As a tutor you will have to develop and maintain a relationship with someone from a culture different to yours.  This should not be seen as scary, but as a fascinating opportunity to learn more about another culture and to examine your own beliefs and values.

Our cultural background is so integral to who we are that we may not be aware of the behaviours, attitudes and values which can actually be attributed to our culture.  This is, of course, also true for our students.  You and your student will do things differently to each other, will have different opinions about things and may hold different cultural values.  

There are many elements that define a person’s culture, including:

Food is one aspect of culture that many refugees and migrants particularly cling to – and it is the same for Australians travelling overseas with jars of vegemite.  In a multicultural society like Australia, individuals from refugee backgrounds are also able to maintain their religion, style of dress, and even language to an extent.  

Attitudes towards things such as gender roles, education and family structure may be quite different for your student than for your own attitudes.  In many other countries, the role of women is quite different to that in Australia, and their access to education is limited.  In some countries, the family is run by the oldest female; in others, the father dictates and the wife obeys.  These things all seem natural to people from those countries, though they might seem quite foreign to you.  

While neither you nor your student is expected to change your own world view, you should both be aware that you view the world differently to other people and acknowledge that the world views of others are equally valid although different.  

Talking about differences is a great way to get them out in the open and to explore the reasons behind certain attitudes.  Try swapping stories about your respective cultures: “In Australia, we do things like this… How do you do them?”  This is a good way to show the other person that you value their culture and want to understand their way of doing things, even though you may not adopt these practices yourself.  You will find that refugee families are generally very eager to learn more about Australian culture.

However, in your tutoring there are some guidelines that you should try to remember to assist you to be culturally sensitive.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Jokes and humour may not cross cultures very easily.  Even trying to explain why the chicken crossed the road and why this is funny may be difficult at first.  In many ways, jokes reveal some of the attitudes, values and morals of a society.  They reveal stereotypes – eg. about blondes, women drivers or lawyers – that people from other cultures may not share.  

You need to be aware that your students may miss the point of a lot of your jokes, or that some jokes may be insulting because the other person does not share the stereotypes and takes the joke as a personal insult.  This doesn’t mean you should not joke at all – just be sensitive, be prepared to explain the joke, and try to steer clear of jokes that are based on negative stereotypes or

could be misinterpreted.

Why on earth did she just do that?

To your student, many of your attitudes, customs and ways of doing things may seem puzzling.  There will be times when your student misunderstands a situation because of their frame of reference, and times when you misunderstand because of your frame of reference!  As a tutor, you must be sensitive to this happening and be prepared to explain how the communication has broken down due to cultural differences.

I have no idea what he just said but don’t want to tell him…

Students from some culture may not be prepared to admit they don’t understand something or ask for more explanation.  In particular, adults may be embarrassed to admit that they don’t understand your explanation.  They may tell you that they understand, but keep doing the task incorrectly.  You need to be alert for this, and perhaps instead of asking the closed question ‘do you understand?’, you could invite them to show you how something is done, or explain it to you.  Also, creating a friendly, relaxed atmosphere during tutoring sessions may make your student more comfortable with telling you that they don’t understand something.

Why does my family like to shake my hand each week?

Communication also involves non-verbal signals like posture, gestures and touch.  Interpreting these signals requires mutual understanding.  In some Asian cultures, touching someone on the head is insulting.  In the Sudanese culture, a handshake is a common way to greet someone and is used by people of all ages.  Some cultures use touch to create interpersonal connections – in many others touching someone (particularly a woman) is taboo.  Try to be reserved in your communication until you get a feel for what is normal within your family.  If possible, reading up on communication within that particular culture may also give you some tips.  Finally, if you don’t feel comfortable in a situation or if you would like some more information about a particular culture, contact your VoRTCS team.

The following information sheets may assist you with ensuring you are culturally aware and sensitive when visiting your family: