Birkdale Tutors & Birkdale Tuition

Personal Description:
A Royal Academy of Music graduate, I have taught piano privately for over 20 years. As well as children and adults from the ages of 4 to 84, I have tutored and mentored high profile rock musicians, film composers and producers.

I taught composition in the music technology department at London College of Music (Junior College) for twelve years where I became department head from 2004--2012. I was mentor on the MA course in music production at Leeds College of Music from 2006-2009, and have guest lectured at The Academy of Contemporary Music and West Thames College.

As a composer and producer I have two decades of experience writing for theatre, TV, film and the concert hall. I have written scores for theatre companies including Hampstead Theatre, The National Youth Theatre, EmpathEyes Theatre and Baraka Theatre, and my music has been synced to many television productions and documentaries including BBC Horizon, BBC Natural World, Top Gear, Sky Box Office, Ghost Whisperer and America's Most Wanted. In addition to this I have worked for the music production house 'Soundtree' on various projects most notably as assistant to Peter Raeburn on his score for the 2018 feature film Nancy.

My concert works have been performed at concert platforms including the Huddersfield Festival; The South Bank Centre; De Doelen, Rotterdam and Kunstmuseum, Liechtenstein, with commercial recordings and broadcasts across Europe.

I have written string arrangements for bands and worked as session pianist for several artists including Cathal Smyth (Chas Smash from the ska band, Madness). 

Teaching Experience:
1997 - present: Private tutor (piano, music theory, music technology, composition)
1997 - 2010: London College Of Music (junior college) - composition and music technology teacher.
1999 - West Thames College - guest lecturer
2004 - 2010: London College Of Music (junior college) - music technology department head.
2003 - Academy Of Contemporary Music - guest lecturer
2006 - 2009: Leeds College Of Music - mentor on MA Music Production course.

Tutoring Approach:
Piano (all levels/styles) - I have a 100% pass rate for students entering the ABRSM exams (grades 1-8). Students who do not wish to take the classical route can learn using my method for playing by ear. As well as teaching classical, I specialise in teaching jazz piano and theory.

I also offer tuition in Composition, Orchestration, Theory, Logic, Sibelius.

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Personal Description:
I am a native Chinese and I come from northeast of China - Chang Chun, where the first movie and car were made in China, and it also has the most numbers of the universities in China.

I came to the UK in 2007, and I feel grateful and joyful to experience this dynamic culture and to meet many interesting and decent people.

I love food, music, movies, and spending time in nature. I am interested in healthy living and different cultures, I like to visit and explore new places, meet people, and most importantly, to serve others with the skills and talents I have.

Teaching Experience:
I started teaching Mandarin in 2002 where I volunteered to teach 7 western teachers at Jilin University, where I studied in China, and I gained my first teaching experience.

A year later after my graduation I went on working for Dao Hang Language Institution in China as an English teacher. I taught both children and adults, and from then I realised that each student had their own unique way of learning, and teaching should be tailored according to each individual's need.

I also provided Mandarin lessons to corporate staff whist working as a PA in GE and Philips in China.

After settling in the UK, I started providing private lessons from October 2009 and I taught in schools, companies, and individuals in London and Cambridge. I helped students achieved their GCSE/AS/A2 levels, and currently I am preparing a student for his HSK exam, and another student for his GCSE exam in 2022.

I have been receiving positive feedback from my students, and as a result, some of them increased their weekly lessons with me.

In 2021 I was recruited by Cambridge Assessment as an examiner for the Mandarin subject.

Tutoring Approach:
When it comes to learning a language, if we watch the way how a young child is learning, he/she spends most of the time listening first and then imitating, and with the language environment, he/she flourishes. This is the most natural approach.

When it comes to learning a new language as an adult, I know (because I have done it and I have seen others done it too) that within each one of us we still have the potential to activate that part of the brain which allows us to acquire and absorb the new language subconsciously, or simply put, to have a feel for it!

In my lessons I usually combine listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities. My students submerge in a lot of listening and speaking at the early stage of the lessons, and then we move onto reading and sometimes storytelling, depending on the age group. I do my best to understand each of my students' learning needs, goals and interest and tailor the lessons by increasing certain activities, along with Chinese culture and customs explained.

We do have a touch on grammar too, but not in a sense trying to memorise them, it is rather as a guidance.

I believe Mandarin or any language can be easily acquired through this natural approach with time and effort, and I will be here with you taking every step on this amazing journey!

