Tom

Hello! I am an experienced teacher and specialist tutor living in London with a PhD in English Literature and Continental philosophy from the University of Glasgow. I currently work as a secondary school teacher of English Language & Literature, Global Perspectives and Citizenship. I have been tutoring online and in person since 2012.

REFERENCES AND APPRAISALS

'Tom is outstanding. He took a top MLitt followed by a first-rate PhD, which I supervised. During his postgrad years I employed him as a second year university tutor and all inspections and reports reveals a teacher of remarkable sensitivity with extraordinary capabilities with students of every ability. I recommend him to you without reservation.'

As of December 2018 I have a five-star review from a parent on Tutorful wishing to remain anonymous:

"My son's performance in English for IGCSE has quickly improved since having Tom teach him. Tom has a very methodical approach to his teaching and communicates incredibly well with my son. He knows which strategies to apply to each question and introduced some strategies outside the specification for descriptive writing which were really helpful. Tom is very knowledgeable in his field and is an incredible tutor. I would highly recommend him." (Available on request).

And a further, more recent review from Tutorful: 'Dr Tom Betteridge is a humble and a polite philosopher. Tom tutored both English Language and English Literature to my son for a short while, a tremendous progress up to its maximum was done during that time. Tom has an incredible subject knowledge and he is a truly dedicated teacher. He is very thorough with the specification and always taught content relevant to the specification. Tom uses student led approach in teaching, this was fantastic as it enabled my son to build confidence in expressing and justifying his opinions effectively regarding literary texts. He gave excellent advice to my son to improve his essays. Tom has unique writing techniques. Tom is extremely good with poetry and taught poetry brilliantly. It honed my son's ability and skills to analyse poems. Prose, Play, Essay writing Descriptive writing all went very well and my son's results improved to their maximum. I never forget how Tom taught to describe the "Black Swan" It was so beautiful!
Thank you Tom, Or actually Dr . Tom Betteridge. We wish you all the best for the future.' (Available on request)

Tutoring Experience

I currently work in London as a secondary teacher of English Literature and Language in London from KS3 to GCSE (2017 - present). I also privately tutor students in KS3 & GCSE English Language, English Literature, GCSE/A level Religious Studies and 11+ examinations.

Between 2011 and 2016 I worked as a teacher of undergraduate English Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Glasgow (2012-2016), teaching over 300 students overall across a wide range of undergraduate modules. This work included course design and delivery, marking, feedback and administration, and the development of bespoke lectures and workshops in poetry. More recently, I worked as an associate lecturer in Creative Writing and Literary Theory at the University of Essex (2017-18).

In 2015 I was nominated for a University of Glasgow Student Representative Council Student Teaching Award in the category 'Best Postgraduate who Tutors'.

I'm also a specialist in editing, proof-reading and academic writing more broadly. I was a regional editor of The International Journal of Badiou Studies for a number of years and I recently co-edited a special issue of the Journal of British and Irish Innovative Poetry. My book of philosophy, 'Badiou, Poem and Subject', is published by Bloomsbury (January, 2020). I am also a published poet with five published collections and numerous publications across a range of independent journals and magazines including Granta.

Tutoring Approach

I deliver bespoke tutorials designed to foster enthusiasm and confidence, especially when encountering challenging texts. My tutorials are lively and collaborative, using Google docs to create vibrant shared documents full of live feedback. I tailor all of my seminars to the needs of individual students whether they're struggling to read poetry for the first time, facing difficulty preparing for their 11+ exams, or encountering problems in their undergraduate coursework.

I have a huge amount of experience in exam preparation across the full range of exam boards. I also offer structured tutorial series to help students become acquainted with the nuances of 11+ and 13+ examinations, including elite comprehension and creative writing coaching.

KS3, GCSE and A-level students will benefit from encountering in my classes approaches and methodologies used in the study of philosophy and literature at undergraduate level.

As well as tailor-made, student-led seminars and tutorials, I can offer undergraduate students in-depth introductions to key concepts across the Humanities.

I have taught private tutees online since 2012. I am an experienced teacher across a range of online platforms including Teams, Zoom, Skype and Google Classroom.