Aberdare Tutors & Aberdare Tuition

Personal Description:
I have a degree in Physics from the University of Nottingham and have taught Science in schools for over 8 years. I have a wide variety of teaching experience, from teaching English as a foreign language to a small group of 6 year olds, to teaching A level Physics in college. I love teaching and especially enjoy seeing students progress, become more confident and gain a real interest and love of the subject.

Teaching Experience:
I have now been tutoring for over 3 years, helping many students to gain the grades they require in their GCSE and A level exams for Science and Maths.

Previously, I spent 7 years living in Thailand where I taught both England (as a foreign language) and Science in an International Program at one of the top government schools. I also taught English, Maths and Science as a tutor, both on a one-to-one basis and to small groups.

I gained a PGCE in Secondary Science from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2009 and worked as a supply teacher in a number of secondary schools in the Cheshire area before becoming a full time tutor.

Tutoring Approach:
I like to encourage a love of the subject and take great joy in seeing students progress and become successful. I try to be friendly and supportive whilst also striving for excellent results. I try to make sessions interesting and informative by personalising the work to centre around the interests and needs of the individual student and by making use of ICT resources.

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Personal Description:
I'm a native born Russian and can offer personal tuition in the Russian language for beginners or advanced learners. I can work with you 1-2-1 but I also teach to groups and companies. I can also help you with advice on planning trips to Russia.

Teaching Experience:
Qualified teacher with over 12 years experience of teaching Russian to English students. A recent student of mine passed their GCSE Russian with a grade 7. I don't have experience with 'A' level Russian but I can help and support in some topics.

Tutoring Approach:
Experienced tutor who understands that students are different and need individual approach to learning. I use a variety of resources to meet their learning needs.

My knowledge of English and Russian grammatical structures allows me effectively build my lessons on differences of both languages. I use examples to present information and images to stimulate the learning process.

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Personal Description:
I am a Primary trained school teacher with experience in both KS1 and KS2.
I am a mother with three children, one of which had learning problems as a KS1 child, and understand the frustration of the learner and anxiety the parent feels.

Teaching Experience:
Special needs teaching 1:1
1:1 private tuition
10 years Primary KS1 & KS2

Tutoring Approach:
I enjoy helping children reach their potential by being patient and understanding and helping my tutee's discover their most suited method and style for learning, in the area that they find challenging.
I teach using visual, auditory and kinesthetic methods, depending on my pupils learning style.

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Personal Description:
I am a freelance tutor, theatre director, producer and workshop leader based in London. Having graduated in Drama from the University of Bristol in 2012, I have been working for a range of different professional and youth theatre companies since.

As a director, I have worked on numerous plays and musicals with adults and children. I have directed productions for many high profile schools and organisations including The BRIT School, British Youth Music Theatre and Stagebox. My productions have played at theatres nationally such as at Southwark Playhouse, The Drum at Theatre Royal Plymouth, Taunton Brewhouse, Artsdepot and Bridewell Theatre.

I have worked extensively on award winning West End and national productions as an Associate and Resident Director, on productions including The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (Ambassadors West End, Menier Chocolate Factory, Leicester Curve), American Idiot (Arts Theatre West End) and the Olivier Award winning In The Heights (Kings Cross Theatre, Southwark Playhouse).

I also have a background working in media.production, having worked on work for Penguin Random House, The BRIT Awards, News UK and Swarovski.

Teaching Experience:
I have over 15 years teaching experience and am currently Drama teacher at Stagecoach Highgate, teaching 6-16 year olds. I also teach Drama privately for all ages (children and adults) including developing confidence and expression, coaching solo acting LAMDA exams, for private school entrance exams and drama school auditions.

As well as working with a varied range of youth and adult theatre companies and leading workshops, I was also Drama Department Head of a US summer camp for three years.

Tutoring Approach:
I am a friendly and approachable tutor, who will tailor lessons to each individual. I value the opinion of my students, encouraging self expression and personal reflection. I am keen to challenge those I work with, while making sessions fun.

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Personal Description:
A 32-year-old French native from Normandy, I've been living in Manchester for seven years. Prior to that, I worked as a qualified English teacher in France until I decided to move back to Manchester, where I now work as an English-to-French literary and specialised translator.

I've been passionate about languages from a very early age, taking relish in studying and comparing the idiosyncrasies of French and English - from idioms to slang to past participle agreement! Training in translation and working as a translator has made me an expert linguist with a thorough knowledge of the intricacies of the French language and a perfect command of French grammar and spelling.

