Volunteers are needed for a mentoring/tutoring program at San Diego State University for the fall 2009 semester to help foreign students experience American culture and become proficient with English. Students would like to practice their conversational skills with a native speaker to improve their pronunciation and increase their vocabulary. They may also need someone to check their papers for errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Volunteers who are computer literate may choose to help edit papers personally and/or via internet/e-mail attachments in MS Word/other. However, if a mentor/tutor doesn't feel comfortable or does not want to help edit papers, mentoring is as important to help students.
Generally, the mentor/tutor meets with the student once a week for an average of two hours with flexibility depending upon the student's needs and the tutor/mentors time availability. The program presents a great opportunity for the mentor/tutor to learn first hand about another culture; and, for the student, it gives them hands-on knowledge of American culture outside the school environment - something students are anxious to experience.

Volunteers need not have any experience in mentoring and/or teaching English. There will be an orientation meeting before being assigned a student. To volunteer, please call the International Student Tutor/Mentor Program during office hours (9:00-11:45am and 1:00-4:30pm) at (619) 594-3800. For more information about the program, please log on to  or e-mail us at istmp@mail.sdsu.edu or sdsuistmp@sbcglobal.net. www.tutor-mentor.com