Personal tutor support

What is a personal tutor?

All undergraduate law students are allocated a personal tutor throughout their studies. Your personal tutor will be an academic member of staff within NLS.

They will act as a single point of contact, providing you with help and guidance. They will support you during your academic and social transition to university.

How will I know who my personal tutor is?

You’ll meet your allocated personal tutor during Welcome week at university. At this meeting, your personal tutor will introduce themselves and give you their contact details. We’ll try to make sure you have the same personal tutor throughout your course.

You can also find your personal tutor’s name by logging onto the Student Dashboard via your NOW learning room.

The role of the personal tutor

Your personal tutor will help you adjust to being an NLS student. They’ll provide guidance, encouragement and support.
They will hold regular meetings with you. You’ll be able to discuss your progress, and they’ll help you with any queries you may have. They might not have the answer to every question, but they should be able to guide you towards solutions. They can also discuss opportunities for you to enhance your time here at NLS.
Your personal tutor may refer you to other people and resources at the University. This can include Student Support Services, the Employability team, the Library, and the Law School’s own Pastoral Advisor. Find out about these yourself using the links in the red box.
Your personal tutor is also responsible for monitoring your attendance and engagement with your course. You can find the NLS Student Engagement and Attendance Policy on your course’s NOW learning room. If your attendance is unsatisfactory, your personal tutor will be notified. They’ll arrange a meeting with you to discuss things.
They may also be able to provide a reference when you’re applying for jobs or further study. This is important at a later stage of the course.

When will I have one-to-one meetings with my personal tutor?

After your initial meeting during Welcome Week, your tutor will contact you at various points throughout the year. They’ll arrange one-to-one meetings with you, which will normally take place as follows:

Term One
First one-to-one meeting by the end of the fifth week. There will also be a lecture at the beginning of the term explaining what to expect from your meetings

Term Two
One meeting during the term. There will also be further lecture at the beginning of term two with important updated information

Term Three
One meeting during the term.

Please ensure you attend these meetings. Even if everything is okay, your personal tutor will still want to see you and the outcome of the meeting will be recorded on PebblePad.

Can I see my personal tutor at other times?

Yes, you can. Your personal tutor is there to support you at any time during your studies. You can email them to ask for a meeting if you need help or advice. They’ll also have “office hours” where you can contact them without an appointment.

This could be in person or on MS Teams. Each personal tutor will devote at least an hour a week for this. Feel free to contact them at any time, don’t wait for them to contact you!

What will my personal tutor want to discuss with me at the one-to-one meetings?

There are a number of things your personal tutor might want to discuss in the one-to-one sessions.

These include:

how you are settling in at university
any additional support that you may need
your academic progress to date, including your attendance
extracurricular activities and work experience
personal development planning, such as preparing a CV
accessing appropriate opportunities provided by the Employability team, including attending law fairs and drop-in sessions
opportunities at the Legal Advice Centre
option choices for subsequent years on the course
your assessments, and where to find additional support
potential targets, and the routes to realising these – e.g. target degree classification, securing work experience, etc.

Academic and personal difficulties

If you’re having problems with your studies, you should seek help. If the problem is with a particular module, the first person to see is your seminar tutor. Beyond that, your personal tutor will be able to guide you towards further assistance. They might refer you to the study skills workshops provided by the Library, for example.

If you’re having personal difficulties, and they’re affecting your performance on the course, you should inform your personal tutor. They’ll offer advice on what to do, and may refer you to more specialist help within the University. Our Student Support Services offer support on issues like fees and finance, health and wellbeing, and disabilities. They could also put you in touch with the Law School’s own Student Support Advisor or Pastoral Advisor.

References

At a later stage in your course, you might need references for job applications or for further study. You can ask your personal tutor to supply one for you. However, it’s essential that you get their permission before you give their name as a referee. You must also give them details of the job or course you’re applying for. You’ll need to leave them enough time to prepare the reference as well – usually at least ten days before any deadline.

Remember that your personal tutor can’t give a detailed reference if they don’t know you. Make sure you attend those one-to-one meetings with them throughout your course!

All students are issued with an electronic Higher Education Achievement Report, otherwise known as a HEAR. The HEAR records your academic and extra-curricular achievements during your time at NTU.

Your personal tutor will have access to your HEAR and will use it when writing your reference so make sure it’s kept up to date.

Here to help

Your personal tutor and your seminar tutor are pivotal in providing you with the support you need. Make a note of their names for use throughout the year.
NTU has a Student Support Service based in the Newton building, which offers a number of support functions to assist you throughout your studies. Getting to know what they provide and how to access the service will help you if you need specialist support. Visit www.ntu.ac.uk/study-and-courses/being-at-ntu/services-and-support for more information.
You can access administrative and other support at the NLS Student Hub. This is located on the fourth floor of the Chaucer building. It’s available to help and guide you, so please pop along if you have any queries.