Teaching Experience:
My language teaching experience includes:
- 2 years working as a qualified English teacher in French secondary schools
- 2 years working as a French Language Assistant near Manchester (including Stockport Grammar School, where I tutored AS- and A-Level students)
- 9 years working as an English teacher (with French students) during two-week language summer courses in England (University of Essex, University of Cambridge, Devon)

I have also taught and run workshops in various other contexts (drama workshops, translation workshops and conferences, reading competitions in primary schools, etc.). My diverse experience not only means I'm comfortable teaching learners of any age but it has also made me an adaptable teacher who's aware that everyone has a different way of learning.

My qualifications:
- Master of Arts in translation (English-to-French/French-to-English), with distinction (University of Salford, 2012)
- CAPES (equivalent to PGCE) in English
- Bachelor of Arts in English (University of Rouen, France)

My translation portfolio includes work for Parisian publishers (novels and essays) as well as for English and French translation agencies alike. Most recently I have translated a number of psychological thrillers such as Michelle Frances' The Girlfriend and The Temp. Recent clients include Air France, Deliveroo, Estée Lauder, Ipsos, Porsche, Kedge Business School, Pernod Ricard, Sony, Swarovski, Uniqlo, Universal, etc.

Tutoring Approach:
I happily offer private or 2-to-1 French conversation sessions to learners with prior knowledge of French (B2/near-B2 level or higher). These can be:
- Casual learners (adults) with a penchant for French and French culture who are willing to broaden their vocabulary range, hone their grammar skills and further improve their fluency
- University students willing to achieve greater fluency, further hone their language skills and/or prepare for their oral exams
- A-Level students willing to prepare for their oral exams (based on a list of themes studied and/or on the topic chosen by the student for his/her individual research project)

Conversation sessions can be mostly informal and primarily aimed at helping you achieve greater fluency. However, should you require it, I'm also happy to tackle grammar points and help you regularly expand your vocabulary range through exercises and systematic revision of the new words/phrases taught.

The first session (45 min) is free so that we can make sure we get along and everything runs smoothly. It will also serve to define precisely what your expectations are so as to ensure every session is tailored to your needs.

Depending on your preference, sessions can be:
- run entirely in French: any grammar points/unknown vocabulary will be explained/paraphrased in French
or
- run predominantly in French, with grammar points being explained in English/unknown vocabulary being translated into English when necessary.

Sessions can take place in a cosy café in Manchester city centre, at Manchester Central Library or at your place if you live in Manchester city centre.

I'm available mostly in the evenings and at weekends; however don't hesitate to let me know about your preferred times as I'm pretty flexible.

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Personal Description:
I was born in Madrid where I studied Filología at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. I have a Master degree in Teaching Spanish as a foreign Language by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. I am currently working as a supply teacher for The East Lothian. I am a PVG Scheme member, children and adults.

Teaching Experience:
I am a native Spanish teacher with over 20 year experience preparing students for their national and international exams. Teaching Spanish is my passion.

Tutoring Approach:
I am a dedicated teacher, flexible, good fun and committed to my students.

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Personal Description:
I am a family man with three daughters.I try hard in all I do and have progressed through state schools to gain a teaching certificate (based on three years of training with assessment of teaching ability),an honours degree in maths and science,a diploma in health education,and an M.Phil. based on field work in educational techniques.For my hobby,I play tennis and National Service.
Besides face to face tutoring,I also do postal tuition.As an honours graduate of the Open University I know this can be effective.I find the initial requirements by telephone then send a worksheet by post.When the student returns this I mark with full comment and send back with a full work out of each question.Some questions are designed by me and some are from previous papers.In my view this method is better than online as there is more time for reflection.I charge just £22 for postal tuition and will tutor students from anywhere in Great Britain or abroad

Teaching Experience:
I h ave taught in grammar schools,secondary modern and comprehensive. I have also lectured as a visiting lecturer on educational methods at Leeds University,based on my M.Phil.research.I do not have any experience in primary schools.I have 20 years of tutoring experience.

Tutoring Approach:
I first try to find the needs of the student.I prepare meticulously and review every lesson.I try to install an enthusiasm for the subject.

