The Center for English as a lingua franca (CELF) tutor service was launched in April 2013 in conjunction with the new ELF curriculum. The tutor service was conceived as a valuable resource for Tamagawa ELF students to access English and receive support for their language studies. The tutor service was originally staffed by both full-time and part-time instructors who came from a wide range of cultural backgrounds allowing the students an opportunity to engage with a variety of English speakers, both native and non-native. During the 2016-2017 academic year, there were 22 part-time instructors serving as tutors. Since its inception, the tutor service has been managed by a subcommittee of full-time associate and assistant professors who oversee scheduling, bookings and data collection on how the service is used. Tutor services are available from 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays. Each tutor is responsible for two, 50-minute tutorial periods each week. There are three ‘appointments’ during one tutor period, and in the 2016 fall semester, there were 141 appointment slots available per week.
