Godstone Tutors & Godstone Tuition

Personal Description:
Hello and welcome :-)

I'm Craig and I have been teaching languages for almost 15 years now. I am a relaxed and patient teacher and will be well suited to anyone who needs to learn at their own pace or who needs things explained well and carefully to them.

I am also well qualified for the job with a BA Honours degree with triple distinctions in Spanish, Italian & French as well as Teacher Qualified Status and a CELTA. I have also lived, worked and studied in Spain, Italy, France and Greece.

I have studied a lot of languages myself. I've studied over 30 languages over the years. I have achieved fluency in the languages I teach, but I have also reached a fairly good standard in some other languages or have acquired a basic knowledge of many others. I will use some of the methods I have used to learn these languages to help teach you.

I will help you, step by step, to begin speaking and understanding your chosen language.

I am also DBS (previously CRB) checked for your security.



Here are a few a reviews from my customers:

I thoroughly recommend Craig to everyone as an excellent Spanish tutor. He is kind, patient and commited to his students.
My daughter, who had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) had an hour`s lesson every week for eighteen months, after her secondary school was unable to offer Spanish lessons. She achieved an A* grade in her GCSE exam (Review by Kerrie, Sittingbourne)

I thoroughly recommend Craig if you are looking to learn a foreign language. I spent my teenage years completely adamant that a second language was beyond me. German was my weakest subject and I sat at the back of the class applying my make up! I am now working towards conversational Spanish, and after just over 3 months I am able to hold a Facebook messenger conversation with my South American friends! Not only has Craig taught me enough grammar to achieve this, he also anticipates difficulties English speakers may have with certain language constructs and works through those too. I always look forward to my lessons each week, and enjoy doing the practice questions I`m given for homework. (Review by Emma, Chatham)

I am giving my Italian lessons with Craig a 5 star rating. I began my lessons as a complete novice and now feel confident enough to be going on holiday to Italy to stay in a non-English speaking village. Craig is a highly-skilled professional. I recommend him to anyone who wants to learn a language (he speaks and teaches many!) whether a beginner or with some existing knowledge, for holidays, for work or to reinforce their language learning. (Review by Amanda, Maidstone)

Teaching Experience:
I have been teaching languages since 2004 and have worked as a full time language tutor since 2010.
I have also taught in language schools in the UK and abroad as well as in public schools.

Tutoring Approach:
I am very patient and will guide you step by step towards speaking your language of choice. I use a mix of my own course designed by me and materials from other sources such as course books, grammar books and realia.

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Personal Description:
I am a fully qualified economics and business teacher with 20 years' experience in secondary schools, and now as a full-time tutor. I've provided over 9,000 hours of private tuition to 400+ UK and overseas students. I have an economics degree from Liverpool University. Prior to teaching I worked in advertising for 10 years. I also own two online businesses. I live in Bristol, am married with 3 teenage children, and I am passionate about helping young people achieve their potential.

Teaching Experience:
I taught economics in secondary schools for over 10 years, but I am now a full-time tutor. I typically tutor 40 to 50 students across an academic year, and they consistently perform above expectations; for example the majority of my 2024 students achieved at least a grade B, with several gaining an A*. However, my main focus is adding value, and all my previous students have improved at least one grade since I began working with them. Indeed many have improved by 3 or more grades. I teach all the major exam boards (International Baccalaureate, Cambridge International, Edexcel, Edexcel International, AQA, Eduqas, OCR and WJEC) and am an experienced economics examiner. I also have a current CRB.

Tutoring Approach:
I will always begin by discussing my tutee's individual requirements and areas of the syllabus they would like to focus on. Students may ask to recap concepts and theories that aren't fully understood, however in my experience most require help with exam technique, and how to translate their knowledge into a high grade answer. I therefore place a great emphasis on guiding students through the process of answering past paper questions, across all topic areas. In our sessions I will help with essay structure, illustrate how to use higher order analytical and evaluation skills, and crucially, how to apply an answer to information in a case study, or how to bring in real world examples.

Over the years I have taught an increasing proportion of students online, so that currently about 90% of my tutoring is done this way. I use Skype/Google Meet/Zoom and Google Docs, which students can also access. This makes the sessions as interactive as meeting face to face, and it also means I can tutor students from anywhere in the world (I have taught people in South Africa, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Spain, France, Serbia, Russia, Montenegro and Bermuda). I always encourage students to provide feedback so that they receive maximum benefit from their teaching.

