Steve

I am a retired, well qualified and experienced English teacher with a good English degree (2:1) and postgraduate qualifications. Having been an educational writer, also, including a long spell as the BBC Bitesize English teacher, I am fully conversant with all examination boards and requirements.

It soon became clear to me once I began teaching that it isn't easy for some students to reach their potential in large classes where a lack of confidence, peer pressure or even less-than-ideal behaviour from others can work against even their best efforts. That's where a good tutor can be transformative.

I entered this profession later in life, after a successful marketing career in the pharmaceutical industry, starting my working life in an analytical laboratory and, later, travelling the world in sales and marketing management. This unusual background for a teacher has been of great benefit to my teaching, giving me confidence gained from my many different life experiences. The large number of almost entirely 5* references on this and other tuition websites from parents provide worthwhile evidence for this.

As well as a teacher and tutor, I have also been a writer and editor for some major educational publishers including the BBC, Sky, C4 and EduSites, writing and editing many revision guides for GCSE and A-level. I was also the official "BBC Bitesize English teacher", whose role was to respond to individual students' queries, and even appearing live on the Greg James's weekly Radio 1 show, answering students' revision questions.

As well as enjoying literature, I am rather unusual in specialising in linguistics and grammar, and many of my A-level English Language teaching materials are used nationally. Before I retired from the classroom, I taught for many years at the county's leading comprehensive school, The Beauchamp College in Oadby, where year-on-year my classes achieved amongst the highest results in the school, and, by extension, amongst the highest in the county.

My business background helped me develop a confident-seeming personality, but I still remain a rather shy person underneath. It is this natural sensitivity and empathy, allied to an open and straightforward nature, that allows me to build confidence in my students quickly and effectively. Schools can struggle to help quiet students but this is an area in which I can fairly say I excel.

Tutoring Experience

I have taught and tutored English Language and Literature (as well as Media and Film Studies) to KS3, GCSE, A-level and even to a few under and post graduate students; I have also tutored many primary (KS2) students for SATs and 11+ entrance examination preparation. My speciality, apart from a passion for English literature, is the technical study of language (i.e. linguistics) and, through my published and other teaching materials, I have become quite well known nationally for my work in this area as well as for my English revision website, “Englishbiz”.

I taught for many years at the county’s leading comprehensive school, The Beauchamp College in Oadby, Leicester where year-on-year my classes achieved amongst the highest results in the school, and, by extrapolation, amongst the highest in the county of Leicestershire.

Tutoring Approach

I have a very practical approach and keep abreast of the latest teaching methodology as well as of each of the several exam board's specifications. Students seem to “connect” with me quickly and, most importantly, come to share my passion for the subject. This is the secret to my success, I feel sure. I am able to identify quickly areas of strength and weakness in students and to develop ways that will rapidly help them towards the improvement and success they need.