Tutor Profile

Aleksandra

(15 reviews)

Aleksandra

I am currently at the University of Cambridge, where I have over the past couple of years specialised in English, reading for a PhD and an MPhil (completed with Distinction); providing instruction and dissertation supervision to undergraduate students; and assessing applicant entrance examinations. Prior, I read for a BA Hons at Utrecht University (completed summa cum laude, equivalent to a Double First with Distinction), studying comparative literatures, linguistics and languages, which also included research internships in Sheffield and Heidelberg, where I worked on archives in English, German and Dutch. In addition to literary and linguistic studies, I have regularly also crossed into art history, history, politics, philosophy, and related disciplines, including as part of roles at the Cambridge, Edinburgh and Amsterdam University Presses.

As a result, I can offer individually tailored assistance with a very wide variety of topics in the arts and humanities, up to levels including professional academic publication, and with developing critical, analytical, reading and writing skills which can be transferred across subjects and suited to different levels, including postgraduate and undergraduate dissertations and degree coursework.

At the same time, having both assessed university applicants and had the entirety of my own studies so far (including PhD, MPhil, BA Hons, and several academic exchanges) fully funded through a selection of academic scholarships, I am also aware, from both the tutor and student perspective, of what it takes to be offered not only a place, but the funds to take it up, at a number of competitive academic institutions (including Oxbridge, the Russell Group, Ivy League, and the League of European Research Universities), and am always happy to help with applications as well as entrance examinations and interviews.

Teaching Experience

At Cambridge, in addition to my own postgraduate research, I have for over four years also provided instruction and dissertation supervision to a number of first- through to final-year undergraduate students (predominantly in English Studies, but also extending into Comparative Studies), as well as assisted with assessing and moderating applicant entrance examinations and interviews (including the institution's proprietary CELAT and CMLAT). Outside of the Cambridge supervision system, I have at the same time worked for a number access and educational schemes (among them The Sutton Trust and The Friends of Youth) as well as offered individually tailored private tuition through various platforms (including FirstTutors, OpenTutors and others, across which I have amassed dozens of students and maintained a 5/5-star rating throughout), teaching from secondary school through to undergraduate and postgraduate university levels.

For those interested in advanced university-level instruction, my areas of specialism include English literature, language, and related social, cultural, political and philosophical developments of the period 1830–Present (including in relation to other European, predominantly Germanic and Slavonic, literatures, languages and cultures of the same time period) as well as critical theory and analysis. I can offer assistance within these areas, and in their accompanying research, critical, analytical, reading and writing skills, up to postgraduate dissertation level (including for the purposes of PhD and MA dissertations). For those interested in less specialised university-level instruction, or in earlier stages of education, I can also offer assistance within additional periods of English; additional, often closely intertwined literatures and languages, including German and Dutch; theoretical and analytical approaches to the study of literatures, linguistics and languages; and numerous adjacent disciplines which have featured prominently in either my education, employment or both, including political and social studies, philosophy, history, and art history (including for the purposes of BA dissertations, EPQs and other pieces of foundational independent research). Because academic skills are highly transferrable across the arts and humanities, over the years, I have been able to assist lots of different students in lots of different disciplines (including those studying for degrees that do not immediately seem particularly related to my own, among them PPE at Oxford, IR at Cambridge, Law at LSE, and many more!).

Tutoring Approach

Privately, I offer tuition to students of a range of levels, from secondary school (including GCSEs and A-Levels) through to university (including for BAs, MAs and even some PhDs).

As my work is cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural, I can offer individually tailored lessons in a number of subjects in the humanities (up to MA-level within my areas of specialism, which are in English literature, language and culture, and up to BA level in adjacent areas such as history and philosophy), as well as aid with critical reading, analysis, research and writing skills (up to professional academic level, having reviewed, edited, proofread and translated for several academic presses while also assisting students across a wide variety of assignments, from research-intensive PhD, MA and BA dissertations to emerging pieces of individual work in the form of EPQs and A-Level or GCSE coursework and examinations).

I am aware of students' different personal and educational backgrounds and learning profiles, and ultimately aim to structure my lessons around each individual. If a student is therefore able to provide previous of current syllabi, express particular interests, or else particular difficulties (whether due to a lack of experience, confidence, or a background that has traditionally been marginalised by schools or universities), this is always helpful for me to know. From there, I aim to structure my lessons so that they are both very active on the part of the student (drawing much from the Cambridge supervision system I am used to working within) and allow for frequent, detailed feedback (both in-session and outside of it, including in the form of assignments completed in-between sessions and submitted to me for detailed annotation and discussion in-session). This is all critical for the entrenchment of knowledge, understanding, and transferrable academic skills.