Below are some testimonials from past students (many more can be seen in the reviews section):

"Ian tutored my daughter prior to her A Level exams in the summer of 2024. She had been predicted a B grade, but needed an A for her university offer. Ian covered content as well as exam technique with her, they also worked through past papers together and Ian on request would mark some of her written work. My daughter achieved an A☆ in economics… This was beyond her expectations, and we are extremely grateful for Ians tutoring and guidance." - Mrs De Simone - Cambridge

"My son initially struggled with the subject gaining an E grade in his mock exams but with Ian's help he managed a grade B in his AS level and attained an A grade in both A level papers. This was a huge improvement over the two years and I doubt it would have been possible without Ian's help, both with weekly tutoring and the all important pre-exam revision days. Ian's approach was personalised and intensive and my son's needs we're concentrated upon fully. Ian was always punctual and organised and struck up a good relationship with the whole family. I would happily recommend him." Mrs W - Redland, Bristol

"Matt only got an E grade in his February A2 mock exam and the school predicted he would get a C grade at A2. With the significant assistance from Ian, Matt achieved an A* at A2. In his other two A levels, Matt achieved Bs (he also had tutors for these). There are several reasons why Ian made the difference: 1.Being taught on Skype. Matt was initially very apprehensive about being taught on Skype rather than in person. But Skype proved really beneficial. Firstly it enabled Matt to fit in tuition at times that would just not have been possible if travel had been involved. Secondly it enabled Matt to have additional lessons when he had spare time. 2.Focussing on how to structure essay answers. The school just didn't put anywhere near enough emphasis on this crucial area. 3. Essay marking. A key aspect of A2 is exam practice. We paid Ian for essay marking which meant that Matt was effectively maximising his time with Ian. 4. Not accepting mediocrity. The school said that Matt should not retake his AS exams as he had a good B grade. Ian said he should retake as he could do better. 5. Providing positive encouragement. Matt has always lacked belief in himself and Ian gave Matt the confidence that he could achieve a good result.
We would strongly recommend Ian as an Economics tutor" Mr P - South Gloucestershire

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Personal Description:
I am self motivated and knowledgeable person. I am having good command and knowledge of accounting, taxation, management accounting and related business studies which I have gained by my education and my experiences.

Teaching Experience:
I have taught O.Levels & A.Levels for 9.year and CAT and ACCA for 11.Years.
I have taught accounting Students from University of Wolverhampton, University of Hertfordshire, Roehampton University & University of Surrey in last 8 years.

Tutoring Approach:
I am always making the student understand the concepts not just memorize them.

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Personal Description:
I am a very experienced and enthusiastic Teacher and Tutor of Economics to A Level, living in Cardiff.

Teaching Experience:
I am currently teaching the full WJEC A Level Economics course at two leading Independent Schools. I teach part time at each, and have done various freelance work with other schools in person/online, and have tutored students privately for many years. I am currently an Examiner in Economics.

Tutoring Approach:
Tuition at your home (Cardiff area) or online via Google Meet.

We will cover any areas causing difficulties, as well as working through past papers. I have lots of resources, and pay particular attention to exam technique and understanding how to meet the marking criteria when answering questions. I have resources accessible online through Google Classroom.

My tutoring sessions are 50 minutes each. I am happy to set and/or mark extra work as part of the service.

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Personal Description:
Hi! I'm an Oxford graduate with a 2:1 in English Language and Literature. I graduated in 2013 and went on to study an MSc in Psychology at Oxford Brookes, in which I achieved a distinction. I am now a published author, and split my time between writing novels and tutoring. Tutoring has always appealed to me as a rewarding way to put the skills that I learnt during my degree and masters to good use. Reading English at Oxford honed my critical thinking, analytical abilities and study skills, while my masters gave me experience in data analysis and conducting research. My day job as an author has also deepened my understanding of how to write effectively. I enjoy tutoring others and helping them to develop these skills too! In my spare time, I like to read and play boardgames. I'm highly experienced in teaching both in person and via Zoom, Skype and Teams. As well as tutoring, I also specialise in editing, copy-editing and proofreading academic essays, job applications and CVs, and articles. I offer creative writing coaching to writers of all ages.

Teaching Experience:
I have been tutoring for over ten years and have worked with lots of students of all ages. Many of my students have worked with me through the transition from primary to secondary school, or through their GCSEs and on into their A Levels. I am particularly experienced in helping students to prepare for secondary school entrance exams, GCSEs, and A Levels.

I successfully completed an assessment for the selective tutoring agency Blue Tutors. During the assessment I had to demonstrate my tutoring ability to a trained assessor, who described my communication skills as 'excellent'.

In my final term at Oxford, I volunteered with Schools Plus, a program which runs after school tuition sessions for struggling students in areas of economic disadvantage. I spent half a term working with GCSE English students, tutoring them on an individual basis in the run up to their January modules. As part of the selection process for the program, I also attended tutoring training.

