Philip

I am an expert in student success, having dedicated my twenty-year education career to supporting learners to achieve their goals. I’m a qualified and highly experienced teacher, tutor, coach, and mentor. I have worked with some of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where I worked as a Learner Success Coach, and currently at University of Oxford, where (in my day job) I work as a Student Success Advisor, providing personal and academic coaching and guidance to ensure my students succeed in their online courses.

I was, however, never a very good student myself. “Phil is a bright boy, but he is severely lacking in focus” read the school report. And I did - I could never concentrate for long, and I had not developed any skills or habits to study effectively on my own. The only subjects I ever really excelled in were English, and the other essay-based ones like Sociology and RE, because I was somehow good at these without knowing why. I hated Maths and the Sciences, because I always felt rubbish at them! I did alright in my GCSEs, A-levels, and degree, but I always knew I could have done better, and it bothered me.

I think it is largely this background as a not-great student that has driven me to be the best tutor I can possibly be. Having learned - through my (unlikely) career in education - the teaching and learning techniques that work to get learners to achieve the top grades, I love helping to make my students’ lives easier and watching them thrive. I know what it is like to hate a subject. You don’t need to love English, and I do not consider it my job to make you love it. What I promise, though, is I will make it easier and improve your grade, which I hope will also make it that little bit more enjoyable (and the main thing: ensure you never have to do it again)!

Tutoring Experience

I have extensive experience teaching GCSE English (Language and Literature) and have developed a thorough working knowledge of the AQA specification, having taught and privately tutored this since 2016. I have also been providing private tuition for students studying the Eduqas spec since 2015. For over ten years, I worked at one of the largest Further Education Colleges in the North West, and in addition to teaching English, I also undertook an additional role teaching study-skills (with topics including essay writing, organisation and time-management, revision strategies, exam technique) to students whose level of study ranged from Entry Level to Higher Education. I have worked with students from a range of backgrounds and with a variety of needs; I am highly experienced teaching and supporting speakers of English as an additional language (In 2018, I left the UK for six months to fulfill my ambition to travel and teach English as a Foreign Language). I have had a highly rewarding career in which I have successfully guided hundreds of young people and adults to success in their GCSE, A-level, vocational, EAL, Access and HE qualifications.

Tutoring Approach

I will first talk to my student and encourage them to identify their individual strengths and areas for improvement. We will then agree on a plan for future sessions, based on their goals and tailored to their individual learning needs. My sessions will always look to strike a balance between developing subject knowledge and an effective approach to self-study and revision, with ample time given to exam practice (working on past-paper questions, developing confidence going into the exam). I will also offer my students support with any assignments or tasks set them by their school or college, provided it fits with the targets we have set and has the potential to improve their working grades.