Rebecca

I have worked as an independent English tutor since the start of 2018. Before that I was a secondary English teacher and tutor in Plymouth for four years, after spending five years in Spain where I taught English to Spanish students.

As well as being a teacher turned tutor, I am a qualified broadcast journalist who has worked in print and radio journalism so I have practical experience of English in the workplace, not just as an academic exercise or exam practice.
Alongside my passion for English language and literature, I love the theatre. I am also a keen amateur textiles artist, photographer and painter and I get inspiration from the beauty of the local landscapes.

Tutoring Experience

After gaining my P.G.C.E. in English and Drama from Cambridge University in 1997, I taught English, Theatre and Drama at G.C.S.E. and A’ Level for three years in Essex before moving to Thailand to teach English as a foreign language to Thai students aged 6 to 16.
On my return in 2002, I trained and worked as a journalist on a local newspaper and then at the BBC. After a few years, I was doing some supply teaching alongside freelance journalism which lead me back to full time teaching, this time in a Further Education College. Sadly, the college closed in 2008 but this gave me the opportunity to use my language skills in Spain where I worked as a teacher and examiner for Cambridge University with students aged 6 to 60 for five years.
I love working as a private tutor as it allows me to bring all my skills and experience together to students of all ages and levels of confidence, including those with additional needs such as Asperger's,, Autism, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. I am also an AQA examiner for English GCSE Language which has informed my teaching and provided an invaluable insight into the exam marking process.
In addition to GCSE, I tutor students for IGCSE, A' Levels, Functional Skills, the 11-plus and Foundation English for foreign University students.
I have also tutored students in GCSE Maths and G.C.S.E. History and Spanish.
Finally. I am able to offer help with letters of application for UCAS, university entrance exams and C.V. writing, among other tasks which I often do for past students.

Tutoring Approach

I love learning and I want to encourage a love of learning in my students.
I start by discussing and assessing a student’s individual needs with them, their strengths and weaknesses, to create a personalised study plan so that they can progress and set further goals that quickly build confidence and motivation.
Building on a student's skills through a variety of tasks, I foster a student’s confidence in their abilities and so their independence as a learner grows.
For exam preparation, I always ensure that each student fully understands the criteria so that there is no mystery about why they are gaining a particular grade and it is easy for us to identify which skills we need to target to improve.
Finally, I set straightforward, achievable and relevant homework tasks based on the lesson, to provide a link between classes and to allow the student to independently put into practice what they have been learning.