I am available for appointments online and in-person in Cambridge (depending on location), and can work very flexible hours around my schedule (from early mornings until late evenings on a number of days throughout the weekdays and weekends). I am also open to inquiries from those who require a more unconventional approach (whether last-minute appointments, late-night availabilities, or other unconventional circumstances often arising from abrupt and imminent deadlines).

Reviews (15)

NataliaFirst Tutors

Aleksandra is such an incredible tutor! She has a huge wealth of knowledge and experience that truly shines through when you discuss things with her. She has great insights and poses questions that make you think 'Wow! How did she even think of that!?' She has helped me so much in building both my confidence and skills in understanding and analysing texts, and gave me the push I needed to get my papers done. She was incredibly encouraging and supportive throughout, and always laid things out honestly so I could improve from her criticisms while still being optimistic and systematically laying out all the steps towards improvement so that I was never overwhelmed. She provided me with lots of resources, including guides for specific assignments and detailed annotations on all of my work in progress. She goes above and beyond and I really, truly cannot express how much I appreciated her help. Thank you so much! Wishing you all the best!

Tutor response

Thank you for the kind, detailed words, Natalia. I am delighted that tuition has proven so helpful and wish you all the absolute best as you continue to apply all your skills in the future.

AlistairFirst Tutors

Absolutely top-notch. Thorough, incisive, and very well organised.

Tutor response

Thank you so much for the kind words, Alistair. It has been a pleasure.

MichaelFirst Tutors

She is first-class. Intelligent and very thorough and thoughtful

Tutor response

Thank you so much for the kind words, Michael. It has been a pleasure.

EmilyFirst Tutors

My experience with Aleksandra has been wonderful and delightful. She is incredibly knowledgeable and supportive, I was overwhelmed when I took a module in Philosophy, which I felt placed me out of my depth. However, with Aleksandra’s help - I have managed to turn that around and now quite enjoy the subject I have taken. I would recommend Aleksandra to anyone who is serious about improving their understanding of subjects.

Tutor response

Thank you so much, Emily. I am delighted you have found the appointments so engaging, and hope that some of what we have discussed can prove useful to not only your current work, but also all that is undoubtedly yet to come as you continue exploring your broad range of interests.

Silvia TeodoraFirst Tutors

Aleksandra is simply an amazing tutor. She is tailoring her approach to the specific needs of her students.I am impressed by her capacity to create interesting and engaging lesson content, and to address my specific needs. I believe I am learning from her much more than I would have ever expected. I would sincerely recommend her to other students.

Tutor response

Thank you so much, Silvia. I am delighted you have found the appointments so engaging, and hope they prove useful to not only completing your immediate work, but also all that is undoubtedly yet to come as you continue exploring, developing and pursuing all of your interests.

RodhaFirst Tutors

I have had the privilege of being supported by Aleksandra throughout my TESOL MA, and I cannot speak highly enough of the outstanding guidance and support she has provided. Her feedback is consistently constructive, detailed, and tailored to help me improve in key academic areas such as referencing, citation, and writing cohesion. She has played a pivotal role in helping me overcome several challenges, particularly with academic writing conventions and ensuring clarity and flow in my assignments. Her ability to explain complex issues in an approachable and encouraging manner has made a significant difference in my confidence and academic progress. What sets Aleksandra apart is her unwavering commitment to her students. She consistently goes above and beyond to accommodate my needs, often providing extra support or clarification when I’ve needed it most. Her dedication, patience, and expert knowledge have been invaluable to me throughout this journey. I truly appreciate everything she has done, and I feel very fortunate to have had her guidance during my MA. She is an exceptional tutor and a credit to the field of education.

Tutor response

Thank you so much, Rodha. I am delighted you have found the appointments so useful, and hope some of that use extends from your current work into all that is undoubtedly yet to come as you continue exploring, developing and transmitting your interests and considerable range of abilities to others.

EtienneFirst Tutors

A brilliant tutor – she has provided invaluable aid proofreading, structuring and suggesting how to improve content. Her annotations are SUPERB – incredibly thorough, with lots of useful explanations of syntax, structure, terminology etc. and elements of content, analysis etc. that I never would have thought of. To be honest, just the annotations themselves are like getting 2–3 extra hours of content explained to you in detail, without needing to take notes on your own to be able to take them away from the session.

