Michael

I have over 10 years of experience coaching across a variety of disciplines both academic and professional. I have a First-Class BA in History and a Master’s in Business Analytics from Exeter. I offer online Zoom lessons in History, Business, English, and Latin.

I have had a uniquely varied experience with the UK education system. Raised through ages 4 to 14 in local Catholic comprehensives, I constantly felt my natural love of learning (this especially happened in science) oppressed by the school system itself. At this point, for the humanities subjects at least, I was mostly self-taught. For the sciences and maths, I was simply deficient. Nonetheless, halfway through my Catholic comprehensive school, and not entirely sure at the time what I was getting into, I managed to secure a bursary to one of the top 4 English public schools. My Maths was so deficient at the time, I had to attend tutoring from the Head of Maths simply to catch up to bottom set. (Note for those looking to get their children into these schools: they’re looking for PASSION, TEACHABILITY, and CURIOSITY far more than raw grades). By the time of my GCSEs, after two years there, I’d achieved As or above in all but one subject.

Tutoring Experience

I have over 10 years of experience coaching across a variety of disciplines both academic and professional. I have a First-Class BA in History and a Master’s in Business Analytics from Exeter. I offer online Zoom lessons in History, Business, English, and Latin. At the time of writing I am preparing a large project examining the changing cultural shifts brought about under barbarian rulers in Rome in the 4th and 5th centuries, and have a wide knowledge of Russian and European history. I have written for Think Tanks on UK current affairs. My first experience tutoring was coaching my younger brother towards an offer at a top 4 UK public school.

Tutoring Approach

Philosophy: The school system falls short in many areas. First is an over-reliance on rigid structure (to cope with the vast numbers of pupils per classroom), meaning the individual needs of the student get completely overlooked. To this extent, the main advantage of tutoring is that lessons can be tailored precisely to the needs of the student in question as the situation requires. I have received great feedback on my ability to discern the personal needs of the student, and my lessons can be tailored towards last-minute exam survival prep, or towards creating a deeper knowledge and love of learning, as the situation requires. Second, is the undue pressure applied to students around exams first makes them perform worse, then destroys their love of the subject. Building confidence and self-esteem is one of my primary skills, and one of the first things I work on is to emphasise that they already have what it takes to pass or to excel. Oftentimes, the biggest thing a student needs is simply clarity and confidence: a vast array of subjects can be intimidating and confusing, and demystifying the process leads to whole grade improvements without any extra subject knowledge.

The Lessons: Therefore, my approach is twofold. First, we simplify and demystify the exam process with a precise emphasis on technique to build confidence and make the path to success clear. Humanities examinations follow a very basic structure that holds all the way through from GCSE to Undergraduate. This is very good news. With a tight and early focus on essay technique and clarity of argument, very rapid improvements can be made in a short time. This focus on style is particularly good for those taking time-based exams, and can have positive effects on other exams not necessarily covered within the confines of our lessons. It also provides a very clear pathway to success that boosts morale. Conquering exam technique then opens up the space to work on building knowledge in the subject, free from undue pressure, and to build a deeper understanding and perhaps even love of the subject.