dilemma: professors vs tutors vs employers

[Calamari2013]

I am currently selecting my recommenders and as most universities require 3 letters of recommendations, I am in a dilemma.

 

At my school during undergrad it's not at all too common to engage in dialogue with professors. It's rather the PhD students (or tutors) who are teaching the seminars that will mark your essays and get to know you well.

 

My situation:

 

One professor knows me very well and he is keen to write a recommendation.

The second professor does not know me too well but can write some (I assume) basic recommendation even though I had very high grades in her class. The problem is she is on research leave out of the country and it's very difficult to get hold of her. Besides, a basic recommendation will not do for me.

 

Now I have two people who were my tutors in the second year of my BSc and they are keen to write enthusiastic recommendations. Both are now lecturers in economics - one at my old university, the other one at some different university.

 

I also have an employer willing to write a recommendation based on my work done for them, however, I am hesitating because I know that employer letters are not given too much weight.

 

My questions:

1) Should I still chase the "absent" professor and try to get a recommendation from her even though it's just a basic one? Is the fact of being a professor so important?

 

2) Should I rather select the two tutors that know me very well and are willing to put in lots of effort to produce great references? Does it matter that they were tutors at the time I was studying?

 

Sorry for the long post, but I feel confused. Please help ..