Jeffrey B.

Personal Description:
I am a father of two young boys, and we live in the Sutton area. 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. 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 work full-time in the field of Further Education, where I teach English (GCSE, GCE, and IGCSE), EFL/ESOL, and Spanish, plus Study Skills, Academic English, and IELTS for international students at college and university. I am available for tutoring in the boroughs of Sutton and Merton, although I am prepared to consider other areas (Kingston, Banstead, for example) if travelling time is allowed for.

Teaching Experience:
I have more than 20 years of teaching and tutoring experience, 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.

I also offer personal tuition in Verbal Reasoning and English for those parents whose children (like mine!) 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. In addition, I teach Spanish at all levels (particularly GCSE and A-level), and can give tuition in Critical Thinking to more mature students as well.

I can also offer a PROOFREADING AND EDITING service for students' essays. By submitting your essays to me, I can check them for spelling, grammar, style, organisation, and much more, and make many suggestions for improvement. This way, I can teach you how produce more mature essays, and thus help you to obtain better grades.

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.