focus. That does require effort, such as explaining things from different perspectives, because what makes sense to you might not necessarily make sense to someone else”, he says.
We also asked Paul how he handles difficult questions from students. When students ask questions, it often indicates that they are engaged. “I’m always well-prepared, often even overprepared, and I see tough questions as a fun challenge”, he says. Paul places great importance on engaging his students and explains that mid-semester tutorships are particularly valuable for building a stronger connection with them. “After exams, I always ask students about their results to get a sense of how they did. At least 80% usually pass, and some of them even score very high, which is really great to see”, he says.
Finally, we asked Paul what advice he would give to students who are unsure about or considering becoming a tutor at MAK. Paul highly recommends it to other students but also mentions the time investment it requires. “It can be challenging at first, and you need to be willing to invest time, but if you truly enjoy the subject, you’ll learn so much from it. It’s a fantastic way to improve your presentation skills and build confidence in situations where you’re faced with many questions”, he says. “I think you shouldn’t assume that you’re already good at it right away. During your first tutoring session, you’ll need a lot of preparation, and it might not go perfectly. That’s just how it goes, and there’s no need to be afraid of that. But if you find it interesting and genuinely enjoy it, then you should definitely give it a try.”