Balcombe Tutors and Balcombe Tuition

Personal Description:
A highly effective educator; experienced, well organised, motivated, enthusiastic, with good sense of humour.

I establish rapport with my students. In my long career in teaching, I have learned how to make the most complex concepts in science 'digestible'. My motto is: 'Excellence in Education'.

I am a member of Pi Lambda Theta (International Honour Society in Education).

Teaching Experience:
I am a qualified Teacher/Lecturer, and have taught for over thirty years in Secondary, and Further/Higher Education in the US, the EU, and the UK. In addition to teaching students, I have trained teachers, as well.

I am very familiar with the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, and the International Baccalaureate specifications.

Tutoring Approach:
While my Bachelor's Degree is in Biomedical Science, my Master's Degree is in Education with emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction, which means I have trained in designing and delivering effective lesson plans, as well as a complete curriculum. I design my instruction taking into account the student's learning needs. The 'one size fits all' approach to teaching is responsible for the failure of many students. Every student can learn and can do well in the right learning environment, and if there are no gaps in what is prerequisite knowledge for taking a certain course.

Knowledge builds on pre-existing knowledge. I make certain that my students really understand and appreciate that. I diagnose gaps in content knowledge and fill them, providing a solid foundation for my students to build on.

Study skills and exam technique, which figure prominently in my teaching, combined with a well-rounded, in-depth content knowledge, provide the key to success.

At the end of the course, my students not only do they have what they need to tackle the Biology, Chemistry, or Psychology exam, but also a wealth of learning skills which they can apply to other subjects as well, and which they will find essential in all their future academic studies.

Educational technology supplements my instruction. The content in every session is presented on PowerPoint with quality images. I clarify every point and make certain my student has grasped the present concept before I proceed with the next. Where appropriate, the PPT presentation is followed by a brief video which makes the content come alive. My PowerPoint presentations, as well as my notes on PDF or Word files are available for my students after the lesson.

I finish the lesson practicing exam-style questions, and I provide my students with lots of past exam papers. It goes without saying that regular revision is very important.

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Personal Description:
I'm an internationally award-winning composer, creative director and producer, hand in hand with work as lecturer, teacher and researcher. I regularly teach piano, composition, theory, aural, history, orchestration, GCSE, A-level and undergraduate/postgraduate courses/modules. My work crosses the divide from experimental concert music, electronics and installations to fashion, film and new technology, concept and artistic direction, regularly collaborating with fashion designers, filmmakers, architects, artists and dancers; such as the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Singers, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Arditti String Quartet, Nash Ensemble, Schubert Ensemble, and the likes of Beardyman, Luke Vibert, Mayumi Miyata, Viktor & Rolf, and Chanel.

Teaching Experience:
I have taught for the last 24 years, privately as a piano, theory, composition, orchestration, history and musicianship/aural tutor with fellowships/posts at the Royal College of Music, London College of Fashion, London College of Communication, and the University of the Arts London. I have taught children from the age of 4+ up to adults (70+).

Tutoring Approach:
I teach and guide each student differently, dependent on their experience, commitment and what they wish to achieve - from relaxed music making, casual lessons, or rigorous work for exams, GCSE, A-level, degrees, entry exams, concerts or competitions. I currently teach in London and tutor online.

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Personal Description:
I am an Anglia Ruskin Graduate in Communication, since graduating I have been perusing a career in Teaching Assisting. I am passionate about arts and crafts which I have been able to apply to the Brownie Club I co-run. I am experienced in working in a busy out of school club where I have gained valuable experience being responsible, entertaining and educating young people.

Teaching Experience:
I currently volunteer as a teaching assistant at a city primary school, where I have a multitude of responsibilities including small group work & offering alternative provision for students who are unable to participate in main activities.

Tutoring Approach:
I can provide a structured work time table given different needs and time frames for your child. I am patient and understanding and provide clear and well thought out examples and explanations. I am a sociable,kind, good humored person who is well loved by the children I work with.

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Personal Description:
My name is Montserrat, I am a native Spanish speaker and I was born and grow up in Sant Pol de mar Barcelona, (north of Catalunya). I have got 1 daughter. I`ve been living in England for 15 years and now I live in Hitchin.
I studied at College in Barcelona where I obtained qualifications to teach Spanish to foreigners.
Over the last 15 years, I have developed a passion for teaching Spanish to foreigners. I already ran Spanish language classes while in my native country, and when I came to England, I started to give Spanish lessons on a one to one basis then and I run Spanish courses in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire.
I give Spanish lessons via Skype to some distant students and I really enjoy this way of teaching.
I am running a several after schools clubs in different schools around Hitchin.
If you would like to read my Curriculum Vitae and a list of references in United Kingdom, please feel free to ask.

