Minstead Tutors and Minstead 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 decided to start tutoring after my experience in trying to get tutors for my own children. As a professional working internationally I thought it would be easy to hand over this important element of their education to someone with both experience and patience. My notion was quickly turned on its head. The Tutors I found taught textbook style with the one shoe fits all approach. My children and others didn't fit into that mould. I very quickly realised that I could do a better job and took the role in house, initially teaching my own daughters before extending out to their friends.
To date I have tutored over 50 children who have gone onto their chosen schools and streams. I believe that tutoring should be about delivering skills to children that they can carry with them throughout their young lives and provide a solid platform on which to develop.

Teaching Experience:
Have tutored key stage 2 and 3.
11 plus students and common entrance applicants.
Recently started to tutor mildly dyslexic students in English comprehension and Language.
Currently writing essays for publication in English Literature and Sociology and Business GCSE and AS level. As well as E papers for 11 plus students.

Tutoring Approach:
I love seeing peoples enthusiasm toward a subject which I also share the same excitement towards however I am also passionate about helping people who may need help or are looking for methods to improve their skills in these topics.

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Personal Description:
I have been tutoring GCSE English for many years in a college. I keep up to date with current changes in the syllabus and regularly attend training with my organisation. My last observation resulted in an outstanding grade. I am used to working with groups of students and giving 1 to 1 tuition. I believe that constructive feedback is the key to progress and would expect my student to complete homework so that I can monitor understanding.
I have a vast range of resources and also use IT.

Teaching Experience:
As well as tutoring I am an assistant principal examiner for one of the large examination boards. This gives me invaluable insight into how the exam is marked and I have many past papers to use as a resource. I also examine for other exam boards so I am aware of the different mark schemes.
I currently teach GCSE English language papers 1 and 2 and English Literature.

I am pleased to confirm that the students I have tutored achieved the higher grades that they needed!

Tutoring Approach:
My focus is on the learner.

I will identify areas of weakness and focus on these aiming to raise the level of responses. I think learning should be interactive and will encourage self assessment to improve work. I have lots of examples of past questions for practise. I would expect my student to attend sessions regularly and on time and stick to deadlines for completing homework.

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Personal Description:
I am an energetic and ambitious final year university student with five years of experience in tutoring. Italian is my first language but I am also fluent in English (IELTS level C1).
I have been an exchange student in 2016/17 in England and I obtained my AS levels. The year after I went back to Italy to complete my studies and gain the Italian Diploma di Stato, in which I scored 82/100. I was then back in England to obtain the A-level qualifications and I am now studying at University.

Teaching Experience:
I have 5 years of experience with both children and adults, both face to face and online.
My lessons are very interactive and engaging, and they are all customized based on students' needs. Tutoring is a real passion for me, so I do my very best for each student to reach his or her full potential.

Tutoring Approach:
My methodology is quite structured, but I easily adapt to students' styles and preferences.

99% of the students who come to me want to learn how to talk to people, so I am used to this request. I help them achieve this by ensuring that they know their grammar inside and out, and by supporting them with their speaking alongside it. The more we build on the grammar, the more we can build on the speaking, simultaneously. I have personally designed 4 levels of speaking, so the activities vary based on the level the student is in and build up smoothly.
For students who are interested in long-term tutoring, I often recommend a textbook to use along with my slides. I also make use of WhatsApp to send recordings if the student is struggling with pronunciation.

Most people appreciate the importance of knowing some basic grammar before they can practice speaking, and they are open to trusting me to fill in their knowledge gaps first. Once that's done (usually after 5-6 sessions if you start from zero), I introduce them to my "level 1" speaking practice, which is about describing a picture or something that they can visually see, in short, disconnected sentences. "Level 2" would be to try and get that speech to flow a little bit better by using pronouns and particles to avoid repetition. "Level 3" would be to add a bit of made-up background to that picture. For example, if they see that the table is laid but an object is missing, such as cutlery, they can try and think of why that could be (e.g. the man forgot to put the cutlery on the table). "Level 4" will involve describing procedures or things that they can partially visualize, or that are completely abstract, for example, describing every single action taken to make a cake, or talking about a past holiday. Lastly, "level 5" involves debating about current issues or picking a topic, establishing that we have two different opinions, and the student has to try to convince me of theirs.
These "levels" vary from person to person but it provides at least an idea of how the speech develops alongside the grammar, which is present in every session.

