Alexander Peter - Private Tutor in London

I graduated from Cambridge University in 2015, where I studied Arabic and Spanish. Following graduation, I worked in a top boarding school in midtown Manhattan, New York supporting the students' preparation for SSAT/ISEE exams. On my return from the US, I began working for an educational charity in Cambridge, Red Balloon, which recovers severely bullied children who have self-excluded from mainstream education through a bespoke educational and therapeutic provision. Currently I am doing a social innovation graduate scheme, Year Here, I have introduced engaging new methods to support English language acquisition for participants of English Speakers for Other Languages (ESOL) courses at the Bromley by Bow community centre. Education has always been very important to me. My experiences above, in conjunction with teaching English to refugees in Jordan and supporting students in the US prepare for Spanish tests, leads me to having a broad understanding of education and the techniques that work for people of all levels.

My Education & Qualifications

• School: Cambridge University
  I graduated from Cambridge in 2015 with a BA (Hons) in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic and Spanish). I was also a member of the choir of Clare College Cambridge and Fourth Year Representative for the Arabic Department.
• School: Uppingham School
  As a Music Scholar, my time was often filled with musical engagement. However this did not distract from my studies as I gained straight As and A*s at GCSE. As a result of this, I was awarded the Headmaster's Scholarship for academic excellence, going on to achieve three A*s at A Level (French, Latin and Spanish) and an A in Chemistry AS Level.

My Tutoring & Teaching Experience

I first began tutoring when I was 17, working during my holidays with students at high school in Maryland to support their Spanish learning, which I loved. Since that first experience, my tutoring trajectory has led me to support friends preparing for taking A levels in Spanish and on to teaching English to refugees living in Jordan with the Jesuit Refugee Services and to a group of young children in the Gaza refugee camp in Jerash, to the north of 'Amman. After graduating, I wanted to experience a different style of tuition. So I decided to travel to New York where, for four months, I supported both pastorally and academically elementary level students in a leading boarding school in midtown Manhattan. Returning from New York, I worked at Red Balloon, teaching English, maths, music and current affairs in a one-to-one setting, both offline and online, to young people recovering from severe trauma. This was an incredible learning experience for me and invaluable for my tutoring style as I adapted my teaching style to the particular needs of each individual student.

My Approach to Tutoring

I have tutored now for seven years, covering high school students in America, to refugees living in Jordan and severely bullied children in the United Kingdom. This diverse range of experiences has been formative in my tutoring style. First and foremost, tutoring is about the tutee, not the tutor. What this means is understanding the tutee and in particular identifying the way they study best, be they visual learners or learners through note-taking, and adapting my style to their needs. Whilst results are incredibly important, I believe that the process of learning how to learn is the cornerstone of a successful academic future.

Fun Facts About Me

Music plays a huge role in my life. I have sung since I was five and this has led me on an exciting journey, from being a chorister at Ripon cathedral to singing in a world renowned university choir at Clare college. With the latter, I have toured internationally and recorded six disks, released under the Harmonia Mundi label. I have continued to sing since graduating with a number of choirs across London. I love reading and greatly enjoy cooking!

• ISEE
  "Our daughter has enjoyed working with her tutor Alex very much. She sat her test in mid October. Her results were quite good. We decided she could take it again in early December to see if she does even better. We’ve therefore asked Alex to continue with us for a few more weeks."
• ISEE
  "Alex was really great for our son as he is knowledgeable, calm and reassuring. As a result, he just achieved 9, 9,8 and an 8 on the ISEE. He started at 5's and 6's!"