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Personal Description:
I have been passionate about maths since early childhood. I spent a decade as a fully qualified maths teacher, teaching GCSE maths and A-level (including further maths) to pupils from a wide variety of abilities, backgrounds and cultures. I semi-retired seven years ago and have since tutored a number of pupils for A-level and GCSE. I have a first class honours maths degree from Oxford University and teaching certificate in maths for secondary education.

I have availability 7:30pm Monday evenings, and will be fully retiring July 2027.

Teaching Experience:
After 20 years spent working in industry, I trained as a secondary school teacher (teaching years 7 to 11), and then spent nearly ten years teaching maths in a post-16 school in the Greenwich Borough. There I taught A-level (both maths and further maths) and also GCSE maths for pupils resitting. The pupils I taught were of a wide range of abilities, backgrounds and cultures. A large number of my GCSE resit pupils were successful in raising their grades to a C (or now a 4). Pupils were keen to be in my class.

I semi-retired around seven years ago and have done a fair amount of tutoring of A-level and GCSE maths pupils, from a fairly basic level up to A level further maths.

Tutoring Approach:
The only slot I have free at present is Monday at 7:30pm. I try to keep this list up-to-date. I will be retiring in July 2027, so it will not be possible to continue past that date.

I believe in a very individualised approach, concentrating on identifying and improving the areas a pupil struggles with. My experience in school has helped me learn a variety of methods for teaching particular topics, and which ones are most likely to be successful. Practice outside of lessons is key to success in maths, and tutoring needs to be in addition to full attendance and participation in school lessons, homework and additional sessions schools offer, and is absolutely not a replacement for these activities.

Since the pandemic started in 2020, all of my teaching has been online (via Teams). This has worked surprisingly well.

As it is slightly more difficult to explain things when you are not face-to-face, and also do not have travel time and costs, I usually go a little over the hour (75-90 minutes) but charge the normal rate for a one hour lesson.

For the protection of my elderly mother-in-law, I will need to continue with all lessons online (Teams) for the foreseeable future.

I am happy to tutor pupils as often or infrequently as desired, and do not charge for cancelled lessons (provided I am informed in sufficient time to avoid a wasted journey). Pupils are free to leave at any time if they feel they have achieved everything they set out to achieve, or that things are not working out.

The only slot I have free at present is Monday at 7:30pm. I try to keep this list up-to-date. I will be retiring in July 2027, so it will not be possible to continue past that date.

With the advent of the coronavirus, for the protection of my elderly mother-in-law, I am only teaching pupils via Teams. For the safeguarding of pupils under 18 a parent should be in attendance whether the lesson is online or face-to-face.

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Personal Description:
First-class graduate of the University of Cambridge, I have tutored professionally since January 2023 and have worked in secondary schools in the UK between March 2017 and July 2018 full-time, working supply between February 2023 and July 2024.

I have tutored 4 students thus far, from Year 10 or 11 until their GCSE exams. My students have had great successes: my first student climbed 2 and 3 grades in their English GCSEs, passing them and allowing them to move on to sixth form without resits; another student achieved 8s in both English GCSEs, way higher than expected, and climbed grades over time in Maths; whilst another student also passed GCSE English Literature first time, with a Grade 4, well above his initial starting grade when we began tutoring.

My secondary school experience includes time as a full-time Cover Supervisor (March - July 2017), full-time Learning Support Assistant including sole teaching of KS3 SEN Literacy classes (September 2017 to July 2018), as well as supply LSA, Cover Supervisor and Exam Invigilator work.

I work with whoever, whatever your current grade, and I always aim to listen and understand who you are and what works well for you. Perhaps you're creative and into drawing; perhaps you are more analytical; perhaps you want to cover the basics. I always ensure my teaching is bespoke - I pay attention to what works and what does not.

My references attest to my good nature and personable qualities, as well as real results in helping students improve their grades.

At a fundamental level, any student of mine will tell you I am reliable, engaging, caring, fun, honest, and, equally, challenging and encouraging. I also offer a reasonable rate compared to other tutors in the area.

Please get in touch with any queries. I can tutor online, in person, and, within a certain distance, at your home.

Best wishes
Laurence,
Brighton and Hove

Teaching Experience:
- Private Tutor since 2023
- Full-time Cover Supervisor (March - July 2017)
- Full-time Learning Support Assistant including sole teaching of KS3 SEN Literacy classes (September 2017 to July 2018)
- Supply LSA (February 2023 - July 2024)
- Supply Cover Supervisor (September 2023 - July 2024)
- Exam Invigilator work (2023 and 2024 exam seasons)

Tutoring Approach:
- Person-centred
- Engaging and fun
- Reliable and caring

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Personal Description:
I am a qualified teacher with a PGCE in Science: Physics with Mathematics, Institute of Education, UCL, and a PhD in theoretical physics. I am passionate about physics and mathematics, I enjoy teaching, and I have a genuinely positive attitude towards one`s aspirations and wishes.

