Ben

I was educated at The Dragon School and Radley College in Oxford, where I took English, Maths, Latin, Maths and Further Maths as my A-levels. I then headed to Cambridge University where I got a first class degree in Classics before staying on to complete an MPhil, also in Classics, in 2012.

Since then I have been in London tutoring, with my days spent writing comedy for shows in Edinburgh in August and BBC Radio 4. I have been a full-time tutor for 12 years. I live in London with my wife and nine-month old son.

I was very lucky with the teachers I had during my own education. From them I picked up a variety of attributes necessary for any good tutor. Primarily, an in-depth knowledge of the subjects I tutor. However, beyond this I have acquired a patience that enables me to work with anyone, of any age or ability. I have worked on Oxbridge applications and with children suffering from various learning difficulties: dyspraxia, dyslexia and asperger's syndrome amongst them.

My approach to lessons is clear and logical, particularly in Maths and Latin (translation and comprehension) lessons. This is made possible by extensive work in lesson planning before each session. I have tried-and-tested work programmes for most courses, but that is not to say I am rigid in my methods: I hope to establish a dialogue with the tutee in order to tailor my lessons to what they require individually. Moreover, a broad knowledge of the subject matter enables me to respond exactly and informatively to any questions raised in the lesson, and so the lesson will become naturally shaped around the bespoke needs of the tutee.

For the more creative subjects (English and Latin set texts), I encourage free-thinking in discussions of the literature. While doing so, I am always aware of the syllabus requirements which form the basis of the work covered. There are clear techniques to analysing literature which are often neglected by schools as they cannot find time to find out what works for each individual pupil, but one-on-one I am able to work out effective methods for pupils, even those who have no apparent interest in literature. I hope I not only cover the material in depth for the exam, but also provide the tutee with confidence and skill-sets that are workable beyond the set-texts.

Currently I am tutoring in the evenings - and the daytimes as well, during school holidays. When I'm not tutoring, I'm writing comedy shows which I put on at the Edinburgh Fringe every August, watching films or going to non-league football matches. I see myself tutoring in the long-term, perhaps alongside part-time teaching positions.