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Personal Description:
I am a motivated, organised and friendly young woman. I love working with children and I am passionate about sport. I want to become a teacher and I am currently working as a classroom assistant at a high school. I am mainly in maths supporting foundation and higher curriculum at key stage 3 and 4 . I received an A at maths at GCSE and understand the curriculum fully. I studied Sport Science with Coaching at Northumbria University. I have had substantial experience in numerous schools and with a range of departments. I am very capable of working one on one with children and also with groups of children.

Teaching Experience:
I have had work placements at Haydon Bridge High School teaching P.E to ages 13-18 for a period of 6 weeks, then assisting various classes for 75 hours over 4 months. I undertook several roles; teacher, clasroom assistant, organiser of fixtures and one on one tutor. I also returned to Haydon Bridge High school as a volunteer, assisting in P.E lessons.
I am currently emplyed as a classroom assistant at Queen Elizabeth High school. My main role is to work with one or two children with Special Educational Needs within the classroom supporting their learning. I may also have to work with a whole class, supporting all the children. It is vital for my role that I understand and can teach the curriculum, as I may have to work outside the classroom with the child and will need to tutor them in that subject area. The majority of the students I am currently working with have made progress since I have been put with them and other students are asking to be placed with me or for me to put on revision sessions for them.

Tutoring Approach:
Every child is unique. They each have their own way of learning and have different abilities in a variety of areas. This can not always be addressed within a school environment, as it can be difficult to differentiate the topic which is being taught to a large number of pupils. I understand that each child will work at a different rate therefore my rate and style of teaching will alter to suit the student. I believe that tutoring is about guiding a child to find their own way towards an answer and not making them follow your way as they may not understand the process which you have followed. I can also comprehend the amount of work which students are having to complete weekly, thus I would not supply them with a large workload alongside their normal studies.

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Personal Description:
I first became interested in teaching through working as a private tutor with GCSE students, something I am doing since I finished my graduation, training to become a leader in the process. This made me realise I enjoyed working with the people in their learning process, and college experience confirmed tutoring/teaching as a career choice. My subsequent one year PGCE has served further to fire my enthusiasm and prepared me effectively to take responsibility for learners.

I have completed PGCE , a Masters and a BSc in Economics, level 5 Mathematics in Mechanics, numeracy level 1 & 2, Diploma in Computer Science & Application and I am a Certified Internet Webmaster Associate.

Teaching Experience:
I am teaching for last 5 years. In addition, I worked as a Teaching Assistant over two years.I have been privately tutoring primary and secondary maths, A level maths and Economics on one-to-one basis since 2003. My academic education and teaching practices have given me a good understanding of the curriculum and of what makes effective teaching.

Tutoring Approach:
I make a conscious effort to ensure I am not just catering for visual learners like myself, but try to see lessons through other learners' eyes. For example, to introduce pictograms to numeracy entry level class, I got the learners to create 'human pictograms' arranged by name length, pets, eye colour, etc. and then transferred that information as pictograms to the board. Kinaesthetic learners were thereby catered for in the physical movement and manipulation, visual learners in the pictograms created on the board and audio learners as we discussed and interpreted the graphs.

I have in particular come to understand the value of sharing learning objectives and success criteria with students. Knowing exactly what is expected and how they can achieve allow learners to focus more clearly on tasks.

I feel it is important to make learning interesting and creative, and one way to achieve this is using real life example; this allows learners to explore and understand situations and express feelings, thoughts and emotions. An example of how I have successfully used real life situation was with a GCSE class, working out the area of the classroom to decide the correct amount of carpet needed for the classroom. I gave the students measuring tape to measure the length and width of the classroom. They were incredibly enthusiastic and threw themselves into the task. They found this a fun, enjoyable and worthwhile learning experience, which enabled them to better understand the situation and empathise with those concerned.

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Personal Description:
Hi, my name's Chris and I provide a guitar tuition service in and around Worcester. I offer both acoustic and electric guitar lessons for beginner and intermediate students of all ages. I teach a variety of styles and can tailor lessons to your own musical interests so that you're not only learning the music you love, but developing other essential skills in a relevant musical context.

Teaching Experience:
I have 12 years experience playing guitar and hold a joint-honours degree in music.

