Tim

University of Oxford graduate and professional tutor with 10+ years experience.

Tutoring Experience

I have tutored pupils ranging in age from 7 to 25, both in person and online. My own degree was in History, but I have been tutoring in Maths & Sciences with high success rates (see below) for 10+ years.

At 11+ and 13+ level, I focus on Maths, English, Science, History and Reasoning Papers, but also have experience teaching Latin, Geography, RS and interview prep. Clients have included:
— 13+ Scholarship candidates (successful) to Harrow, Eton & Dulwich;
— 13+ Entrance candidates offered places to City of London School, Charterhouse, Bedes, Radley, Marlborough, Winchester, Wellington and others;
— 11+ candidates for the ISEB Pretests (both GL and CEM).

At GCSE level, I have taught Maths, English, Sciences and History. One client received a commendation for her Maths after just a few weeks’ tuition, having previously struggled with the subject. My tutorials are designed to ignite the interest of the students as well as improve their grades and one client has told his parents that he now ‘actually finds Shakespeare enjoyable’ having previously had little interest. Recent results include:
— Maths, Edexcel IGCSE: 1 x grade 9; 1 x grade 8 (improvement from grade 5)
— Sciences, Edexcel IGCSE: 3 x grade 9 in all sciences
— History, Cambridge IGCSE: 1 x grade 9; 2 x grade 9 (improvement from grade 6)

At A-level, I have tutored several clients in Mathematics, one of whom was able to increase her marks in Core 1 and 2 retakes from D grades to A grades. I also have experience with A-level History; one of my clients scored 92% (A*) in her coursework after tuition and another has written that I am a ‘friendly, thorough and excellent teacher… We would highly recommend him.’ Recent results include:
— Maths, (OCR AS Level) Pure & Statistics A* (91%)
— Maths, (OCR AS Level) Pure & Mechanics: A*
— Economics, (Edexcel A Level): C (up from predicted E grade)
— Economics, John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize 2024: Shortlisted & invited to final

At the university level, I have helped students research, structure & proof History dissertations for Bachelors degrees. I have also provided tuition, revision notes & essay supervision for two MBA candidates, one of whom received a distinction in modules for which she had tuition.

Tutoring Approach

My approach is to build a comprehensive understanding for my students: one which is flexible enough to apply to any question or context. Often students struggle with topics because they have missed something key within the fundamentals; each successive skill is built on previous skills, so a misunderstanding early on can have ramifications which hamper development onto more advanced topics. Tutoring one-on-one allows me to identify these issues quickly and fix them, which leads to (often surprisingly rapid) improvements.

Beyond this, I find it important to provide a supportive environment to help students engage with learning. I have helped top students push for top grades, scholarships and university offers, but also helped students who are struggling. I am flexible, so can adapt lesson plans to suit the student if, for example, they want to go over something they didn't quite understand from school. My main aims are always the same: to deepen understanding, to overcome any fears and to maintain interest & joy in the subject.

I was very fortunate to have received the education I did and so it is very important to me that I use it to pursue a job that engages the mind. Tutoring allows me to share my academic interests with others in a rewarding and productive manner. I have been tutoring alongside acting work for over ten years.