Tutor Profile

Tom

Tom

I am a full-time specialist tutor and experienced teacher with a PhD in English Literature and philosophy. Informed by over a decade's experience in the secondary and undergraduate classroom, my tutoring practice stimulates student independence and confidence when encountering challenging texts. I work with students studying KS3 Literacy, GCSE English Language and Literature, A Level English Literature, and undergraduate English, Literary Theory and Philosophy. I also work with students confronting the challenges of 11+ and 13+ examinations and GCSE and ALevel students engaged in homeschooling.

Teaching Experience

I have tutored and homeschooled online and in person since 2012. My areas of expertise are 11+ & 13+ examinations, KS3 English, and GCSE/A Level examinations in English Language and English Literature across the full range of exam boards.

From September 2017 to June 2024 I worked in London as a secondary teacher of English Literature and Language, RSE and Citizenship from KS3 to GCSE, with an 100% pass-rate at 7 (A) and above.

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 continue to review prospective philosophy manuscripts for Bloomsbury.

I am also a published poet with six published collections and numerous publications across a range of independent journals and magazines including Granta.

Tutoring Approach

My tutoring practise is about building relationships: it's hugely important to me that I offer a non-institutional, supportive and lively space in which I can respond not only to a student's individual challenges and ambitions but also to what they find most stimulating and pleasurable in their work. I deliver bespoke tutorials designed to foster enthusiasm, confidence and pleasure-seeking in reading and writing; but I also prepare those of my students sitting exams to be canny, to 'play the game' with expertise.

In person, I work with a wide range of resources tailored to the needs of individual students, whether they're preparing for their GCSE or A Level English exams, struggling to read poetry for the first time or experiencing problems in their undergraduate coursework. But I'm also a strong advocate for online learning: my online tutorials are lively and collaborative, using Google docs to create vibrant shared documents full of live feedback.

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.

Qualifications

Certificate in Counselling Skills
Other · 2019
PhD English Literature
Doctorate · 2015
MLitt: Modernities, Theory and Culture
Masters · 2010
MA (Hons) Philosophy and Literature
Masters · 2009
Online TuitionDBS CheckedTravels up to 10 km
Subjects Taught
English
Secondary (11 to 14 years)
£80.00
GCSE or National 3-5
£80.00
A-Level, IB or Highers
£80.00
University (or further higher)
£90.00
Entrance Exams
Primary (Up to 11 years)
£80.00
Secondary (11 to 14 years)
£80.00