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The admission books of Caius, which run in complete sequence from 1560 onwards, show that each student admitted to the College was allotted to a Tutor. In the sixteenth century, the students often shared a chamber with their Tutor, and may have received private tuition from him. The role of the Tutor was administrative and pastoral, similar to that of a guardian, looking after the students, as well as directly teaching them. By the eighteenth century, the connection was less personal. The number of Tutors for each year of admissions had diminished to one or two men. The Tutor had become responsible for the receipt of tuition fees from students, and for arranging for their lectures (rather than necessarily teaching himself).

The leading Tutor was informally referred to as the Senior Tutor, and from 1898, this position was formalized as a College office. The Senior Tutor works together with the Tutors regarding pastoral care of students and maintenance of College discipline; and co-ordinates with the College lecturers and Directors of Studies regarding direction of student academic work. This work is supported by the staff of the Tutorial Office, who are responsible for day to day academic administration; and prior to the establishment of the Development Office, appears to have taken a role in alumni relations.

The office of Praelector Rhetoricus developed from a sixteenth century college lectureship founded by Geoffrey Knight. The historic duty of the Praelector to prepare students for disputations in schools had, by the nineteenth century, become the duty to present candidates for degrees.