London tutor here over the Xmas/New Year period (and all year round!): French and Spanish (including University revision, grammar and translation). I also offer focused tutorials (with plenty of resources and relevant practice papers) for English (IELTS and GCSE as well as English A level Language and Linguistics). I also teach French and Spanish (language and literature - all levels, including university support). Latin up to Common Entrance - KS3 - (with all of my students gaining a place at their chosen independent school and improving their Latin and Classical Studies performance at their Prep/Primary School). A level languages: essay composition, intensive vocabulary revision and translation, based on the set texts and films. Linguistics for A level English Language option and of course Linguistics for university studies (syntax in particular). Excellent results 2023 and now 2024 with targeted results (students were accepted for top UK universities and 6th Forms of their choice). I have been working as a private tutor since 2005 (I worked and studied at UCL and KCL). I am a member of the College of Teaching. My first and research degrees are in Linguistics with year abroad in France (Aix-en-Provence) plus teaching at MA level and research in Paris and Lyon. I have further qualifications in Computer studies and New Media (in relation to publishing) and a Postgraduate degree from UCL Institute of Education. I have worked as a subject librarian at UCL (Linguistics and Languages) and I have been a Research Associate at King’s College London. I have taught in Argentina, France, England and Poland, and studied in Germany, France, England and Argentina.
I have an enhanced DBS certificate, which can be checked by agencies online.
My subjects are : Linguistics (including MLAT prep), French, Spanish, Italian and Latin (up to CE) in that order. I offer support for university students (languages and humanities, and social sciences). This range has come from practice, qualifications and research.
For Linguistics and Literature at university level, students average a 2:1, with many papers in the 80% grade. I don’t promise a particular score, but support students through their course. I don’t write their essays for them.
Results for GCSEs : mainly 7-9 (French and Spanish). Results for A levels: A stars, As and Bs. All pupils for Common Entrance (mainly French and Latin) have so far been accepted by the school of their choice. I have also prepared pupils for the school's own entrance exams (at 13+ and 16+).
In busy periods (summer exam time/Xmas/Easter) if you cancel, your slot will automatically be assigned to another student.
Spanish and French for university or A levels, but also tutoring at IGCSE level, and as a secondary tier, Latin (to Common Entrance level), GCSE English literature and preparation for American university exams (English composition, Spanish and French SATS).
Oxbridge preparation for MLAT and Oxbridge interviews carried out recently for Linguistics and Spanish (with some literature prep for other Romance languages). December 2024.
Please note: an A star at A level is very hard to achieve if you are not an academic-inclined native speaker. Be realistic on your child's potential and what a tutor can do to raise their level, especially if the child is in a state school in the UK.
I have tutored mainly private school students since 2005, and my main subjects for Preparatory School children and Secondary schools have been French, Spanish, Italian and Latin (with a high degree of success). Students on the whole continue to study with me up to and including University. I also offer support for the student’s English proficiency, as many of my clients are from overseas (either boarding or studying in London during the summer). I have offered academic support in Linguistics (including English Literature) and the Humanities and Social Sciences, French, Spanish and Italian (language and literature) at University level (no student has ever failed, but I don’t write essays or promise a score/grade).
My experience for the secondary school sector ranges from the UK syllabus to practice and training for SAT II (US university entrance) and IB (all levels). I have also tutored in IELTS and Cambridge Proficiency (London and abroad). In London I have offered support to students at the main universities and particularly where Linguistics and Modern languages are taught. My teaching experience (to select a few): Queen Mary College, University of London (French A level revision within the Widening Participation programme), English for Academic Purposes, at ENSSIB, Lyon, and at the University of Bielsko-Biała (via the Anglo Polish Universities Association). EFL: Oxford Language Centre and the Elizabeth Johnson Foundation (Oxford, Reading and Royal Holloway, UK), Instituto Superior de Idiomas and Instituto Ideas (Buenos Aires, Argentina).