Tutor response

Thank you, Étienne. I am delighted you have found our appointments and my annotations of your work so useful, and hope some of that use extends beyond your current work into all that undoubtedly yet to come as you continue exploring your interests.

JamesFirst Tutors

Aleksandra was a huge help to my daughter, and meticulously explained, planned and helped her write up and edit her university assignments at very short notice, and up to a high standard (they were all at the level of a First or a Starred First, and my daughter's professor even used one of her assignments as an example for the class of how to approach the task!). In comparison to the writing help my daughter's university centre offers, Aleksandra was absolutely incredible, adapting to my daughter's needs and going through the documents we'd sent her in advance of appointments so as to offer the best possible disability adjustments (unsurprisingly, out of the tutors we contacted through the platform, Aleksandra was not only one of our immediate choices, but highly recommended for our needs by one of her colleagues on the platform, whom we also reached out to but who was busy at the time!). In the end, given the amount of annotations on assignments Aleksandra offered on top of each hour, and how detailed these were (giving my daughter detailed explanations and examples applicable to not just present but future assignments), we thought the services she provided were far above and beyond what we could have hoped for, and priced far beneath what we would have been very glad to pay.

Tutor response

Thank you so much, James. It's been a pleasure working with your daughter on her many interesting assignments, and I'm glad you've found it's helped build her confidence and added to her skillset. I do look forward to continuing to work with her as and when needed throughout the academic year.

OlivierFirst Tutors

Aleksandra is an excellent tutor. My child took on some university modules that they weren't quite prepared for and that it became too late for them to drop, and Aleksandra was able to come in late, at short notice, and carefully explain exactly what the assignments were about, what the assessments would be looking for in accordance with the instructions and criteria, and how to approach completing them successfully by breaking up large, complex tasks into their smaller, more easily addressible component parts. My child is feeling much more confident and capable in an area of their studies that was previously causing them much stress, and has actually begun feeling excited to submit assignments and get the marks for them back each week.

Tutor response

Thank you so much, Olivier. I'm always delighted when I can help a student develop the confidence, and the requisite skillset, to pursue their interests though these may initially have seemed quite daunting. I very much look forward to continuing to work with your child as and when needed throughout the academic year.

LotteFirst Tutors

I'm so thrilled to have found Aleksandra. She came very highly recommended by a group of Uzbek and Kazakh students whom she designed an English course for, starting from a shared knowledge of Russian, and I was not disappointed! First of all, she is incredibly knowledgeable – she clearly has a huge amount of interest in languages, linguistics and literatures, and a background that allows her to gather information from a lot of different cultures and sources to comprehensively explain developments in structuralism, deconstruction etc. Second, she is clearly very creative but also very considerate – there is nothing she can't explain in a number of different ways and with a great deal of patience. I've been having a couple of different university-level lessons with her, and the effect has been undebiable – I feel much more confident and capable of approaching my readings critically, analysing them, structuring my own arguments around them, and also just generally bringing in a much more solid knowledge and understanding of topics. I'd recommend her with absolutely no reservations!

Tutor response

Thank you, Lotte, for your kind words. I am glad you have found our appointments so useful, and now feel more prepared to exercise your critical capabilities. It's been a delight working with you on all of your courses this past term, and I look forward to continuing to do so over the upcoming academic year.

EmmaFirst Tutors

I feel really lucky to have found Aleksandra. I've been having university-level lessons with her to help me improve my ability to read, analyse and produce arguments about texts, and it's had such an effect – as well as massively improved my ability to approach tasks calmly! Aleksandra is clearly really knowledgeable, insightful, and also puts in a great deal of independent preparation in advance of each one of our lessons – they're structured so that, as a student, you get loads out of a single hour! She's patient, detailed and exceptionally thorough – she never dismisses any questions I have but considers all avenues of inquiry when we analyse a text together, and helps direct and structure my thoughts. For me, it was also especially important that she is very aware of context – she's had a lot of experience working within different academic traditions, so she can articulate all of the unstated expectations that are more relevant in a British context, or that distinguish it from the French or German that I am more used to. I've actually progressed more with her than with all of my tutors through university so far, so if you're looking for university lessons, and especially a way to improve your critical, reading or writing skills, she is an absolute steal!

Tutor response

Thank you, Emma, for all of your kind words. I am thrilled you have found our appointments so useful, especially knowing how difficult it can be for even the most curious and clever of students to acclimate to different academic cultures, even ones that would initially appear to be quite closely connected yet turn out to be underpinned by a number of opaque and often almost arbitrarily different standards. It's been a delight to work with you on all of your papers over the course of this past term, and I look forward to continuing to do so over the upcoming academic year.

