Ema

Hi there! I'm Ema, a PhD student who is passionate about education and learning in all forms. I left Newstead Wood School (Orpington) in 2016, took a gap year, and have been based at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge since 2017, completing my undergraduate and masters studies before commencing my PhD.

My PhD is in linguistics, and hence when it comes to language, English, and grammar, I am a passionate expert. I am also enthusiastic about teaching, and my career goals involve becoming a professor for that reason. I believe the best investment someone can make in themselves is education, and I truly love helping students reach their goals and fulfil their potential, whether that's preparing for a specific exam or interview, achieving a desired grade, improving their writing and communication skills, or something more casual.

I have an outstanding academic record; I achieved a Distinction in my masters (MPhil in Linguistics from the University of Cambridge), 2.i in my BA (also linguistics at Cambridge), A*s and As at A and AS level (English Literature, Government and Politics, Psychology A level, Classical Civilisation and Maths AS), as well as 14 GCSEs (1 A* with distinction, 8 A*s, 4 As and 1 B). I have also been awarded the Senior Exhibition Award for Academic Excellence twice by Emmanuel College.

I'm also a keen writer, with expertise in both academic and creative writing. I have been published in the Cambridge Occasional Papers in Linguistics and the Journal of Pragmatics, as well as publishing a novel and various poetry and prose.

I believe learning should be fun, and pride myself on being a friendly and engaging tutor. No two students are the same, so I also make sure my lessons and content are bespoke, tailored to the specific student, based on their own needs and abilities. If you have any questions, would like to set up a trial session, or want to know more about my skills, results, or methods, please don't hesitate to message me!

Tutoring Experience

I have enjoyed teaching for as long as I can remember. At school, I mentored younger years and engaged in peer-to-peer mentoring, including being Subject Leader for English. I earned my TEFL qualification at 19 with hands-on experience teaching English as a second language to children in rural Indonesia.

As a PhD student, I am now a Supervisor on behalf of the University of Cambridge and have been since 2022. This involves small group teaching to undergraduate students in the linguistics tripos, largely focussed on syntax but I also supervise the general linguistics paper.

I have been tutoring regularly for over three years, including preparing students for 11+ and 13+ entrance exams, general help with primary level English skills, and working towards 16+ exams, including GCSE, A level and international qualifications (such as IB). I am happy to help with English learning at any level, TESL, primary, casual learner, all the way through to IB/A level.

I have received exclusively positive feedback from parents and companies that I have tutored for, as well as the students themselves. My students have achieved awards, top marks, and positive exam results, and have also improved in terms of confidence, curiosity, and genuine enthusiasm.

Tutoring Approach

I strive to make my lessons fun and interesting, with room for creative thinking and nurturing real passion in my students. This is combined with applicable skills and critical abilities, drawing from my wealth of experience regarding academic excellence.

Tutoring isn't just about qualifications or exams, its about nurturing and engaging students. My goal isn't just to help you get a grade or an exam result, but to foster enthusiasm and understanding that goes far beyond the classroom, as that is what sets apart the good students from the great students.

Please note: I also charge a half rate for marking/editing etc. I'm open to a sliding scale, discounts on multiple bookings, or generally negotiating based on your financial situation so please feel free to reach out.