I have been involved in the publication of a Portuguese bibliography (cultures, societies, and history of the Lusophone world) and was the UCL subject librarian for Italian, Linguistics and Phonetics. I have been involved with numerous projects at University level, mainly connected to information resources for libraries and subject specialism (Modern Languages and Linguistics). I am listing these projects here as they are a pointer of subject coverage for postgraduate students who will need a tutor with quantitative and qualitative research experience, knowledge of research libraries and bibliographic methodology: A comparative study of subject librarians in New York and London, their academic and cultural institutions (Library Services Trust partial funding); Institute of Education, University of London Project Work: Youth Justice Board Project: data extraction cross-cultural comparisons in infant crying. Bibliographic work for Music, Arts and Humanities; E-learning project on BSA delivery via digital TV; Skillsforce (military personnel and underperforming schools); Supplementary Tuition project CANDLE (Collative and Network Distributed Learning Environment, MST School); Indexer for the British Education Index, Internet Resources and Curriculum resources and Basic Skills Agency materials.
I hope that I can use my educational knowledge to help you or your child to achieve excellent results grounded on academic knowledge.
I want to get straight to the lesson core, and for this I like to discuss via email what your requirements are. I prefer to deliver a tutorial which is structured and I discuss with either the student or the parent what the requirements are, with plenty of written material and I focus on either your syllabus for the exam or personal goals. My main area of interest is linguistics and foreign literature (mainly Spanish and French) for both A levels and University.
I try my utmost to accommodate all my students (including weekends) with no extra charge. Please bear in mind that as I tutor at family's homes, I need time to travel around London (and further afield if needed).
I don't take many tutees per year, around ten, but those I do accept are with me for the long term. This means that I concentrate on my tutees more than those tutors who are now working "back to back" hours. I expect commitment and give it back. I have mentioned agencies as these are what parents expect first, as a bona fide sign (as they have on the whole a rigorous selection procedure).
All cancellations on the day of the tutorial incur a charge. This is not “to punish” the student, but to avoid turning students away in busy periods.
2022: Linguistics students: I am here in the holidays if you need revision tutorials for take-away papers and final exams.
All students: in busy periods (summer exam time/Xmas/Easter) if you cancel, your slot will automatically be assigned to another student.
Please note that this is a one-to-one tutoring service. The addition of an extra student (be it a friend or a member of the household) will incur a charge when they are present.
Languages | English (British), French, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish |
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Availability | Weekends, Weekdays (all times) |
References Available | On File |
Reading University | 1988 | Bachelors | BA (Hons) Linguistic Science, 2:1 | |
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University College London | 1994 | Masters | MPhil in Linguistics | |
University College London | 1999 | Masters | MA in Electronic Communication and Publishing | |
Institute of Education, Univ. of London | 2007 | Professional | Diploma (at MA level) in Higher and Professional Education |
Feedback | |
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Published feedback | |
Unpublished feedback (Usually negative) | 0 |
English | In-person | Online |
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Secondary | £60 | £48 |
GCSE | £60 | £48 |
A-Level | £60 | £48 |
University | £65 | £52 |
Casual Learner | £60 | £48 |
French | In-person | Online |
---|---|---|
Secondary | £60 | £48 |
GCSE | £60 | £48 |
A-Level | £60 | £48 |
University | £65 | £52 |
Casual Learner | £60 | £48 |
Italian | In-person | Online |
---|---|---|
Secondary | £60 | £48 |
GCSE | £60 | £48 |
A-Level | £60 | £48 |
University | £65 | £52 |
Casual Learner | £60 | £48 |
Spanish | In-person | Online |
---|---|---|
Secondary | £60 | £48 |
GCSE | £60 | £48 |
A-Level | £60 | £48 |
University | £65 | £52 |
Casual Learner | £60 | £48 |
English (Foreign Language) | In-person | Online |
---|---|---|
Secondary | £60 | £48 |
GCSE | £60 | £48 |
A-Level | £60 | £48 |
University | £65 | £52 |
Casual Learner | £60 | £48 |