Teaching Experience:
YOUR LESSON IS TAILORED ON YOU
Every Spanish lesson is customized on student progress, purpose and needs. I offer a high level of flexibility in terms of timing as I am available to give out lessons every day from 8 am to 11 pm weekends included. If you can't have your lesson in the same day every week I can arrange your lessons time by time at your convenience.
Students receive all the stuff they need to study Spanish (grammar, exercises, practice) in advance and there is a hard job behind that. If you study Spanish with me you don't spend a penny to buy books, audio-videos or other stuff.Also I run a After school club for kids.

Tutoring Approach:
I teach Spanish by developing written materials according to an individual learner`s needs.
I use materials of different types in order to make each lesson interesting and beneficial, including videos from Spanish websites, audio tracks, dictations and games.
Each lesson is usually divided into two sections: the first one is dedicated to study some new grammar and the rest of the lesson is focused on speaking, listening and comprehension exercises to help the student`s proficiency improving day by day.
An important component of my lesson is the "free conversation", where the students tells me what they have done in the last few days. Very useful are also my "driven conversations", based on newspapers articles or other writings, on different topics.
This way my students have the opportunity to learn about Spanish culture, politics, food, traditions, history etc.
I always give all my students homework to be done independently.
LESSONS PRICES AND PAYMENT TERMS
Children groups,(minimum of 3) age from 4 to 11 years old are £5 per hour and I ask 4 weeks in advance.
I charge £ 18 per 1 hour lesson or £ 25 per 90 minutes lesson at my house.
I offer discounts for families and groups.
I prefer to be paid monthly in advance but if you struggle to pay monthly I can accept payment lesson by lesson.
If you can't attend a class, please advice 24 hours in advance and I will offer you to re-arrange your lesson for another day.
If you miss the lesson and you haven't canceled it in advance, you will be asked to pay for the missed lesson.
You can pay my lessons cash, via cheque, pay-pal or bank transfer. If you need a receipt for your payment, feel free to ask.
For lessons at your house I will ask you a petrol refund.

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Personal Description:
My name is Amandine and I am studying a Master's degree in Education and English teaching in France while being abroad for a year. I graduated from Université de Bretagne Occidentale (Brittany) and Bangor University (Wales) with a BA in English Literature, Civilisation and Linguistics.

I work as a fully DBS checked French Language Assistant in a private boarding school. I am currently working with GCSE and A level students, of all abilities, on their speaking exams.

I offer regular online lessons to help you be more confident when speaking a second language. This includes working on French grammar, general conversation and pronunciation.

Please do not hesitate to contact me for any information.

Teaching Experience:
I recently passed the French competitive exam equivalent to the PGCE to be an English teacher in France.
I am currently teaching student as a language assistant and I help them with the IGCSE and A-Level.

Tutoring Approach:
I do believe in Tutoring as a way to provide some external help in the process of leaning languages.

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Personal Description:
I studied medieval languages, literature, and history at the University of Cambridge before completing an MA in Medieval Studies at the University of York. I then moved to La Rochelle (France) in 2016, where I taught English in two schools. After spending 4 months in New Zealand, I began teaching English at the Sorbonne University in Paris (2018-2020). I am now in the process of completing a PhD which focuses on medieval literature and languages (including Old French). I take a keen interest in language, especially French, and enjoy sharing this with my students.

Teaching Experience:
From October 1st 2016 until April 30th 2017, I taught English to 11-18 year olds in two French high schools. I also privately taught English to a French businessman in preparation for his travels in Australia, and to a young student studying for his baccalaureate exams. I gained a TEFL qualification in 2015.

Tutoring Approach:
I am a friendly and unintimidating person, and encourage my students to ask questions on any linguistic point of difficulty. I will adapt my lessons to my student's needs (be it to improve reading, writing, grammatical knowledge, listening and speaking skills, or all of these in turn) so that each session is productive. I will happily teach according to school curriculum requirements, and I will also create my own teaching resources if necessary. I personally find it immensely satisfying and exciting to be able to speak and understand another language, and I encourage my students to share this pleasure.