Tutoring Approach:
In addition to teaching you how to play the guitar, I can offer expertise in other areas of music. Having spent three years studying music at university, and being a writer myself, I can assist you with your own compositions, arrangements and songs. Likewise I can help with the sometimes precarious art of accompanying yourself as a singer! The focus of lessons is up to you, though equally if you're unsure of exactly what you'd like to learn I can offer plenty of options. As a patient and considerate individual my lessons tend to be relaxed but highly productive.

Guitar lessons can be arranged at times to suit. I'm generally available on weekday afternoons and evenings but feel free to contact me to check my current availability. I teach at my family home in the Barbourne area of central Worcester but I am also willing to travel within Worcester and to nearby surrounding areas of Worcestershire. For this service I charge an additional fee to cover the cost of transport and travel time, this is £5 within Worcester and £10 for Droitwich and Malvern.

My rate is £15 per half hour, however longer lessons are perfectly possible. For more information, or to arrange a lesson please feel free to contact me.

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Personal Description:
Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE), University of Plymouth.Uk
Diploma in Social Policy and Criminology. The Open University. Uk
Licenciado en Antropología Social, Universidad Nacional de Trujillo-Perú. Uk equivalent
Bachiller en Ciencias Sociales. Universidad Nacional de Trujillo-Perú. Uk equivalent

Fernando has been delivering Spanish Lessons to adults in the UK since 2003. He has extensive experience both in the corporate and public sectors. He even used to train Anthropology students in Trujillo-Perú. Prior to 2003 he was Spanish Interpreter and Translator for the Police in Devon and Cornwall.

After a long time in Devon, Fernando moved near Birmingham in 2010 and loves the opportunities that this city affords. In his free time he plays music and dance. He is also a Self-healer and interested in Shamanism and Natural Healing. I have moved to Broadstairs - Kent, since March 2014 and I will continue delivering Spanish lessons.

Teaching Experience:
1986 - 1989 National University of Trujillo-Peru. Social Sciences Faculty. Worked as a member of staff under contract to the department of Archaeology and Anthropology of this Faculty during the period commencing August 1986 and ending July 1989.



2001 - 2003 Exeter College: Teaching Practice (1 day per week for semester 1 and 2). Teaching Observation and Student Support in Spanish language. Assessing learning needs and Spanish Conversation.
University of Exeter: Teaching Practice (3 days per week for intermediate Spanish Students) Tutorials and Guiding to Spanish Students (groups and one to one basis) Covering aspects of grammar, speaking, writing, reading and translation.
2004-2005 Devon County Council. Contracted by Devon Adult and Community Learning to deliver 60 hour Spanish course between September 2004 and July 2005. Ivybridge, Dawlish and South Dartmoor Community Colleges: . Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced levels.

2008 - 2009 UK VIVENTIAL- Trujillo-Perú. Teaching English and Spanish. Delivering and evaluation
2010_ pres. Spanish Tutor at Communicaid, organizing and delivering intensive or part-time Spanish courses.

Tutoring Approach:
Diagnosis of learning, Problem Solving, Team Work, Continuous Assessments, Setting and Marking, Keeping Records, Tutor Role, Meetings, Reflective Learning, Independent Learning, Able to get on well with students of all different ages, ability levels. Confidence to lecture to groups or individually, Taking responsibility for learning, Enthusiastic and able to motivate students, Patience and sense of humour. Competent knowledge of wide range of computing packages and good keyboard skills. Use of new Technologies OHP. Educational Practical activities based on real life experiences.

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Personal Description:
My journey to teaching was a natural progression from my passion for languages. For me, language teaching is synonymous with cultural exchange: by fostering an interest in language, I stimulate inter cultural awareness and empathy for others.
I am fascinated by the way in which children develop, as well as the challenges that arise when working alongside children and families. I am a qualified teacher. The PGCE Post-Compulsory Education and Training course I studied allowed me to gain work experience in secondary school and college. I have gained an understanding of the variety of ways in which adults work with children, such as placing more emphasis innovative curricular and raising achievement. In addition, I have an excellent understanding of the range of teaching and learning strategies.
The course also helped me to improve schemes of work, lesson plans and related resources. I have a good understanding of English and Mathematics. I have completed G.C.S.E.'s and "A" levels in Maths and English in Spain.
I believe that I have an open personality with other people. Moreover, I am easy to get along with. This helps me as a teacher to quickly develop a trusting relationship with people.
I am a gentle, loving and caring person and this helps me to be aware of children's and families' needs and be more responsive and empathetic towards them of faith and faith based in education. I am also multi-lingual. Spanish is my first language; I am fluent in English and I speak French.

