Office Aide/Tutor 

(Female, Age 42) from Superior, MT

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 42 who works as a Office Aide/Tutor in Superior, MT. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Office Aide/Tutor
Salary $12,500
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 40
Company Size (not answered)
Location Superior, MT
Years Experience 4 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work at a small local elementary school

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I monitor the playground, teach a small group of 1st graders reading, sort mail, publish the school’s newsletter and yearbook and aid in the library.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Aflac insurance

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
a little under compensated

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work in a wonderful environment. There is nothing I dislike about my job apart from the pay. The teachers are work with are great team players.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work at an elementary school. I love being around the kids and watching them grow and develop.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 6
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 4
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 1

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am Getting ready for work. I leave at 7:50.
8am to 9am Grab a cup of coffee and unlock the library. There are tons of books that need to be shelved, so I get to work. At 8:50 I head down to the 1st grade where I work as a reading aid.
9am to 10am Five of the more advanced kids come down to the library with me so I can do some Dibels testing on them. This is one of my favorite things to do. I love to see their growth in reading. At 9:55 I head outside for recess.
10am to 11am 9:55-10:10, 3-6th grade has recess. It’s a pretty quiet recess, as the 5th and 6th graders are gone to a 5K run. But the weather is nice and I get to work on my tan! 10:15-10:35, K-2 grade recess. Mostly I listen to tattle-tailing. No injuries, no crying, good recess! At 10:40 I have the 2nd graders for library. I read them two books. One is the Web Files and I have a hard time reading because it is so funny, it’s hard not to laugh.
11am to 12pm I have lunch from 11-11:30. 11:30-12:30 is recess. Today we have the walking club. So far I have walked 39 miles. Again,it’s a quiet recess with no 5th and 6th graders.
12pm to 1pm From 12:30-1:00 I sub in the office while the secretary is at lunch. I sort the mail and answer the phone and sometimes play nurse. The district clerk comes in to gossip for 5-10 minutes.
1pm to 2pm 1:00-1:50 I get five yearbooks printed and bound. I am getting behind on my orders because the printer has been giving me fits. I deliver the yearbooks to the principal and head out for recess duty.
2pm to 3pm 1:50-2:05 1-4th grade recess. I get to see my daughter at this recess. She has stayed in all day working on some end of the year project. The other recess aid and I pick up the playground and lock the shed. 2:10-2:25 5-6th grade recess. They are all back from the 5k run. Everyone is tired so it’s a quiet recess.
3pm to 4pm 3:00-4:00 there is a class in the library, so I quietly check in and shelve books. When the kids are ready to check out, I check out all their books so the librarian and keep an eye on the rest of the kids. It has been a good week, but I am ready for the weekend.
4pm to 5pm
5pm to 6pm
6pm to 7pm
7pm to 8pm
8pm to 9pm
9pm to 10pm
10pm to 11pm
11pm to 12am

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
There was an ad in the window at my kid’s school.

What was the application process?
I had to submit a resume and application,

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
There was an interview committee of four. There was a series of questions that I was asked and I was scored on each question.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I can’t remember specific questions, but they mostly were about how I would handle certain situations.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, the principal at my school described my work day in detail. I felt very ready to start.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
No there was no specific training. I am a very fast learner and just sort of eased myself into more responsibilities.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not my educational background, but I raised nine children.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
You need to be certified as a paraprofessional. Most adult ed centers offer classes and tests. You’ve got to enjoy being around kids. Enthusiasm is a must!

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
I do a lot of work with Microsoft Publisher. In addition to computer skills, you need to be able to relate to children and adults as well. You have got to be very flexible and work where you are needed.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
You need to be a high school graduate with a Paraprofessional certification

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Maybe start out volunteering a few hours a week to get to know the staff and kids. Emphasize the fact that you enjoy children.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
I am hoping to come back someday. It is an awesome place to work.

What are your current career goals?
I hope to one day become the computer tech at the school I am currently employed at. Otherwise, Microsoft, here I come!

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
There is never a dull moment!

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 CNA 3 years 9000 Worked in a hospital/nursing home and took care of the daily needs of patients and residents.
Prior Job 2

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:3.5

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)

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