Teaching Experience:
I am a qualified physics and mathematics teacher (teaching KS3, KS4 and A-Level physics) with a PGCE in Physics with Mathematics and a PhD in theoretical physics.

I am familiar with the exam boards Edexcel IGCSE and Cambridge IGCSE and in both GCSE and A-Level: Pearson Edexcel, AQA and OCR (including Level 3 FSMQ Additional Maths).

All my tutees have achieved their target grades or grades above the initially predicted ones.

Feedback:

"Thank you so much for teaching me this year; you have been a tremendous help and I can't thank you enough for giving me the confidence and wisdom to excel in Maths + Physics."

"Just to let you know I got my GCSE results today and was delighted as I got an 8 in maths. This was really down to your excellent tutoring and support."

"We'd like to thank you for your help & support over the last year with ___ she has gained confidence & clarity & really enjoys the sessions."

"You are an amazing tutor and it really made me feel more confident."

"Just wanted to let you know that ___ got a Grade 7 in maths - she is over the moon!!"

"Thank you very much for your help and support over the last months. I have really found it useful and I have loved the lessons - I really have learnt a lot."

"Just wanted to thank you for helping me achieve the 7 in Maths that I got today.
I'm really pleased and very grateful for your help - I don't think I would have achieved a 7 without it."

"Just wanted to let you know I got a 5!! Thank you so much for all your help through the lead up to the exams."

"Enjoying a mix of GCSE physics and maths tutoring. Explains concepts well, plans appropriate lessons, follows up with notes and homework. And is encouraging me to develop problem solving skills
Highly recommend"

"Helping my daughter with GCSE maths. My daughter is already feeling more confident and has taken to on-line lessons well. Only been a few weeks but we would definitely recommend Smaragda."

"Afer 3 lessons we are very satisfied with Smaragda. My son likes her and the most important he understand her tutoring and he enjoys doing math."

"I`m very pleased with the progress of my daughter thanks to Smara. Smara is very patient and outstanding as a teacher.
Thank you Smara."

"Smara has been working with son who has autism which means he finds it very difficult to engage in tasks and can be very challenging. Smara works brilliantly with him however and has managed to engage him to the extent that he is doing really well and making good progress. I would highly recommend Smara."

"I really enjoyed Smaragda`s AS physics tutorials and she was very clear with her explanations. I would definitely recommend her to my friends as she was friendly and I wasn`t afraid to ask her questions. She made herself available via email almost 24/7 for assistance if and when I required it. She accommodated my learning style very well with her broad subject knowledge and I really enjoyed every Monday! Smaragda also set relevant homework questions which reinforced my learning from tutorials. I have just done my exams and I feel confident I have done the best I can with her support. Thank you, Smara!! :) "

"Excellent tutor, very organised and clear."

"Very friendly, enthusiastic and reliable."

"Smaragda assessed my daughter on GCSE maths and Physics. She was very welcoming, engaging and kind and helps my daughter to understand the work."

"Excellent teacher, my daughter is at ease with Smaragda. Early days but she likes her methods of teaching and is very professional which my daughter appreciates. Smara works from a whiteboard which gives her enough time to take notes. All in all very happy with how tutoring is going."

"Smaragda is an excellent tutor, I can highly recommend her."

Tutoring Approach:
I put an emphasis on a deep understanding of each concept, theory, method, and observation, dissolving misconceptions, as well as acquiring and mastering technical skills. I am thorough in teaching, and besides explaining everything clearly I also provide and walk with the student through the necessary material - usually in the form of slides, interactive questions and quizzes, simulations, notes, problems, exam practice papers and past papers - for a solid understanding through assimilation of the ideas as well as practice. Problem-solving methods are discussed and explained, not only as to how a problem is solved, but also why it's solved that way: this helps the student understand the maths and science behind the problem better, as well as develop their critical and analytical abilities that will help them tackle any other problem in maths and science as well as in life in general.