Teaching Experience:
Spanish Teacher

In my role I had to make sure that I delivered my teaching to specific objectives, to deliver the best learning to the pupils. I identified clear teaching objectives and then set challenging, diverse expectations delivering individual teaching to the different levels of ability in the class, whether this being SEN pupils or very able pupils.
I used a variety of teaching methods to match appropriate content and information, using a different strategies and planned interventions, as well as first hand experience. At the end of each class I reviewed the content with the class to make sure that they had full understanding and the objectives of the lessons were met. This gives me the ability to monitor the strengths and weaknesses of each pupil so I can plan future lessons.

Spanish teacher

My role was involved in planning and delivering schemes of work and lessons that meet the requirements of the KS3, 4 and 5 in addition I was a sixth form tutor and I helped the students who want to apply to university or find an apprenticeship . At the same time, I showed care and concern for students by talking to one to one every week with tutor group.
I also set homework of a meaningful and appropriate nature, having regard to students' abilities. I assessed and monitored students' progress, maintained records and reported on the development, progress and attainment of students in accordance with school and curriculum area policy. While I took reasonable steps to maintain good order and discipline among students monitor their attendance and safeguard their health and safety, both when they are authorised to be on school premises and when they are engaged in authorised school activities elsewhere.

Tutoring Approach:
Approaches for early years and primary

Initiative: Children demonstrate initiative as they explore their world.
Planning: Children make plans and follow through on their intentions.
Engagement: Children focus on activities that interest them.
Problem solving: Children solve problems encountered in play.
Use of resources: Children gather information and formulate ideas about their world.
Reflection: Children reflect on their experiences.

Learning a foreign language is a process that implies some mimicking, language awareness, practice on comprehension, expression and also creativity. Some studies claim that the way we store languages in our brains is similar to that of data storing in a computer, but, of course, much more human, organic and alive. Languages have different components that need to be acquired and "stored" so that we can start feeling confident and creative in using them.

On the other hand, languages are a set of sounds, words (vocabulary), rules (grammar), expressions and even non-verbal language that are acquired both consciously and unconsciously. Conscious learning is a process in which I am extremely interested because it feels as if we are actually helping our minds to store the data so they can be available for us to use. This can be called monitored learning or instruction and it is an important part of the teaching activity: basically providing the tools for the learner to feel comfortable, confident and free using them.

I love grammar and language diversity and I always try to convey that passion to my students, since all sounds, words and structures have an origin and a history, they are also alive and that is what makes languages such wonderful tools for communication among very different people.

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Personal Description:
I am a current student of University of Exeter, pursing a degree in Law. I have recently moved here from Singapore so as to pursue further education. I have been learning Mandarin (amongst other subject, English being one of them) since the age of 7 I have also gotten an A for Chinese in my GCSE 'O' Level.

Teaching Experience:
I have taught a primary school student on Mandarin and Math.

Tutoring Approach:
Be patient and calm.

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Personal Description:
I am Greek and I live in Oxford.I am a teacher holding a QTS and I have experience in teaching French,Greek and English at all levels.I have studied French Language and literature (Bachelor with Honours) and I have completed a Masters Degree in :Teaching French as a foreign language. (MEd)

I am a Greek native speaker and I am fluent in both English and French.

Teaching Experience:
I am a fully qualified teacher (QTS) in UK and I am recently DBS checked. Since September 2021 I am part of the Greek School of Oxford teaching Greek Language and Culture to mixed abilities classes of different year groups.

I have extensive experience in teaching French to all year groups and abilities, as well as Spanish for year7/8/9. My M.Ed degree (2nd Cycle) helped me to develop expertise in teaching French as a foreign language especially for intercultural environments. I have successfully completed a postgraduate dissertation named: "Méthodes et pratiques de l'enseignement de FLE dans le cadre de l'école primaire en Angleterre." ("Methods and techniques of teaching French as a foreign language in primary schools in England".)

For the past 10 years, I was employed as an MFL teacher in secondary schools and the last few years I worked as a KS2 teacher in primary schools in London and Oxford. As a Language Coordinator, I have actively participated in redesigning the KS2 curriculum and I have a proven record of raising achievement and behaviour, most pupils made significant progress since I was there. Furthermore, I am aware of the British curriculum and the needs of every single year group. My lessons are planned to meet these particular needs but simultaneously, they satisfy the needs and interests of the different groups I am teaching each time.