When I was in the 6th form (in 2009), I also volunteered as a classroom assistant in my school. I was working with students who were having difficulty with essay-based subjects like History and English. I worked with two students in their History classes, helping them to understand the work they were set in class and working through it with them. I had to use my knowledge of French to help one student who had not yet learnt to speak fluent English, translating the teacher's instructions for her and helping her with words she did not understand. Between 2009-10, I helped to run two after-school classes for Key Stage 2 pupils, one in Literacy and Art and another in Drama. This involved planning and delivering lessons to classes of about 5-10 children, and keeping them engaged with the topics they were learning through activities designed to both teach and entertain.

Tutoring Approach:
My experience of tutoring has shown me the importance of patience and respect in teaching. Especially in essay-based subjects, it is crucial that a teacher allows their pupils space to develop their own ideas, and respects their independent thought. Learning by rote has only limited usefulness: the best way to excel at a subject is to understand it, so I always explain concepts as fully as possible and move at the tutee's pace, making sure that they have properly grasped each concept or issue before moving on to the next. My Schools Plus training emphasised the idea that the goal of tutoring is to help a student to help themselves, enabling them to tackle problems rather than solving things for them. I think that this is fantastic advice, and it is a rule which I always try to bear in mind when tutoring.

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Personal Description:
I am a trustworthy, hard-working and conscientious person. I am a quick learner with an exemplary timekeeping and attendance record. I take satisfaction in achieving high standards in any task I undertake, and possess a methodical and organised working approach. Equally capable of working both within a team and on an individual basis, my communication, interpersonal skills and knowledge enable me to interact with colleagues at all levels within the workplace. I love work with children from nursery, preschool and primary school up to stage 1.

Teaching Experience:
One very special working experience achievement was with children y3-4 and y5-6 in a primary school. I was not only teaching Italian Language but I was involved as producer and director of Goldilocks and the three bears in the Italian spoken language which has never been done before as a movie.
Date: from March to April 2005.
Actors were primary school children, which have been selected from the Head Teacher and me. I have trained them every week from March to April 2005 to play on different set. (Drama lessons included). The movie has been filmed in July 2005.
My experience was not only as an Italian Teacher but director and producer and composer for the editing of background music and special audio effects. This is the first time I have made my first movie. (17 minutes footage).
Sponsor for the project and investor was the Italian Consulate of Manchester (U.K.). Very good reward and payment + bonus for the hard work I have done in those months.

Tutoring Approach:
I can teach academic primary school subject up to stage 1 and Italian language for beginners, level 1 and 2 and advanced.
Further Education Adults Course.

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Personal Description:
I teach Japanese on face-to-face basis (from home), or via Microsoft Teams (on line).
I also use e-mail correspondences about writings (students scan their work and send them to me via e-mail).

I do GCSE Japanese, general conversation in Japanese, essay writing in Japanese, etc., based upon your requests.
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in a particular field to study.

I also do JLPT-exam based lessons - (one of my students is aiming at JLPT N1 level.) upon students' request.

Thank you very much.

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I am a native Japanese, and I have a full academic record about the education of Japanese language.
Also I have professional carrier history about teaching Japanese for a non-native Japanese speakers at reputable companies.
I am also a professional interpreter, and translator in Japanese - English and vice versa.

I have rich professional experience in Japan and in England for over 20 years.

I have double degree in literature and linguistics (Master's degree in linguistics, too).

In recent years, I have involvement of the school activities to read Japanese and English books.

All students are happy to be taught by me, as I have rich experience of teaching.

Teaching Experience:
I was also used to be a professional Japanese tutor for non-native Japanese (Malay trainee) hired by an international textile company, Toyobo in the past.
I also conduct private tutoring at home. Examples of my students' nationalities: British, Canadian, Malay, American.

I currently hold UK PGCE Secondary teacher qualification.

Tutoring Approach:
Learning a foreign language is very challenging. Especially people who are not familiar with the new language, because they do not see the words and the grammatical structures in common with their language.
However, some people need to study a foreign language to achieve good score of an exam.
In this case, we have to focus on a short-term goal. Specific exercise is necessary to achieve the goal.
I can offer the various options of the package that are based on a specific goal, and on the current level of a student. By focusing a specific goal, students can achieve to the level they wished for in a very short term.

My aim as a tutor is to create in my students a deep understanding and confidence in answering exam questions and being able to tackle new and unfamiliar problems. My philosophy is based on the idea that learning happens in an environment of mutual respect in which the student is encouraged to think and make new connections for themselves. My experience has been that one-to-one personal tuition has a unique value to students because of the ability to resolve the students' personal barriers to learning in a way that lays the foundations for a deep and lasting understanding of the subject.

