Working for ARC Peer Education can be one of the most rewarding and enjoyable jobs on campus. Benefits include:
- Competitive pay
- Receiving high quality professional development trainings
- Connecting with other students and making a difference in their academic lives
- Honing your knowledge of a subject (for Peer Educator positions)
- Creating your own schedule
- Developing leadership skills and the ability to “think on your feet”
- Increasing your understanding of and value for working with diverse groups
- Deepening your self-awareness and communication skills
Peer Educators are the students who lead our Peer Tutoring Groups, SAGE Learning Communities, and individual tutoring sessions for specific courses. To serve as a Peer Educator for a course, a student must have previously taken the course or a follow up course. Often the best Peer Educators are students who did well in the class but may have struggled initially or showed growth and took advantage of support resources to be successful. Peer Educators who lead Peer Tutoring Groups can be either undergraduate or graduate students, however those leading SAGE Learning Communities must be undergraduate students.
In addition to Peer Educators who work to support students taking specific courses, ARC Peer Education manages the Peer Success Leaders Program. Peer Success Leaders provide holistic academic support to students through a variety of opportunities, collaborating with other groups dedicated to student success.
Peer Educator Position Descriptions
For students interested in leading Peer Tutoring Groups or SAGE Learning Communities.
Peer Educator
Peer Educators may be hired to lead Peer Tutoring Groups, SAGE Learning Communities, individual tutoring sessions, or a combination of these. We incorporate applicant preference for these options during our hiring process. Peer Educators use pedagogical techniques to guide the group learning experience and support participants. You can read more about Peer Tutoring Groups and SAGE Learning Communities here.
A Peer Educator will:
- Lead 2 - 4 assigned sessions per week, which could include some combination of Peer Tutoring Groups, SAGE Learning Communities, and individual tutoring.
- Participate in required Peer Education Orientation, Professional Development Symposium, and other scheduled training, for a total training time of 10 hours per academic year.
- Attend required recurring meetings with course instructor(s) or Lead Peer Educators.
Peer Educator Ambassador
Experienced Peer Educators (those who have been a Peer Educator for at least once semester) may apply to be a Peer Educator Ambassador.
A Peer Educator Ambassador will:
- Be responsible for all Peer Educator requirements.
- Participate in the following additional activities:
- Represent Peer Education at tabling events,
- Assist with the Peer Education Orientation and Professional Development Symposium,
- Participate in class visits at the beginning of each semester to share information about ARC services, and
- Serve as a mentor for assigned new Peer Educators.
- Attend specialized training for the above activities.
- Receive a higher pay rate than Peer Educators.
Lead Peer Educator
Experienced Peer Educators (those who have been a Peer Educator for at least one semester and, ideally, will have previously served as a Peer Educator Ambassador) may apply to be a Lead Peer Educator. In most cases, there is one Lead Peer Facilitator over all the courses within a department.
A Lead Peer Educator will:
- Be responsible for all Peer Educator requirements.
- Be responsible for some of the Peer Educator Ambassador requirements.
- Lead meetings of other Peer Educators in a particular course or discipline.
- Serve as a point person for their Peer Educators to communicate any ideas, questions, or concerns with the ARC Peer Education staff.
- Operate as main point of contact for Peer Educators concerns for their course, including:
- Clarification of course requirements,
- Questions pertaining to attendance and data management,
- Basic payroll questions, and
- Suggestions for best use of prep time.
- Attend weekly meetings with the ARC Peer Education Graduate Assistant and other specialized training.
- Receive a higher pay rate than Peer Educator Ambassadors.
Other Position Descriptions
For students interested in providing non-course-related academic support to their peers.
The Peer Success Leader Program utilizes peer support to provide a holistic approach to academic success. Through one-on-one interactions, programming, content creation, and campus outreach, the Peer Success Leaders (PSLs) will assist their peers as they navigate academic-related discussions, develop learning strategies, embrace well-being, and pursue purpose.
Serving as a PSL will give a student the opportunity to think critically about and commit to their own development and skill attainment while they are assisting their peers. The PSL Program is supported by the Academic Advising Center, Academic Resource Center, and the Academic Guide Program.
Read more about Peer Success Leaders here.
Peer Education Application Process
1. Review the expectations and job responsibilities in the position descriptions above for the role you are interested in.
2. If you are interested in a Peer Educator role, review the list of courses for which we offer peer education services. Our recruitment needs fluctuate throughout the hiring stages so we may not be actively recruiting for all available courses.
3. Complete an ARC Application
In the ARC application, you will be able to indicate which positions you would like to be considered for. You can select multiple positions.
The application will ask different questions depending on which position(s) you are applying for and whether you are returning or not.
- If you are selected as a finalist, you will receive an email from us with the link to select an interview time and to have someone submit a recommendation for you.
- If you are selected to serve as a Peer Educator or Peer Success Leader, you will receive an offer letter through email and have additional forms to fill out.
The steps of the hiring process are different depending on whether you have worked for us previously or new to the programs and depending on whether you have been offered work study.
Note: You must respond to all requests for information promptly to secure your employment.
You are welcome to email us (peereducation@duke.edu) to check on available courses and/or if you have questions about the application process.