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Personal Description:
Hi! My name is Brandon and I'm a Chartered Structural Engineer working in London part time and from home part time, in Hartford. I have been working professionally for 10 years now and have been involved in the design of some of London's most iconic skyscrapers. My job enables me to carry out mathematical problem solving on a daily basis, meaning I can easily transfer these skills into a tutoring environment and find pleasure in doing so.

I graduated from the University of Manchester in 2014 with a first class (hons) Masters degree in Civil and Structural Engineering.

Teaching Experience:
I have experience in tutoring GCSE & A-Level Maths and Physics in London, as well as assisting several students through their university applications. I have had great success in improving my tutees grades and helping them prepare more effectively for their exams and university applications.

I have also assisted the learning of many younger engineers in my day job, through weekly mentoring and coaching.

Tutoring Approach:
I like to start by spending some time to understand any problems or questions that the student might have, that may have recently arisen at school.

With subjects like Maths and Physics, an important way for students to understand problems is to visualise them before they can be solved. I usually employ analogies to help my students understand concepts and then test their understanding using exam type questions.

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Personal Description:
*Please get in touch to book a complimentary 30-minute trial session*

I am a Finance Manager with over 10 years' tutoring experience in Mathematics, Economics, English and 11+ curriculum. I have a BSc in Economics from the University of Warwick and an excellent academic record (9A*s at GCSE and A*AAA at A-Level).

I have strong academic and applied skills in Mathematics and Economics. I achieved an A* in Maths at GCSE, and A's in my Maths and Further Maths A-levels. I also achieved an A* in Economics A-Level. I hold a BSc Economics degree and employ applied Mathematics and Economics in my current role as a Finance Manager.

My specialist area is AS and A2 Level Economics - I am currently providing students with online Skype lessons, with the option of in-person tutoring.

Teaching Experience:
I am an experienced tutor with over 10 years of tutoring experience covering the 11+ curriculum, GCSE Maths, GCSE English, and GCSE / A-Level Economics. I provide both one-to-one and group tutoring sessions to prepare students for entrance exams and to increase their confidence in academic subjects.

Group sessions are offered at a discounted rate (please enquire for further details).

Tutoring Approach:
I design and deliver tuition programmes that are tailored to students' needs, by getting to know each student individually. My approach is to study each student's strengths and weaknesses (both in-class and via homework and class preparation). I then focus my attention on addressing weaknesses, as well as providing stretch exercises to grow their strengths.

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Personal Description:
I am currently studying at ICMP (2nd year university, BMus Guitar). I studied with top UK teachers such as Martin Gouldin (Head of Jamtrack Central), Nate Williams (Jamiroquai's pianist and bassist) and Audrey Riley (Cellist of Coldplay and Foo Fighters) and top Italian guitarists such as Osvaldo Lo Iacono (Amii stewart's guitarist). I play any genre: Jazz,Rock,Metal,Reggae,Blues,Latin,Pop and so on. I play Drums, Bass but my main instrument is Guitar.
After only 1 year of playing I was already showing incredible progress by playing technically challenging songs as Technical difficulties by Paul Gilbert and so on(videos on socials). I used to and currently play from 6 to 9 hours every single day, Metronome, technique and theory lover. I have been always studying music at very high level. My favourite artists are Bach,Chopin, Debussy, Charlie Parker, Guthrie govan,Andy timmons,Gary moore,George benson,Steve ray vaughan, John petrucci, Marco sfogli, Greg howe, , Albert king, Mike stern, Joe pass,Clifford Brown, Pat Metheny, Pat Martino, Bireli Lagrene, Art blakey, Michaael Brecker, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran and many more.

I'm kind, passionate and available all the time. Teaching is my biggest passion.

Teaching Experience:
I have been teaching to any age for 5+ years. I have been studying with teachers for over 8 years. I learnt how to teach by taking countless hours of lessons with great teachers. I taught to classes of 30 and individuals of any age

Tutoring Approach:
I divide big tasks into smaller ones making the experience of learning not frustrating but very rewarding. When I teach, I try to make the person use his or her logic to learn faster. I have been teaching music for lots of years and I developped a way to understand the person in front of me and understand what the student needs to learn first. Teaching music is what I want to do in life so I take it with the most commitment I can. I study and I studied a lot. My motto is never stop learning because the more you know,the less you think you know
What I like is to give lessons about all you have to know: posture, approach, mentality, method,theory, practice, mindset,short and long term goals, covers, improvisation, rhythm and lead playing,music genres, music history,technique, how to listen to music and so on. Setting goals and finding a way to reach them the fastest way possible is also a technique I adopt with students.

