Nikola Dukas

Hi, my name is Nikola but my Arabic name is Walid al-Maqduni. I'm a University of Oxford and SOAS trained Researcher and Linguist of Arabic and Islamic Studies who offers high quality and academic tuition mainly in Modern Standard/Classical Arabic.

Because of my background and academic training I can in addition offer tuition in Turkish (both Ottoman Turkish and Modern Turkish) and Greek (Modern and Classical Greek).

Unlike many tutors of Arabic I am an academically qualified Arabist and Islamicist rather than a tutor of another language or subject who thinks they can teach some Arabic on the side because they happen to be Muslim and/or come from an Arabic speaking country.

Offer very substantial, interactive and individually tailored tuition in Modern Standard/Classical Arabic to adults, mainly BA,MA/MSc,and PhD students and journalists or researchers but also to those preparing for A Levels in Arabic and Islamic Studies.

Strong focus on helping students develop facility in reading Arabic texts and acquiring a solid grounding in Arabic grammar, speaking and listening, particularly in those fields where Modern Standard Arabic is prevalent (politics, religion, law, literature and history).

Over 10 years' experience teaching MSA/Classical Arabic and Islamic Texts and also offer tuition for degree level Islamic History and Islamic Studies. Excellent track record helping students (notably at SOAS and Cambridge) dramatically improve their grades.

As well as MSA/Classical Arabic (that is, formal literary Arabic) I can also introduce students to Colloquial Arabic dialects, mainly Iraqi Arabic and Levantine Arabic.

Very interactive, patient and engaging teaching style, a result of having first hand experience of the position of people coming to Arabic as non-native speakers, as I myself did over twenty years ago.

Over 10 years of translation experience of Arabic press, government, law and academic material and of Islamic legal and historical texts for postgraduates, academics, and researchers.

I am also DBS cleared and can consequently teach teenagers studying towards GCSEs and A levels in Arabic and Islamic Studies.

Unlike most other tutors in London, I have access to classrooms in a university campus in central London, which I can use at no extra cost to myself or my students, and so don't have to resort to teaching in noisy cafes.

I can also provide tuition at the student's home or workplace if these are reasonably close to my regular teaching sites in Kensington or Bloomsbury.

Hourly tuition rates:

I offer 2-hour weekly tutorials at £25 per hour (£50 in total). To avoid time wasters and ensure only people who are serious about learning Arabic get in touch I request students to schedule and pay for two 2-hour sessions up front (totaling £100 at £25 per hour) in addition to any initial fees they have to pay for using this online tutoring platform. However, I will then give new students a third 2-hour Arabic tutorial ABSOLUTELY FREE OF CHARGE. So in essence new students receive three 2-hour Arabic tutorials for the price of two.

Whether new students take one, two or all of the three scheduled 2-hour sessions (the first two paid for and the third offered free of charge) the fee is £100. In other words, new students ARE NOT REFUNDED any of this initial £100 advance lesson fee in the unlikely circumstance that they suddenly decide to discontinue with the tuition before completing all three of the scheduled 2-hour tutorials because they find they are too busy or realise Arabic is not for them.

I therefore kindly request that before making contact potential new students think carefully about how demanding learning Arabic can be and whether they are really up to the challenge.

Students who take two or more 2- hour tutorials per week will be offered those additional sessions at £20 per hour.

Students who continue beyond the initial three 2-hour sessions will continue to be charged £25 per hour, or £50 per 2-hour session each week, payable in advance by bank transfer or via this online platform each month. However, there is no minimum number of sessions students need to take per week/month or a minimum period over which tuition has to be pursued.

For people only interested in a one-off Arabic and Islamic Studies tutorial or consultation I offer a minimum of 2-hours charged at £50 per hour (£100 in total). But if after the consultation they decide to pursue regular Arabic tuition they will subsequently receive two further 2-hour tutorials FREE OF CHARGE in line with the offer to regular new students.

Academic and Language Background:

MA in Islamic Studies (with distinction) from SOAS London, BA in Arabic with Islamic History from Oxford, PG Cert in Turkish and qualifications in foreign language teaching (CELTA/PG Cert Teaching Academic English and a Cert in Teaching Foreign Languages).

I'm originally from Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Northern Greece (from a town just 10 miles from the Turkish border and in a region with a mixed Greek Christian and Turkish Muslim population). But I'm half Eastern Anatolia/Caucasus Greek with some Georgian, Aramean and Greco-Syrian heritage. (I have several Greek Muslim and Georgian Muslim ancestors who served as Ottoman commanders in Syria and Northern Iraq, with two in the 1800s marrying local women). Consequently, in addition to Arabic I'm also fluent in Greek, have a good command of Turkish, and know some basic Aramaic.

Currently researching for a part-time PhD on Medieval Islamic Law and Theology, based on original sources.

Additionally, and uniquely among western Arabists and Islamicists, I have extensive experience of traditional Arabic and Islamic learning in the Middle East and North Africa, mainly in Syria and Yemen but in particular as a longstanding, regular visiting student at the Qarawiyyin madrasa-university in Fez, Morocco.

I look forward to hearing from interested students.

Nikola / Walid al-Maqduni

Tutoring Experience

Excellent track record of over 10 years'experience helping undergraduate and postgrad students studying for degrees in Arabic and/or Islamic Studies/Middle Eastern Studies (particularly at SOAS or Cambridge) dramatically improve their grades.

I also have over 10 years of Arabic into English translation experience of press and academic material and of Islamic religious, legal and historical texts for postgraduate students, academics, and researchers.

Tutoring Approach

I have a very interactive, patient and engaging teaching style, largely the result of having first hand experience and understanding of the position of those who come to the language as non-native speakers, as I myself did over twenty years ago.