I encourage questioning, not hesitating to raise unclear points, individuality in thinking and working, having an inquisitive and creative mind, and being good friends and generosity with working time. My particular planning and delivery of the tutorials depend on the individual student's current motivation, needs, and knowledge, as well as the particular content of the topic that is taught. I also often discuss with the student ways to learn as well as study. True learning and understanding has a multifaceted nature.

For online lessons (single or group), I use an interactive platform where I as well as the student can write on the lesson slides, so we can answer questions, write derivations and make clarifications in writing. The platform also allows for online interactive simulations that bring theory to life. This platform is also used for in-person sessions for faster responses and a more stimulating and interactive lesson. For group tutorials at home, I utilise a physical whiteboard in my living room on which both I and the students can write, in addition to slides presented on a screen. In all cases, the whole lesson is available for revision as a pdf file after each session.

I believe that everyone has the potential to reach their aims, and I always do my utmost so that this will happen for each one of my students.

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Personal Description:
About me
-A highly resilient, hardworking, and technically minded individual who has acquired a methodical approach to problem-solving for task completions. Possesses many transferable and soft skills that are an asset to employers.
-Analytically minded with an eagerness to learn and develop upon existing skills. Exceptionally keen to build upon a scientific and engineering-based interest and apply it in a way where I can pass along knowledge which is the true beauty of the academic world.
-An individual who is ambitious to expand upon their knowledge and help as many as possible in the process.

Hobbies and Interests
-Designing and 3D Printing using Autodesk Fusion 360 and Simplify3D. Home project work such as metal casting, engines and prosthetics.
-Enjoy learning about the latest physics news, especially theoretical.
-Enjoy assembling, programming, and flying racing fpv quadcopters.
-Enjoy astronomy using Celestron reflector telescope for star, planet observations.
-Proficient in Indian classical bow string instrument called 'Dilruba'.

Teaching Experience:
Tutoring Services 2019 - Present
-Having successfully gone through 11+ myself, I am well equipped to teach it and have been for 4 years
Also privately tutor A-level & GCSE students in maths, computer science, and physics.
-Other categories I have tutored in are IB and advanced algebra courses.

Physics - 2019
-Ran a physics class for 20 students on a weekly basis to teach them a range of physics topics from optics to astronomy.
Presented custom powerpoints, provided hand-outs, and coordinated group experiments.

Tutoring Approach:
Approach To Tutoring
-I ensure each style is personalised for each student as everyone has a different method of learning and to cater to this, I ask the student a few questions at the very start to inform how the lessons will proceed thereafter.

-I've seen a lot of students who find visual diagrams and drawings the best way to learn (it's how I learn best too) so I often explain concepts in graphical ways using my drawing tablet and other interactive applications such as Isaac Physics. I also use Isaac Physics to set homework.

-I like relating things to practical applications in the real world to make sense of topics. E.g I'll often use examples involving video games and flashy RGB custom computer rigs to engage teenagers studying computer science.

-Have taught a range of students. Some grasp a concept immediately and are able to visualise it easily and others that do not grasp concepts as easily. For those, I often revisit content and consistently quiz them.

-Have taught students with learning disabilities and have quickly adapted my style to suit their requirements, taking a calm, compassionate approach.

-As mark schemes seem to get stricter and stricter, I ensure my students hit the little details required to get all the marks and I provide nice ways of remembering the pointers.
-I cater as per the student's exam board and we will revisit the specification often to dot the i's and cross the t's.

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Personal Description:
I am qualified to teach in both secondary schools (PGCE) and at university level (AFHEA), guaranteeing not only that I have the necessary subject knowledge but also the background in education theory needed to maximise my student's learning.

My passion for science, lifelong commitment to learning and my natural disposition as a teacher motivate and enable me to always do my very best for each student.

DBS check renewed 2024.

Fluent in English and Polish. Advanced in Japanese and German. Basic knowledge of Mandarin and Korean.

Experience with neurodiverse people, and accepting of all needs, abilities and backgrounds.

Teaching Experience:
- PGCE qualification, experience in the classroom and preparing material
- Online tutoring to classes at a private academy
- University workshop and lab demonstration, supervision of Master/PhD students

Tutoring Approach:
Whether you're looking to achieve a practical and specific goal like getting top grades on an exam, or want to best prepare for a future in the sciences with the broad guidance of someone who has taught students through school age all the way up to PhD level, I can provide an approach to suit these needs or anything in between.

In-person teaching should be in a well ventilated space for health of both student and teacher. Can advise on how to prepare this.

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