LiamFirst Tutors

We were exceptionally pleased with Aleksandra’s tuition. She is highly knowledgeable, adaptable, and was very well organised and ensured she understood the syllabus in advance of the lessons so that she could offer the most effective aid to our child. She also emailed extensive annotations and comments on essays in advance of each lesson. We would highly recommend her to others.

Tutor response

Thank you, Liam, for your kind words and for having taken the time to write them. I am thrilled to hear that you and your child have found the appointments so useful, and that they have had the desired effect on your child's school performance. I wish them all the best in their continued education, and hope the foundations we have set will contribute to this as their interests continue to extend and refine.

LaurenFirst Tutors

Aleksandra is worth every penny. She was extremely conscientious, ensured she was familiar with the syllabus and assessment criteria, and proactively engaged with my child's needs to help them gain confidence and experience after so much has been missed due to Covid-19 lockdowns. Despite the lessons being only an hour long, Aleksandra would email information after and in advance of each lesson, and mark assignments sent to her outside of lesson time so that there was always detailed feedback available in time for the next lesson. My child's performance improved remarkably quickly as a result. I would unreservedly recommend Aleksandra to others. She is a true credit to FirstTutors.

Tutor response

Thank you, Lauren, for your kind words and for having taken the time to write them. I am thrilled to hear that you and your child have found the appointments so useful, and that they have had the desired effect on your child's school performance. I wish them all the best in their continued education, and hope the foundations we have set will contribute to this even as their interests continue to extend and refine.

AnnaFirst Tutors

Aleksandra is SUCH an amazing tutor! She has an enormous amount of knowledge and experience that instantly shines through when you discuss things with her. She has a keen insight and constantly poses questions that make you think "Wow! How did she even think of that!?" She was extremely helpful in developing my understanding and analysis of the texts and contexts necessary and then also my confidence in actually approaching them, and gave me the final push I needed to get my paper done! Her ability to take ideas or expressions I wasn't particularly happy with and in a couple of words completely reframe them so they suddenly acquired an additional dimension and clicked into place was truly something else. She was always encouraging, and helped me find approaches that thoroughly worked for me and my paper. She is quite simply amazing at what she does, and I cannot express how much she helped me as a tutor. Thank you for so much and more!!

Tutor response

Thank you, Anna, for your kind words and for having taken the time to write them. I am thrilled you have found our appointments so useful, and hope some of that use extends beyond your current paper and into all those undoubtedly yet to come as you continue exploring your interests.

TeiaFirst Tutors

I feel incredibly fortunate to have found Aleksandra. She is patient, proactive about arranging accommodations to suit my learning style and academic history, and is always prepared to offer precise, detailed and even imaginative explanations and points of consideration. I find that she prompts me to think about theoretical concepts and their applications, especially when they are particularly difficult or intricate, from a number of different, often unexpected angles and provides me with the necessary support to develop my critical approaches to research, reading and writing. I would absolutely recommend her as a tutor, especially to fellow university students and adult learners, who will appreciate someone who will still be able to invigorate their critical skills even if they are already quite far along in their education.

Tutor response

Thank you, Teia, for the kind words and for having taken the time to write them. It is always a delight to discuss topics with with you, and I am glad you have been finding our appointments so useful in your academic development.

Online TuitionDBS checked
  • This tutor has an average feedback rating of at least 4.75/5 from 10 or more reviews.
  • This tutor states that they speak three or more languages (in addition to English)
  • This tutor is a Professional (self-declared)
  • This tutor is happy to teach online
Subjects Taught
English
GCSE or National 3-5
£75.00
A-Level, IB or Highers
£75.00
University (or further higher)
£75.00
Adult/Casual learner
£75.00
History
GCSE or National 3-5
£75.00
A-Level, IB or Highers
£75.00
University (or further higher)
£75.00
Adult/Casual learner
£75.00
History Of Art
GCSE or National 3-5
£75.00
A-Level, IB or Highers
£75.00
University (or further higher)
£75.00
Adult/Casual learner
£75.00
Philosophy / Critical Thinking
GCSE or National 3-5
£75.00
A-Level, IB or Highers
£75.00
University (or further higher)
£75.00
Adult/Casual learner
£75.00
English Literature
GCSE or National 3-5
£75.00
A-Level, IB or Highers
£75.00
University (or further higher)
£75.00
Adult/Casual learner
£75.00