Hamish

Hi, I'm Hamish! I graduated from the University of Oxford in July 2023, where I studied Classics and French. I'm originally from Edinburgh, and I now live in North West London. I'm about to start my PGCE in French at the National Institute of Teaching, where I will be teaching in the classroom two days a week and receiving training one day a week. I have an enhanced DBS check.

Learning a language is always hard, no matter what age you are, but the rewards that come from hard work and having the support of a tutor make it worth it. I am passionate about my subjects and so look forward to helping pupils make progress and see tangible results which will encourage their enthusiasm for the subject. At university I learned from my own experience how a robust understanding of key grammar allows students to explore the literature and culture of a language more confidently, and in turn how exploration of literature and culture builds up a student's grammar and translation skills. I believe that a good balance between all aspects of French and Latin is key to mastering them.

Tutoring Experience

During my year abroad I taught English to French secondary school students. In my role as teaching assistant, I would take classes of up to fifteen pupils by myself, and up to thirty five pupils while supervised by another teacher. In addition, I would also take pupils for one-on-one speaking sessions, where we would practise their conversation skills and they would prepare for their Baccalaureate speaking exams. With each pupil my duties were to assess their speaking skills, identify problem areas and provide feedback. We would then focus on the aspects that pupils were finding more difficult and work on these ahead of their exams. This required a tailor-made experience for each pupil, recognising their strengths and weaknesses, while still making sure that every single one was fulfilling the challenging requirements of the exams themselves.

Additionally, I have done volunteer work for the Clydeside Project, a charity which pairs prospective Scottish Oxbridge applicants with current Oxbridge students, with the goal of sending more Scottish students to these universities. I mentored my student through applying to Oxford, from writing her personal statement to mock interviews. It helped me to understand the university application process from the other side after having gone through it myself, and taught me how to push even the most capable of students.

Tutoring Approach

When teaching I aim to be flexible, and to try a range of different ways of approaching a problem in order to find a technique which is right for the student. Everyone learns in a different way, and one-on-one sessions allow for personalised feedback rather than a one size fits all solution.

I am detail orientated, which allows me to find areas where even the most high-performing students can improve. I believe that specific constructive criticism is key to a good student-tutor relationship, so that the student knows exactly what they need to work on.

Finally, in my criticism and feedback I am always honest, but constructive. I am clear about how students can improve, but I also make sure to praise their strengths, especially when I see progress that they have made over the course of our sessions. I believe this is important for keeping a student enthusiastic and encouraged when navigating difficult areas of the subject.