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Personal Description:
Having lived in the UK for the last 22 years and raised a family along side having a career in hospitality, french speaking & culture is part of the family daily life.
I am familiar with the current french curriculum and though my experience of training and guiding teams in the past, combined with a fun and agreeable personality, improving your french and reach your goals become a great experience all round.

Teaching Experience:
I have in the past successfully tutored several teenagers towards their GCSE French as well as supporting my own children throughout their school life.

Tutoring Approach:
It is very important to set goals and understand what the student is looking for from the lessons. The experience should be tailored to each individual.

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Personal Description:
I offer drawing and painting Art lessons for children 10+ and adults (no age limit )
Preparation for entrance examinations for the Fine Art universities in Cyprus _ Greece _ and abroad.
Portfolio preparation for College _ Universities in Cyprus and abroad.
I teach all kind of drawing and painting techniques: academic drawing, oil/acrylic/tempera and water color, for beginner to advance level.
Student Rate for online Art lesson 30€£/h
Please send me a message for more information

Teaching Experience:
I have more than 12 years of Art teaching experience in Private and Public Schools.
As mentioned above for more than 12 years I have been participating in various sectors and positions as an Art teacher.
My experience in public and private workshops and schools, includes among others Foundation courses for the National School of Fine Arts and taking over a variety of State Art educational programs targeting the children and the elderly.
Furthermore one of my projects as an Art teacher that I take pride in is the one I prepared, in collaboration with 350 students,and I presented on behalf of Greece in the framework of the 3rd Comenius meeting in 2013, and of the ERASMUS educational programmer in 2019.

Tutoring Approach:
One of my greatest strengths as an Art Educator is meeting each student's unique needs by developing their inter-personal apprehension for the art and explore more their visual and sensory capabilities while expressing themselves. By treating students as individuals I maintain a class environment where all students are given the opportunity to learn the basic art practices and develop critical skills such as composition, colouring, texturing, symmetry and reality replication. My goal is to increase student's confidence to develop their judging skills, their innate creativity, personal awareness, and appreciations for the arts in a variety of forms such as 2D ,Academic Drawing and 3D, by using either traditional, or digital art mediums.

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Personal Description:
I have 14 years' experience as a tutor of both Maths and Business Studies at GCSE and A Level, and have a record of helping students of all abilities to achieve and exceed their target grades.

I believe in a personable approach and work with the student to explore topics and prepare for exams. My style has been appreciated by my clients, many of whom have asked me back to help the younger siblings or recommended me to others.

Outside work, my main interest is travel!

Teaching Experience:
I have tutored both maths and Business Studies since 2006 and have six years' teaching experience, five of which were as a Head of Department. Whilst now working in industry, I have continued to tutor students up to and including A Level. I have worked with students of all abilities to help them exceed their target grade in examinations, including getting top grades.

Tutoring Approach:
Everyone is different and, by its very nature, tutoring is focused on an individual. This makes it very different to learning in a classroom environment. I believe in having an adaptable approach which best reflect the learning style of the individual to bring out the best in them. I also like to bring in real-world examples as a way of contextualising topics.

I will spend time on topics and explain and demonstrate concepts methodically to ensure a full understanding and increase confidence when tackling questions. Rather than just show the 'how', I will show the 'why'. By having this deeper understanding, it helps provide context to a topic and will allow students to approach questions with confidence. I also believe in stretching students to achieve their full potential - I will always encourage you to go the extra mile.

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Personal Description:
I am a current Principal Teacher of Developing the Young Workforce as well as a Teacher of Computing Science within a Secondary School.

Teaching Experience:
I have been a classroom teacher of Computing Science since 2014 and have experience of teaching this subject at National 4, National 5 and Higher level. My preferred programming languages are Python and LiveCode but I have experience of marking Visual Basic as an SQA Marker.

Tutoring Approach:
I mainly offer online learning but can travel if manageable. I am available during weekday evenings or weekends.

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Personal Description:
I am Polish native speaker and Polish certificate state exams examiner.
I offer you Polish language lessons in a very nice, calm and comfortable atmosphere on all levels :)
I know that Polish is hard, that is why i teach it.
I will help you to start speaking and understanding Polish people.

Teaching Experience:
I have 12 years of experience in teaching Polish in London and in Poland as well.
I was living 8 years in London where I had a chance to teach people Polish. Thanks to that I understand the needs of my students more.

