Oliver's Tutor Profile (see if Oliver is in your area!)

Maths
GCSE or Standards - £20.00p.h.
A-Level or Highers - £23.00p.h.
Adult/Casual learner - £23.00p.h.

English
GCSE or Standards - £20.00p.h.
A-Level or Highers - £23.00p.h.
Adult/Casual learner - £23.00p.h.

Latin
GCSE or Standards - £20.00p.h.
Adult/Casual learner - £23.00p.h.

Greek
GCSE or Standards - £20.00p.h.
Adult/Casual learner - £23.00p.h.

Personal Description: I'm a 22-year-old graduate student, currently reading Maths & Philosophy at St. John's College, Oxford. Before that, I studied English at Cambridge, and graduated with a 2.1 this summer. I live in Clapham, in South London.

Tutoring Experience: In my last year of school, I volunteered to teach Maths to 11-year-olds as part of a charity project. I planned and taught a half-hour lesson on infinity and secret codes, using teaching aids I bought myself (plastic chessboards and bananas!). The children seemed to enjoy it a lot, as did I: it was good practice in keeping attention and interest, and using stories and physical objects to explore abstract ideas.

Last summer, I taught Latin from scratch to a friend of mine, which she needed to learn in order to begin her English PhD. We followed a course book, but I also made up some exercises and set some passages for translation. We did an hour or two a day for a few weeks, by which time she had reached a good reading level.

Tutoring Approach: I'd be happy to teach you or your child however you think best. I can prepare for exams and interviews, help students catch up on their schoolwork, or teach adults for their own pleasure and interest.

In Mathematics, I focus on giving students a firm grasp of fundamental principles, and addressing gaps in their understanding as they appear. Mistakes are essential to making progress: they can be used to find those gaps and close them up. That's why I enjoy teaching students who get things wrong. Confidence can't be taught, but it does grow quickly when students are treated with patience and allowed to develop an understanding of mathematics on their own terms.

I love teaching English. I think the most valuable thing is close reading of passages and single poems, which can then support arguments about whole texts or genres -- this mix of detail and generality is the key to success in English exams. I can help with writing -- style, grammar and argument -- and have got a great deal of recent experience in revision technique. English can and should be great fun, and is best approached informally and without too much structure -- that's the best way to develop students' confidence in their own ideas.

I can also teach Latin and Ancient Greek, which I studied to A-level. One of my English dissertations was on a translation of the Iliad, and involved much work in the original Greek; other work I did at Cambridge involved studying Latin. I can help with grammar, vocabulary, verse and prose translation, and prose composition; my focus, as in teaching Maths, is on using mistakes to fix gaps in understanding. Latin and Greek are beautiful languages, and learning them can be a real pleasure: I am happy to help with schoolwork and exams, and also with learning for pure enjoyment.

Qualifications:

• MMathPhil (Hons), Oxford -- Maths & Philosophy. Current.
• BA (2.i Hons), Cambridge -- English. My degree involved writing three 7,500-word dissertations, which were all awarded 1st class.
• A-levels in English (A), Maths (A), Further Maths (A), Latin (A), Greek (A). 11 GCSEs (all A*).
• AEA in English (Distinction). STEP II and III in Mathematics (both at S -- highest grade).

Availability: Weekends / Weekdays (all times)
References Available: Yes
CRB Check: Yes