I specialise in Lesser Taught Languages and serve as an examiner for GCSE/International GCSE Greek and French.

When in Greece, I worked in language schools as well as privately for more than 16 years teaching foreign languages and Greek to both children and adults.

Tutoring Approach:
I am a linguist with rich experience in teaching languages in various settings at all levels. I keep myself updated to all recent teaching approaches. My lessons are student-centred and planned to satisfy and meet each student's specific needs.

I strongly believe that the contrasting nature of my places of work has enriched my knowledge as a teacher in expanding my experience of dealing with a diverse range of young people, identities, personalities and needs.

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Personal Description:
I hold a BA in Classics and Modern Greek from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens (Faculty of Linguistics), a Research Master's (MPhil) in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition from the University of Birmingham and I am currently doing a master's in Digital Humanities focusing on technology- enhanced language learning.
I specialize in bilingualism and more specifically in teaching Greek as a foreign language. Currently I work as a High School Language Teacher, as a freelance language content contributor for online learning platforms and as a freelance language tutor teaching both Greek and English mainly to adults.
I am fun, creative and a language enthusiast!

Teaching Experience:
High School Teacher at Ekpaideutiki Anagennisi (Greek private school)
Freelance language content contributor for an online learning platform
Freelance language tutor: Greek and English
Teacher at the Greek School of Ayia Triada, Erdington, Birmingham (2017-2018)
Freelance content writer for a travel website (2015-2016)
Teacher at the Experimental High School of Ambelokipi, Athens (placement- 2014)
Teaching Assistant at the Greek School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Pevki, Athens (2015-2016)
Tutor (2013-2017) in Ancient and Modern Greek, Modern Greek History and Literature
Volunteer tutor in English (2015-2017) to deaf and hard of hearing learners (using Greek Sign Language)

Tutoring Approach:
Each lesson is tailored to the individual learner's needs. The cornerstones of my teaching methodology pertain to: a) structured practice, b) speaking and general communicative skills, c)reading skills, d)writing skills,e) cultural understanding and f) systematic language testing. Personalized teaching material which focuses on all aspects of the language (paying special attention to the grammatical and syntactical structure of the language) is provided with every lesson. The learning intentions are established in collaboration with each learner. My main goal is to create a meaningful and fun learning experience by engaging students in an active learning process.

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Personal Description:
I'm an enthusiastic and patient teacher who enjoys getting to know new people and help them achieving their goals. I have got several years of experience in teaching on various levels and I find the whole process of language learning equally fascinating and motivating. It's a great pleasure to see my students reach their goals and find joy in learning something new and being able to communicate in a second language.

• Qualifications: B.A. History and English (2013)
• M.A. Teacher training - Teaching English as a Foreign Language, History (2017)
• CELTA Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (2017)
• History, English (A Levels equivalent) (2009)

Teaching Experience:
I started teaching English on a 1-1 basis 6 years ago during my university studies. In the last 6 years, I have managed to gain experience on many different levels of the education system. I taught classes in secondary schools, worked with adults in language schools and most recently on university preparation courses. I've been lucky enough to work with people from all over the world, from many age groups (13-60) and all the different levels starting from complete beginner to advanced (A1 - C1).

Classes taught:

- General English
- Business English
- Exam preparation (FCE, IELTS, ELPT, TOEIC)
- Academic English

Tutoring Approach:
Firstly and most importantly, I believe in the step-by-step approach which means that I understand that we need time to build knowledge, therefore, patience and understanding are key parts of my teaching.

I also believe that we are all different, so I put a lot of emphasis on getting to know my students' individual needs and attributes so I can tailor the classes according to these. I consider my students as partners in the work together and I like to call it "learning together".

Last but not least, I think it's important to set clear goals, have a personalised approach and a friendly atmosphere during the classes combined with continuous feedback.

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Personal Description:
I am a master's level qualified practitioner with many years of teaching experience. I currently teach at the Royal College of Art, Loughborough University and UAL.

Teaching Experience:
Exams
Portfolios preparation
Portfolio Review
Assessments
Briefs
Crits preparation
Presentations review

Tutoring Approach:
Individual and tailored approach for every individual to achieve really strong and critically engaged outcomes.

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