Nikola Dukas

Hi there, assalaamu 'aleykum wa-ahlan wa-sahlan,

my name is Nikola but my Arabic name is Walid al-Maqduni. I'm a University of Oxford and SOAS trained Researcher and Linguist of Arabic and Islamic Studies who offers high quality tuition in Modern Standard/Classical Arabic.

Because of my background and academic training I can in addition offer tuition in Turkish (both Ottoman Turkish and Modern Turkish), Greek (Modern and Classical Greek) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) for academic and professional purposes.

Unlike many other tutors of Arabic I am an academically qualified Arabist and Islamicist rather than a tutor of another language or subject who thinks they can teach some Arabic on the side because they happen to come from an Arabic speaking country.

I offer very substantial, interactive and individually tailored tuition in Modern Standard/Classical Arabic to adults, mainly Bachelor's, Master's and PhD students but also journalists, lawyers and researchers as well as teenagers preparing for GCSEs and A Levels in Arabic and Islamic Studies.

I have a strong focus on helping students develop facility in reading Arabic texts and acquiring a solid grounding in Arabic grammar, speaking and listening, particularly in those fields where Modern Standard Arabic is prevalent (politics, religion, law, literature and history).

Over 10 years' experience teaching MSA/Classical Arabic and Islamic Texts and also offer tuition for degree level Islamic History and Islamic Studies. Excellent track record helping students (notably at SOAS and Cambridge) dramatically improve their grades.

As well as MSA/Classical Arabic (that is, formal literary Arabic) I can also introduce students to Colloquial Arabic dialects, mainly Iraqi Arabic and Levantine Arabic (spoken in Syria, Palestine and Jordan).

Very interactive, patient and engaging teaching style, a result of having first hand experience of the position of people coming to Arabic as non-native speakers.

Over 10 years of translation experience of Arabic press, government, law and academic material and of Islamic legal and historical texts for postgraduates, academics, and researchers.

I am also DBS cleared and can consequently teach teenagers studying towards GCSEs and A levels in Arabic and Islamic Studies.

I mainly offer in-person tuition in central London, since online lessons are definitely not nearly as effective or engaging. Unlike most other tutors in London, I have access to classrooms in a university campus in central London, which I can use at no extra cost to myself or my students, and so don't have to resort to teaching in noisy cafes.

This is a major bonus to students, since it significantly helps improve focus and concentration and the general learning experience. I can, however, still offer my regular students occasional online lessons if necessary.

I can also provide tuition at the student's home or workplace if they prefer, provided these are a reasonable distance from my regular teaching sites in Kensington or Bloomsbury.

Hourly tuition rates:

I offer 2-hour weekly tutorials at £20 per hour (£40 in total). I offer new students three 2-hour sessions for the cost of two (totaling £80 at £20 per hour) in addition to any initial fees they have to pay for using this online tutoring platform. This means new students receive their third 2-hour Arabic tutorial FREE OF CHARGE.

Students who continue beyond the initial three 2-hour sessions will continue to be charged £20 per hour, or £40 per 2-hour session, payable in advance by bank transfer or via this online platform each month. There is no minimum number of sessions students need to take per week/month.

Academic and Language Background:

MA in Islamic Studies (with Distinction) from SOAS London, BA in Arabic with Islamic History from Oxford, PG Cert in Turkish and qualifications in foreign language teaching (CELTA/PG Cert Teaching Academic English and a Cert in Teaching Foreign Languages).

I'm originally from East Macedonia and Thrace in Northern Greece, from a town less than 10 miles from the border with Turkey and in a region whose population is 40% Turkish speaking Muslim. But I'm half Anatolian/Caucasus Greek with some Georgian and Syrian-Aramean heritage. (I have several Greek Muslim and Georgian Muslim ancestors who served as Ottoman commanders in Syria and Northern Iraq, with two in the 1800s marrying local women).

Consequently, in addition to Arabic I'm also fluent in Greek, have a good command of Turkish, and know some basic Aramaic.

I'm currently engaged in research for a part-time PhD on Medieval Islamic Law and Theology, based on original sources in Classical Arabic and Ottoman Turkish.

Additionally, and uniquely among western Arabists and Islamicists, I have extensive, first-hand experience of traditional Arabic and Islamic learning and practice in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. I am also a regular visiting student at the Qarawiyyin madrasa-university in Fez, Morocco.

I look forward to hearing from interested students and introducing them to the fascinating world of the Arabic language

Ma'a ssalaama wa-lilliqaa'

Nikola / Walid al-Maqduni

Tutoring Experience

Excellent track record of over 10 years'experience helping undergraduate and postgrad students studying for degrees in Arabic and/or Islamic Studies/Middle Eastern Studies (particularly at SOAS or Cambridge) dramatically improve their grades.

I also have over 10 years of Arabic into English translation experience of press and academic material and of Islamic religious, legal and historical texts for postgraduate students, academics, and researchers.

Tutoring Approach

I have a very interactive, patient and engaging teaching style, largely the result of having first hand experience and understanding of the position of those who come to the language as non-native speakers, as I myself did over twenty years ago.