More about Sutton Tutor

Personal Description:
I am a fully-qualified professional teacher with more than 30 years of experience. I regard myself as a friendly and approachable tutor, as well as honest and conscientious, and I pride myself on being able to communicate with students of all ages, from pre-teen to pensioner.

I am also the father of two young boys, and we live in the Sutton area. My hobbies are limited to reading these days, as there seems to be no time for much else, and I am particularly fond of English Literature. Dickens and Hardy are two of my favourites, but I am also keen on modern and less serious writers, such as Tom Sharpe and the two Rankins - Robert and Ian.

I am available for tutoring in the borough of Sutton, although I am prepared to consider other areas close by (Morden, Banstead, for example) if travelling time is allowed for.

Teaching Experience:
I have been teaching since 1989, both in the UK and abroad. I have taught and tutored English (including IGCSE, EFL and IELTS) in Spain, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Abu Dhabi, and also for many years in the UK of course. I have worked as a private tutor ever since I started teaching, as I realised that the existing state and private education providers could not meet the demand for high-quality intensive tuition.

Most recently I have taught English at an independent school in Sutton, as well as Academic Writing for a major UK university in London. I can offer specialist tutoring in writing and reading skills that can not be matched by most primary and secondary school teachers.

My Subjects:
I mostly provide personal tuition in English (Reading, Writing and Language Skills) for those parents whose children are undertaking preparation for the 11+ and Common Entrance (13+) exams for the grammar schools in Sutton and Kingston, and for the many independent schools in the area. I also offer interview coaching for students who are applying to the independent schools.

In addition, I teach English and Spanish at all senior-school  levels (GCSE and A-level) and for adults. For international students, I teach IELTS and any of the Cambridge EFL/ESL exams, such as the FCE. I have been certificated as an official examiner for these exams, so I can offer you specialist tuition.

I can also provide personal tuition in ESSAY WRITING and STUDY SKILLS, as my experience has taught me that many students face real problems in these areas. By working together on your essays, substantial improvements can be made in style, organisation, argument, presentation, and much more. This way, I can teach you how produce more effective and mature assignments, and thus help you to obtain better grades and increase your confidence in producing written work.

Tutoring Approach:
I endorse the humanist approach, and try to make my tutorials as interesting and relevant as possible. With every tutee I carry out an initial assessment of their needs and abilities, and my teaching begins from there. This approach appears to be successful, and I can provide references.

I would say that my personal style is open and honest, and I encourage my students to learn from their mistakes, rather than chastising them. However, in order to make real progress the tutee has to do her/his homework to reinforce this, and I make this a clear condition of my tutoring.

Over the past ten years I have successfully tutored students for the following schools and universities:

Schools: Sutton Grammar, Wilsons, Wallington County, Wallington High, Nonsuch, Whitgift, Trinity, Wimbledon High, Kings School, City of London, Epsom College, Ewell Castle, and many others.

Universities: UCL, LSE, Manchester, Warwick, City, Nottingham, East Anglia, St Martins, Lincoln, Bournemouth, and several others.

My Qualifications:
A-levels in English, Spanish, Law and Russian (AS)
BA (Joint Hons) Spanish & Political Science
PGCE (English/ESL and Spanish)
Postgrad Diploma in Technical Authorship
DELTA / Postgrad ESOL Diploma
MEd (Pending)

References Supplied: Yes
Current CRB Check: Yes

Why should I use a Private Tutor?

Many parents decide to get a private tutor for their child in order to boost his or her academic progress. Naturally, most parents are keen for their child to develop fully at school, and a personal tutor can give the close attention that is not possible in a typical classroom environment. There are usually three solid reasons for using a tutor, and they are all equally valid.

Firstly, sometimes your child has fallen behind a little and needs to catch up. In this case, a short period of intensive personal tuition is a very effective way to make sure that your child catches up as soon as possible and does not get left behind.

In other cases, it might be that your child’s school does not offer the particular subject (or syllabus) that you want him or her to study. This could be the case with a foreign language or similar subject that is ‘off-curriculum’ – schools cannot offer every single subject, after all.

However, the most common reason, in my experience, is when parents are worried that their child might not get a good enough grade to enter his or her chosen school, college, or university. In these cases, regular personal tuition can serve to stretch the child so that they make the most of their talents and achieve the necessary exam grades to guarantee entry to their chosen institute. We do live in a competitive world, after all, and personal tuition can provide that necessary edge to ensure that your child wins a place ahead of the competition.

In every case, the private tuition that I give is tailored to the child’s needs, and every tutoring sessions provides a close match to the child’s requirements. I give regular homework tasks, thus maximising the time and effort, and provide a monthly update on your child’s progress.

In short, regular home tuition can raise the levels of your child’s school performance, help them to increase their confidence and motivation in a subject, and develop the necessary study skills and self-discipline that will enable them to make the most of their abilities in all subjects. It’s a very cost-effective way to ensure that your child develops their talents to the full, and you will be giving them a better opportunity in this competitive world of ours.