Imogen

I grew up in Richmond, and went to Wimbledon High School, where I achieved A Levels in English Literature (A), German (A), Latin (A) and Religious Studies (A), as well as 11 GCSEs (10 A*s and 1 A). I won my school’s leaving prizes for English, German and Music, as well as their prize for all-round outstanding academic achievement.

In 2010, I completed my BA in English Literature at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where I was also a choral scholar. During my time at Cambridge, I wrote three first-class dissertations, and was awarded the Corpus-Taylor Prize for outstanding dissertation work.

After Cambridge, I briefly dabbled in opera, studying postgraduate singing at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. While this was a brilliant experience, I found that I hugely missed my literary studies and, having also concurrently started to write creatively, I found myself drawn away from the singing world and back towards literature. I decided to refocus my mind on English and, in 2016, I received a Distinction in the contemporary literature MA at UCL, in which I specialised in female modernist writers, including Elizabeth Bowen, Virginia Woolf, Jean Rhys and Rosamond Lehmann.

Alongside my studies and creative endeavours, I have worked as both a private tutor and a teacher since 2010. I am hugely passionate about my subject, and find the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for literature with my students endlessly rewarding.

I combine a rigorous academic approach with a motivating and supportive attitude, aiming to deliver lessons that are engaging and confidence-building, as well as instructive. I enjoy the freedom one-to-one tuition gives me to adapt my lessons to the pace, needs and interests of the individual student, and I always take time in a first lesson to talk to a new student about their goals and perceived difficulties with the subject. In my experience, this is time really well spent, as understanding a student’s motivation and learning style is key to success. I take great pleasure in watching my students grow in confidence, as well as reach (and often exceed) their academic goals.

As an English tutor, I often find that students have a good understanding of concepts – themes, characters, ideas in texts – but they find it difficult to use this knowledge in an exam setting. Understanding texts and even coming up with brilliantly original ideas about them is one skill, but getting these ideas across in writing in a way that is coherent is quite another. I aim to “demystify” the study of English, teaching my students efficient and clear methods for structuring essays, geared towards the assessment objectives for their particular exam board.

However, as well as teaching exam skills, I think a hugely important part of my job is to make studied texts (which can often seem outdated or inaccessible to teenagers) interesting and relevant. Students can only excel at subjects which inspire them and, in my work, I hope to foster in my students a lifelong love of literature.

My first novel was published by Bloomsbury in 2022, and I’m currently editing my second. I love all things arts related – reading, particularly contemporary fiction, and going to the theatre and the cinema. I also studied singing and violin to a high level, and still really enjoy all sorts of musical activities.