My approach varies depending on the student's needs and learning style. However my teaching philosophy is based on encouraging students to think for themselves, using real-world examples wherever possible. I start from topics the students are comfortable with and move gradually towards more complex areas as their confidence builds. I use questions and examples to check understanding continually. I don't lecture to students or ask them to memorise things. Nor do I do the students' homework for them!

I believe passionately in the huge value of tutoring to students and take great satisfaction in seeing my students achieve their full potential.

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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:
Hello! Hola! My name is Fernando and I am a Spanish teacher. Born in Valencia (Spain) I have completed my degree in English Studies and specialised in the teaching of foreign languages. I have been working as a teacher of languages (both English and Spanish) for three years now, and I hope to keep doing it for many more.
I am:
- Responsible.
- Empathetic.
- Flexible.
- Punctual.
- Hard-working.
- Curious.
- And all the personality-traits needed to be a good teacher.

Teaching Experience:
I have been working as a Spanish teacher in the following places:
- Coventry University (from Oct. 2016 to May 2017).
- Fundación CEPAIM (from Oct. 2017 to Aug. 2019).
- Royal Leamington Spa College (from Sept. 2019-December 2020).
- Aberystwyth University (from January 2021)

Apart from that, I have worked as an English teacher in Helen Doron Picanya since March 2018 to July 2019. Experience with children, teeangers and adults.

References available under request.

Tutoring Approach:
As a tutor, I try to be flexible in my approach to adapt to my students' needs. Most of the time I try to be as clear as possible in the explanation of the grammar so it serves a purpose communicatively. Therefore, I put an emphasis on grammar and communicative practice, both related to one another.
My main objective is to make my lessons engaging and interesting, always specially tailored for the needs of the students.
I can also bring my own teaching material or use that of the student.

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Personal Description:
Hey! I am an A-Level student looking to consolidate my knowledge by helping others. I achieved all grade 8s and 9s at GCSE level (this is equivalent to As and A*s). I have a vast skill base. I have been head boy, prefect and a young leader.

Teaching Experience:
Tutoring students in the lower school

Tutoring Approach:
I believe that teaching students on their level and disregarding the formalities like 'sir' or 'miss' builds a stronger bond between tutor and student. I am very patient and I am very capable of changing the wording so you understand. I can also provide you with my own revision notes that got me my awesome grades.

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Personal Description:
I have experience of working in one of the big 4 Accounting firms as well as industry as a qualified Accountant. Tutoring comes natural to me,with years of experience under my belt . I have done classroom teaching of A level students on a part time basis where i taught Accounting, i have also done one on one tutoring for subjects like Maths , English at primary level. I have experience teaching students from primary level from year 4 to year 11 up to A level as well as professional level. I also provide learning for Accounting professionals doing AAT, degree and CIMA

Growing up my parents were both in the teaching field and i acquired skills of learning and how to share knowledge with others. I endeavour to deliver the best and create a comfortable learning environment for my students. They should free to ask questions and there wont be such a thing as a silly question in other words an environment where the students can express themselves without feeling judged. I aim to get all my students to pass with flying colours and achieve their career goals.

I am available Saturdays from 10am till 6pm and weekdays after 6pm till 9pm.

Teaching Experience:
I have had over 3 years worth of experience teaching and supporting students from A level to Master degree level.

Tutoring Approach:
I use a combination of providing learning materials and also using the students learning resources. I am open to mainly online tutoring but can also do in person in areas around Leeds UK.

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Personal Description:
I work mostly as a software developer and have been doing this, self employed, for over 20 years. Maths tuition makes up a significant part of my work, but it is no more than half. Previous work has included engineering, as a draughtsman and CAD operator. I retrained as a teacher in the 1990s during a period of unemployment, but apart from some part time work in further education I have not worked as a teacher until recently starting with tuition.

Teaching Experience:
I have degree in Mathematical Education with Qualified Teacher Status and this included teaching in secondary school. I have also taught a Materials Science module in further education at the same time that I was training as a teacher. This was between 1993 and 1995.
I worked for an online tuition provider from November 2021 to December 2022, teaching maths to students between years 7 and 11, including GCSE revision. I taught around 400 lessons in that time.
At the time of writing this I am still providing online tuition but have a much reduced timetable while I try to acquire some more students.

Tutoring Approach:
For online tuition I use Zoom for the connection and a virtual whiteboard that allows me to share images and documents, and write and draw on them. My approach varies depending on the age and ability of the student. For older students looking to improve their exam grades it is usually a mixture of working through past papers, looking at specific questions, or demonstrating a particular topic. At the younger end We may be going over a topic that has been done in school recently and there will be more emphasis on the student answering some questions as we work through exercises.
I do have some practical experiences of using maths throughout my employment and will try to find real examples of maths in action where this is possible.

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