Tom Wright - Private Tutor in South West London
A personable, articulate Cambridge graduate, who loves working with young people. I’m a natural problem solver, with a strong desire to ensure the success of my students. My strengths as a tutor involve creating a calm, non-judgemental space to learn, which I find allows students to develop their confidence and discover their talents.
At school, I combined a stellar rugby career, playing to a county standard, with academic excellence, achieving top grade A-Levels across the board, and earning a place at the University of Cambridge. I graduated from the University of Cambridge with a very solid 2.1 degree in Theology and Religious Studies in 2013. In my final year at Cambridge, I was the captain of the Clare College University Challenge team, making the quarter finals of the nationally televised competition.
My desire to teach began while I was still at school: Aged 16, I volunteered teaching English in my lunch breaks at my local primary school, and mentoring younger students at my own school who were not achieving their potential.
I have always been attracted to a wide range of challenges. After graduating from Cambridge, I began training as a secondary school RE teacher. I then pursued a career in fundraising, spending the last two years with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in London. I am now exploring training as a psychotherapist.
Subjects I Teach
- 11+
- English
- French
- History
- Oxbridge Interviews
- Theology and Religious Studies
My Education & Qualifications
-
University of Cambridge, 2009 – 2013
Theology and Religious Studies (BA): 2:1
My Tutoring & Teaching Experience
One of my greatest strengths as a teacher is the breadth of experience I have of teaching, from teaching full classes in a state comprehensive in North West London, to teaching English one-on-one on a flat Delhi rooftop to street children.
Upon graduating from Cambridge, I began training as a secondary school RE teacher via the PGCE at Kings College London. This includes a six week placement at the Nower Hill High School in Pinner, where I planned and taught both individual exercises and full lessons.
I also have spent three months teaching English in a home for street children in Delhi. Here, I engaged in formal and non-formal teaching of three classes of young people (12, 15 and 20 years old, respectively). I taught both structured lessons, and also one-to-one or two-to-one tailored tuition.
This experience was extremely valuable, because my work was to a great extent unsupervised, and I received very little guidance. This meant that I had to develop my own, evidence based teaching strategies to get the best out of my students – instances include harnessing the competitive energy of two teenage students into a presenting and debating with each other to practice their English – the thought of “winning” motivated them to produce their best work!
My Approach to Tutoring
My programme will always be very focused and goal orientated. The key to a successful programme comes from breaking down the ultimate goal into small, achievable steps. This approach is proven time and again to both produce results, and does wonders for the student’s motivation, and sense of achievement.
Customising the teaching to the individual is the key to success. During the early days of tuition, I will pay very close attention to how students respond to different exercises, what resonates and what doesn’t, and which learning styles work best for the student. These will then be incorporated into my teaching going forward, to continually improve both my teaching and the student’s progress.
Tailoring teaching to the student’s emotional needs, as well as their more technical preferences and abilities, is a vital and often overlooked aspect to achieving success for students. This comes from finding out what motivates the individual student to their success, what their specific dreams and goals are, and how they feel about education and learning in a wider sense too. These are all vital in piecing together the ideal pathway for students.
Fun Facts About Me
I am a fan of quizzing, and was lucky enough to captain the Clare College team on the University Challenge TV show. We made it to the quarter finals.
I’ve been a sportsman all my life, and am currently taking up Korfball, after my rugby career was ended through injury. I also volunteer with KEEN London as a sports coach working with children with Additional Support Needs. If I’m not playing sport, then I’m usually watching it and trying not to shout too loudly at the TV!
I spend my spare time partaking in London’s cultural life – visiting museums, galleries, theatres and stand-up comedy shows.
I am a self taught guitarist, and played in a variety of bands at school and university.
I also enjoy travelling around the world, backpacking around India being a major highlight. Once I’m back on the ground, I love bringing recipes home to keep the spirit of my travels alive in the kitchen – although the results are mixed at best!
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