Abbie

Hi! I’m Abbie and I’ve been tutoring English, ESL, Latin and Classics to students of various ages for the last 8 years. I have over 300 hours of experience preparing UK students for 11+, 13+, and other school entry exams and have also tutored more than 500 hours in ESL including preparation for examinations such as the IELTS. I mainly tutor over Zoom and Skype and am experienced in developing engaging and exciting online learning content for students of various ages. I can also offer in person lessons depending on where you are based.

I studied Classics at the University of Cambridge and then went on to do an MA in Arts & Cultural Management at King's College London. The thing I loved most about studying Classics was that it enabled me to study a wide variety of academic disciplines and subject areas such as languages, literature, art history, philosophy and history. I find this sort of cross-disciplinary approach particularly useful when it comes to tutoring, since it often enables you to find a fresh perspective on curricular material and offers a stimulating alternative to standard, classroom orientated methods of teaching.

Studying for a BA and MA helped me to refine my critical analysis and essay writing technique, and I believe that a good tutor should cover relevant material while helping students to develop these essential skills. I can also offer advice on revision methods and exam technique and have found many effective ways of learning content and coping with stress. In my first year at university I had to learn Latin from beginner’s level so I understand how it feels to panic at the prospect of tackling a huge amount of material in preparation for exams. I aim to challenge my students, offering them support and guidance and helping them to build the confidence and self-belief they need to solve problems independently.

Tutoring Experience

I have been working in museum education for the last 4 years, developing and delivering innovative learning programmes to learners aged 4-24 years. I currently work at the Heritage of London Trust engaging young people with their local heritage through site visits and creative workshops.

I have been tutoring for six years now, teaching English, ESL, Latin and Classical Civilisations. While studying at university, I volunteered at a local school to run a Latin and Classics after school club. I have also been working for five years with an education company who run English language summer schools in China. Beginning as a teacher, I loved the experience of coming up with creative and engaging ways to teach my students challenging material. I have also worked with this company to develop an ESL tutoring branch that connects Cambridge University student tutors with Chinese students looking to develop their english skills.

Tutoring Approach

I like to get to know my students so that I can find out exactly what they would like to gain from our tutorials. I will work hard to prepare useful material and resources for our lessons but am able to adapt my lesson plans and answer any questions that may arise, whether they relate to the content of the session or some difficult homework you were set that week. Together we will set goals for each session and at the end of each lesson I will set aside time to discuss your progress and identify areas that still need to be improved upon. In the following session we will begin by briefly revisiting these topics, helping you to cement knowledge and clearly track your own improvement. My style of teaching will depend on what you want to cover in our lessons. We can talk about literature, analyse texts, improve exam technique, prepare essay plans, explore themes and context, learn vocab and grammar, go over past papers or anything else you would like to do!

I can also help with personal statements, interview preparation and Oxbridge applications