Ian

01/10/24 - I will shortly be offering small group coaching at a reduced hourly rate. I am a fully qualified economics and business teacher with 20 years’ experience in secondary schools, and now as a full-time tutor. I’ve provided over 9,000 hours of private tuition to 400+ UK and overseas students. I have an economics degree from Liverpool University. Prior to teaching I worked in advertising for 10 years. I also own two online businesses. I live in Bristol, am married with 3 teenage children, and I am passionate about helping young people achieve their potential.

Tutoring Experience

I taught economics in secondary schools for over 10 years, but I am now a full-time tutor. I typically tutor 40 to 50 students across an academic year, and they consistently perform above expectations; for example the majority of my 2024 students achieved at least a grade B, with several gaining an A*. However, my main focus is adding value, and all my previous students have improved at least one grade since I began working with them. Indeed many have improved by 3 or more grades. I teach all the major exam boards (International Baccalaureate, Cambridge International, Edexcel, Edexcel International, AQA, Eduqas, OCR and WJEC) and am an experienced economics examiner. I also have a current CRB.

Tutoring Approach

I will always begin by discussing my tutee's individual requirements and areas of the syllabus they would like to focus on. Students may ask to recap concepts and theories that aren’t fully understood, however in my experience most require help with exam technique, and how to translate their knowledge into a high grade answer. I therefore place a great emphasis on guiding students through the process of answering past paper questions, across all topic areas. In our sessions I will help with essay structure, illustrate how to use higher order analytical and evaluation skills, and crucially, how to apply an answer to information in a case study, or how to bring in real world examples.

Over the years I have taught an increasing proportion of students online, so that currently about 90% of my tutoring is done this way. I use Skype/Google Meet/Zoom and Google Docs, which students can also access. This makes the sessions as interactive as meeting face to face, and it also means I can tutor students from anywhere in the world (I have taught people in South Africa, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Spain, France, Serbia, Russia, Montenegro and Bermuda). I always encourage students to provide feedback so that they receive maximum benefit from their teaching.

Below are some testimonials from past students (many more can be seen in the reviews section):

"My son initially struggled with the subject gaining an E grade in his mock exams but with Ian's help he managed a grade B in his AS level and attained an A grade in both A2 papers. This was a huge improvement over the two years and I doubt it would have been possible without Ian's help, both with weekly tutoring and the all important pre-exam revision days. Ian's approach was personalised and intensive and my son's needs we're concentrated upon fully. Ian was always punctual and organised and struck up a good relationship with the whole family. I would happily recommend him." Mrs W - Redland, Bristol

"Matt only got an E grade in his February A2 mock exam and the school predicted he would get a C grade at A2. With the significant assistance from Ian, Matt achieved an A* at A2. In his other two A levels, Matt achieved Bs (he also had tutors for these). There are several reasons why Ian made the difference: 1.Being taught on Skype. Matt was initially very apprehensive about being taught on Skype rather than in person. But Skype proved really beneficial. Firstly it enabled Matt to fit in tuition at times that would just not have been possible if travel had been involved. Secondly it enabled Matt to have additional lessons when he had spare time. 2.Focussing on how to structure essay answers. The school just didn’t put anywhere near enough emphasis on this crucial area. 3. Essay marking. A key aspect of A2 is exam practice. We paid Ian for essay marking which meant that Matt was effectively maximising his time with Ian. 4. Not accepting mediocrity. The school said that Matt should not retake his AS exams as he had a good B grade. Ian said he should retake as he could do better. 5. Providing positive encouragement. Matt has always lacked belief in himself and Ian gave Matt the confidence that he could achieve a good result.
We would strongly recommend Ian as an Economics tutor" Mr P - South Gloucestershire