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If you or one of your friends ever needed a little extra help with a school subject, perhaps you received some one-on-one tutoring from someone who worked with you until you were over the hurdle. Although tutoring is often a volunteer activity, many people are turning to this occupation as a part-time or full-time occupation.

Daa (pronounced "day") Mahowald from Kent, Washington, began tutoring when she was a high school student -- first by helping out her siblings and friends in elementary school, then with the University of Nebraska's multicultural department.

Mahowald, who has a BS in mathematics and a master's in educational psychology, opened her own tutoring business in 1991. "When I became pregnant, my husband and I decided that I would be a stay-at-home mom. However, we also realized that I would still have to make an economic contribution to our family, so tutoring seemed a good choice.

"All my life, I have gained great joy from figuring out ways to help people understand academics. I like turning on the light bulbs -- seeing the light in a student's eyes when he or she gets it," says Mahowald.

On the other hand, final exam season (the two or three weeks before the end of each semester) can be demanding. "Not only do I gain new students needing emergency tutoring assistance, but current students take on extra sessions to increase their chances on semester finals," she says.

"Scheduling becomes challenging, as I try to accommodate as many students as possible. In addition, until I started requiring payment in advance [in blocks of 10, 20 or 30 hours] it was sometimes difficult to collect for my services."

Mahowald's day is a busy one. "Prime time tutoring runs Monday through Thursday and starts about 2:30 p.m. Sessions run for a half-hour, hour or 90 minutes, depending on each student's needs. Prime time ends around 9 or 9:30, unless it's finals season. Then, I could be tutoring as late as 10 or 11."

If you are interested in becoming a tutor, Mahowald suggests that the key is practice, practice, practice. Volunteer in your school's peer-tutoring program if there is one, or make a habit of helping out friends with their schoolwork. Sign up to tutor with the local high school equivalency program or to teach an ESL (English as a second language) group.

When we think of tutoring, we usually think of someone sitting down with a student and working together on the subject material. However, the Internet is opening up new possibilities for tutors. Richard A. Bilonick of Pittsburgh, for example, runs a part-time statistical tutoring service using his website, e-mail and sometimes the fax machine.

Bilonick has a PhD in statistics. "I put up a web page and someone contacted me with questions about statistics. I answered by e-mail, and then I thought it would be interesting to see if I could do tutoring over the Net.

"I had supplemented my income through tutoring while I was in college, so I had some experience. And of course, a doctorate degree implies that I can teach anywhere."

After promoting his website through search engines, Bilonick's tutoring business began to grow. Students from high school, college and universities began e-mailing him with homework problems.

"Much of the time, they're stumped with questions so I write out a detailed reply -- explaining what they are trying to find and what method they should use. I write out the method and show them how to do this," explains Bilonick.

"I would respond in a timely manner, and I would bill according to an hourly rate and accept payment through credit card transactions," he says. Bilonick's tutoring service now keeps him busy approximately 14 hours a week, which is all the work he wants since he has full-time employment elsewhere.

"I like being a statistician and working on statistics problems. Tutoring students gives me the opportunity to keep my skills fresh and current. I often see problems that I haven't encountered for years -- stuff I covered in the early years of graduate school. Then a number of people contact me in related areas and I can get out the book and study again," he says.

"For example, I am not an economist, but there are a lot of statistical problems associated with economics. This way, I have the chance to learn about statistical economics while I am helping the student. It is more challenging. They say that the fastest way to learn something is to teach someone else."

Bilonick enjoys the fact that his work hours are flexible. "I don't have to do this work at any particular time. I can make my own schedule."

Sometimes tight deadlines make the work a little stressful. "You have people contact you and say they need help because of a test tomorrow. I can't just drop everything and answer their questions right away."

To run an Internet tutoring business the way Bilonick does requires a unique set of skills. "In addition to knowing your subject, you have to have Internet and computer skills. You need an initial investment of cash to buy your computer equipment and you have to market your services and promote your website so you can get clients."

Some tutors specialize in working with certain types of clients. Nathan Linders tutors people who are developmentally challenged.

"When I was in Grade 12, I tutored a Grade 10 student. I taught her the basics of algebra so she wouldn't get taken off the basketball team. Then I had other students that were categorized as learning impaired. I taught them the basics -- reading and basic math."

Linders tutored the students from his home in sessions ranging from twice a week to five times a week. Each session lasts about two hours. "I like teaching in general. I like math in particular," he says.

"I remember a student having a problem factoring polynomials. I ended up having to work backwards to find the root of the problem. Once she understood variables, it all clicked in for her. I remember the moment quite well because there was a spark of recognition in her eye. It is very rewarding when I see that spark," Linders says.

"Then there was a boy with dyslexia. I read up on dyslexia and got a few tips, but there wasn't much help available as to how to teach him. On our first session, I was taken aback to discover that the boy couldn't read the word 'the.' A year and a half later, he was reading at a Grade 3 or 4 level. He was able to sound out most of the words on his own. That was so rewarding to see."

What Linders dislikes about tutoring is working with students who don't want to learn. "I remember one -- the petulance, the stubbornness. It was a real struggle at first. I used computer games to help him learn. He loved a game called Civilization. I wouldn't let him play unless he would read all the screens that came up. I looked for ways to make it fun for him."

Although Linders doesn't have a university degree himself, he believes that having one would be best for a tutoring career. "I'd say get a degree. Get your teaching certificate if you can. School boards are more open to giving you work if you have a teaching certificate, and you would probably make a better hourly wage."

Other tutors are employed full or part time by college and university tutoring services. Renee Mickelson is the tutorial services coordinator at Lansing Community College in Michigan. She has a BS in environmental studies and a master's degree in educational psychology.

"I did volunteer tutoring starting in high school. Altogether, I probably did volunteer tutoring for about 15 years before I started getting paid for it." After university, Mickelson worked in business for 10 years. Then she began as a part-time tutor.

"I liked the idea that I was giving something back to the world, instead of just producing a product like we did in business. I also like working with people one on one. After about four years, the coordinator position became available. I applied and was accepted. It's a full-time position now."

Mickelson believes that her varied background helps her be an effective tutor. "My degree in environmental studies helps me see things globally -- I see the big picture of where the student needs to go. Educational psychology helps me understand how people learn."

She enjoys the fact that no two days are alike. "There is variety. I may work with students telling them how to arrange tutoring, I might do some tutoring myself, or I may spend time with my staff, many of whom are students themselves. Some days I would be talking to them about building their tutoring skills or planning their own educational goals. I work on a lot of college committees that relate to students' success."

Mickelson also helps to develop the college's tutor training program, which is available only to people who will be working as tutors at Lansing College.

"We provide information about the campus, career placement, working with students from certain populations or with different language backgrounds. We also provide training around how students learn and helping tutors develop listening and questioning skills."

Mickelson regrets that, in general, tutoring is not yet considered to be on the same level as some of the other types of teaching. "I think that it should be. This has implications for budgets and financing. That's the source of the stress in this occupation."

If you want to be a tutor, Mickelson suggests that, "You search your heart and decide whether or not you believe in student-centered education and learning-centered education. This is more than just a job. You can impact people's lives, so you have to take it very seriously."