Tutoring Approach:
I graduated 5 years full-time studies of Polish philology and gain a Master of Art degree.
Then I graduated 2 years of studying Polish as a foreign language on a postgraduated studies.
I also prepare my students for Polish language Certificate exams on all levels, because I am an examiner as well.

You will know much about Polish culture and a little bit of our history without which you may find it hard to understand Poland and language in general. I provide all of that on the lessons :)

Subjects

Personal Description:
I specialise in teaching A-Level Maths and Further Maths. I teach using clear exposition and by giving many examples. I have a massive database of resources including questions from both past exam papers and questions tailored to the common difficulties experienced by students in each topic. I believe the best way to learn A-Level Maths is by practice and experience of as many questions and problem types as possible. Having a tutor who is able to guide you through these problems and select an appropriate follow up task whilst also being able to identify key areas in need of development will give you a great advantage in your final exams.
I am unable to travel, or tutor in my home, so all private tuition will take place on Microsoft Teams. You will need a Microsoft account and can either download the Teams app or use the web app by visiting teams.microsoft.com

Teaching Experience:
I have been teaching Maths and Further Maths in schools and specialist A-level colleges since 1999.
I moved over to full time private online tuition in 2021. Prior to that I was the head of the Mathematics department in a private sixth form college for many years, taught intensive revision courses every Easter and gave classes to Oxbridge candidates who sat the various Oxbridge Maths entrance exams, I also coached for Maths competitions such as the British Mathematics Olympiad.
Now, as a private Tutor I continue to do all of the above privately and online.
During my time as a Head of Department I was continually exposed to discussion with exam boards about syllabus details and marking trends, this put me in a great position to advise students (and my staff) as to the best ways to go about tackling problems and the most effective way of presenting solutions to ensure maximum marks are gained.

Tutoring Approach:
I use Microsoft Teams for online teaching, which has some great features, such as file sharing, a chat system and automatic - outside classroom - access to any board work that is done during a lesson, which is great for students to review the lesson and to consolidate the parts of the lesson afterwards.
I have been teaching online lessons since 2019, both one to one individual tuition and larger groups, although I like to keep the group size to four or fewer. It is a highly convenient and safe way to teach for student and tutor alike and with the development of technology in recent years it has become my favourite way of giving private tuition.

Subjects

Personal Description:
As a passionate educator with over 5 years of experience teaching mathematics and physics in Manchester, I specialise in helping KS3, GCSE, and A-Level students excel. By simplifying complex concepts and tailoring lessons to individual learning styles, I make learning both effective and enjoyable. My students consistently achieve outstanding results, with over 80% improving by at least two grades in a short time, and many securing top marks or places at their desired schools.

I am also experienced in supporting students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), providing the personalised guidance they need to thrive. Outside of tutoring, I enjoy coding, running, and playing team sports such as rugby and football. These activities keep me energised and motivated, ensuring I bring enthusiasm and inspiration to every lesson, helping students build confidence and realise their full potential.

Teaching Experience:
With a strong academic foundation and hands-on teaching expertise, I excel at breaking down even the most challenging topics into simple, relatable concepts. My adaptable teaching style ensures that every student learns at their own pace, and I am committed to helping them not only improve their grades but also develop a deep understanding and lasting confidence in mathematics and physics.

I pride myself on creating a supportive, engaging environment where students feel empowered to tackle challenges and reach their goals. Whether helping a student master the fundamentals or preparing for high-stakes exams, my focus remains on inspiring a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.

Tutoring Approach:
My approach to teaching is student-centred, focusing on interactive problem-solving and real-world applications. Lessons, typically lasting 60 to 90 minutes, blend theoretical insights with practical exercises to make maths and physics both accessible and engaging. I encourage active participation, fostering a positive learning environment where students feel confident to ask questions and explore new ideas.

After each lesson, I provide students with clear, concise notes and step-by-step solutions to key problems covered in the session. Additionally, I assign targeted exercises to reinforce their understanding and support future revision. My ultimate goal is to simplify challenging concepts, help students build confidence, and inspire an appreciation for the beauty and logic of mathematics and physics.

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Personal Description:
I hold a master's degree in Arabic language from Saudi Arabia,

Teaching Experience:
I have an excellent command of grammar, and have 10 years of experience in editing and writing in Arabic.
I also have 4 years of experience teaching Arabic.

Tutoring Approach:
I teach face-to-face and online.
I use PowerPoint presentations, a variety of books on teaching the language to non-native speakers, and videos of dialogues in a variety of ways. Engage students in each lesson through practice, in-class exercises, and homework assignments.

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