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Personal Description:
Fully qualified teacher of Mandarin (all levels).

I prepare students for GCSE and A-level exams, as well as conduct and assess these exams for schools. I also provide teaching services for higher education establishments, government departments, and corporate entities.
I assist students with all levels of the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK), and all my students have a very high success rate.

Teaching Experience:
I have been professionally teaching Mandarin for 15 years +.

Tutoring Approach:
I am a passionate teacher and like to keep my lessons interactive and fun.

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Personal Description:
I have been a professional performer for over 14 years with experience in all different types of acting. From voice to physical theatre! I've done it all!

When I was very young I starred in multiple theatre roles, developing various skills and delving into the works of many drama and theatre practitioners such as Stanislavski, Brecht, Artaud, Chekhov, Berkoff and many, many more!

After many years in theatre I decided to branch out into other forms of acting, I moved to voice acting in which I developed a personal method to help keep and maintain a healthy voice as well as using pre-established methods to create and enhance my repertoire of characterized voices

Teaching Experience:
I started giving private lessons to a few friends and associates back in college, helping them get higher grades as well as preparing them for a future in the acting industry. One of my original students in particular, Stephen, was recently accepted into Manchester school of theatre, an esteemed drama school in one of the top universities in the country!

Tutoring Approach:
My Courses are designed to help the student gain a better understanding of themselves as a young performer, gain the skills and the knowledge to further progress to where they want to be and involve themselves in a creative process that they designed for themselves. Through this, they will develop the toolset that essential for working in the performing industry

As an actor I have developed a teaching style which lets the student learn and develop with a sense of independence and confidence. I believe that confidence or lack of confidence can be the biggest restraint for people learning and developing something new. I will assert myself as someone who is friendly and approachable, assessing their confidence levels and making sure that I am as friendly as I can be

Once the student feels that they are ready I can begin to develop the lessons to their specific needs. Analysing the student's strengths and weaknesses and overall helping them overcome said weaknesses and reinforcing their strengths, giving them a firm base that will help them succeed in whatever is thrown at them in the future.

This method is completely adaptable from beginners to advanced learners. What I am looking for is personal development, and I reward it, there is no negative criticism at all. Negative criticism of any kind can crush a persons spirit and make the idea of learning less appealing. This being said, constructive, helpful criticism can be the most useful tool to develop the student not only as a learner but also as a person

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Personal Description:
I am a caring and organised educator committed to supporting students in a range of educational areas. I aim to create a stimulating and enjoyable online tutoring experience, promoting a positive and encouraging learning environment. My goal is for each student to not only enjoy learning but also to develop strong communication skills through a trusting and supportive relationship. I maintain regular communication with parents or caregivers and am happy to provide extra online assignments to reinforce learning between sessions.

Teaching Experience:
I am a fully qualified teacher entering my seventh year of practice, with experience teaching Year 2, Year 3, and Year 4. I can provide assessment support during sessions as needed. During my training, I gained valuable experience working with Year R, Year 2, and Year 4. I am also trained in SSP (phonics) and the Little Wandle program, enabling me to support early reading development effectively. Additionally, I have completed CPD training for the Year 4 multiplication check and can offer guidance and support in this area; my current Year 4 students achieved the highest results in the school this year. Beyond primary education, I have tutored students in foundation-level GCSE maths, using past papers to practise and analyse different question types.

Tutoring Approach:
I start by assessing each student's current level and discussing their specific areas of focus, either directly with them or with the adults in their household. From there, I tailor sessions to meet their individual needs. Each session incorporates a variety of activities designed to reinforce existing knowledge while introducing new concepts. Building a strong rapport with students is a priority, helping them feel comfortable and confident, which in turn supports their learning and progress.

I can also help address any learning gaps that may have arisen due to disruptions during the pandemic or any other missed learning reasons.

I have experience supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), adapting my approach to meet their unique learning requirements and providing the support necessary for them to thrive in a positive, inclusive environment.

Parents I have worked with have provided positive feedback on the impact of additional tuition, noting improvements in their child's progress as reflected in academic reports and parent-teacher meetings.

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