Tim

I have taught English for over 25 years, teaching first in French schools, then in Japan at language schools and businesses, and now as a private English tutor in London.

My book, “10 Ways To Improve Your Grades in GCSE English", comprises some of the knowledge and insights that I have acquired throughout my teaching career. This book is aimed at helping students improve the quality of their writing. It covers the basic essentials of grammar, structure and punctuation, before moving on to more advanced areas such as paragraph and essay writing. It is filled with the strategies I have taught students over the years to help them achieve their target grades.

I am passionate about helping students develop their language skills in English, particularly in reading and writing. These are life skills which will help students not only in school, but also in their future careers where the ability to write accurately and clearly is a necessity.

I am also experienced in tutoring students with special needs, and have achieved TQUK Level 2 Certification in Understanding Autism.

Tutoring Experience

I taught English in France and Japan for a total of 15 years, and this experience gave me a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of English grammar and structure, and how to explain it clearly and concisely. I also taught academic reading and writing skills to help students prepare for university course requirements.

I returned to the UK in 2012, and I now work full-time as a private tutor. I teach English to students of all ages (including adults), but my specialist area is GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature. I have worked with students of all levels, from those with special needs such as dyslexia to those striving to achieve the top grades.

Tutoring Approach

My teaching philosophy is to help my students to help themselves: to help them develop academic skills that will be relevant and useful to them throughout their lives — especially in their careers.

My tutoring approach is twofold:

1) I encourage students to contribute and develop their own ideas, opinions, interpretations and imagination. This builds their confidence and promotes independent critical and creative thinking.
2) I show students how to express these ideas clearly, logically and accurately in their writing.

When I was at school, I was taught that you are entitled to any opinion as long as you are able to support it with evidence, and this is something that has stayed with me. I believe it is vital for students to develop their own ideas and back them up with evidence and logical explanations.

As non-fiction writing is very different from creative writing, the latter naturally requires a more imaginative approach, and I encourage my students to focus on details which help engage the reader, and to draw on their own experiences and imagination as much as possible.

It is no secret that reading promotes language ability and stimulates the imagination, so I always set reading homework to complement my lessons (short stories are a great start for students who are not in the habit of reading). This follows my core philosophy of showing students how to help themselves and teaching academic skills that will benefit them in the future.

Cancellation Policy:
After deciding upon a lesson time, I ask for a minimum of 24 hours’ notice for any changes, or the lesson fee is paid in full.