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Personal Message

I am a friendly and enthusiastic mathematician, who has discovered in later life that the physical sciences have much to offer as well (I used to suffer from the snobbery of the pure mathematician!). I believe that there is much beauty to be found in mathematics and science, and try to convey this appreciation alongside the technical skills required to get you through your exams. Maths doesn't have to be the impenetrable list of technicalities it is often portrayed as!

Interview

Which subject(s) do you teach?
I teach A Level Mathematics and AS Level Physics.

I can offer immediate tutoring for Mathematics modules C1-C4 (Core Mathematics), M1 (Mechanics) and S1 (Statistics). I can offer support for other Mathematics modules after discussing your particular needs.

I am also able to tutor most AS Physics topics. I currently teach OCR AS Physics A at a local school, so I am most familiar with this specification, but I am happy to discuss your requirements if you are taking the AQA or Edexcel specifications.

Tell me about your qualifications.
I have a first class BSc (Hons) degree in Mathematics and its Applications from the University of Sussex, as well as the expected A Levels (Mathematics, Statistics, Physics) and O Levels (showing my age there…).

What kind of experience do you have?
I have some experience of tutoring mathematics undergraduates during postgraduate study at the University of Sussex. More recently, I completed a successful teacher training placement at a local school, before deciding that mainstream teaching was not for me – I think that I enjoy the actual teaching and my subject more than the additional demands of conventional teaching! I am currently working as a science technician at a local school, and frequently perform demonstrations to classes, so have maintained my link to day-to-day classroom activity. More recently, I have taken over the teaching of AS Physics at the school, in addition to my regular duties.

How much do you charge?
I normally charge £25 per hour, but offer a special rate of £15 for the first hour session with each pupil (a chance for you to be reassured that I will be of use to you without breaking the bank). I am happy to arrange discounts to groups of students.

Where do you teach?
I live near the Brighton/Hove border, and can travel easily to anywhere in the Brighton & Hove area. I may consider travelling outside Brighton & Hove, depending on your actual location. I prefer to teach at a student’s own home, but if this is not possible, a public location such as a library could be arranged. I do not teach at my home.

When are you available?
I can teach between 5pm and 8pm, Monday to Friday. Later hours are not impossible, and weekends could be negotiated, but these are my preferred hours.

Which ages and levels do you teach?
As detailed above, I’m offering A Level Mathematics and Physics tuition. Beyond that, age is not important – from child prodigies aiming to break the “youngest A Level” record to people returning to studying later in life – as well as all you conventional A Level students – I am happy to tutor anyone grappling with the subject.

Do you have an up-to-date CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) disclosure certificate?
Sometimes it feels like I’m collecting them. I’ve had one for helping out at primary school, one for being the treasurer of my son’s pre-school, one for being on a PGCE course, and currently one for working in a secondary school. So that’s a yes.

Describe your arrangements for online tutoring.
This is an option I will be looking into for the future, but for now, I am only offering face-to-face sessions.

Do you have a personal message for students?
When friends asked me how I managed to get a first in my Maths degree, I’m afraid I could only offer a traditional answer – hard work, and a fair amount of it. Maths is one of the hardest subjects to bluff your way through, and although it’s possible to scrape by with a passing acquaintance of the concepts involved, you will never do particularly well without a deeper understanding of the subject. However, this shouldn’t be taken as a cause for despair – far from it! With a proper understanding of the subject, a real empathy with the “why” rather than the “how”, Mathematics not only becomes far more interesting but also easier. I always aim to help students see the bigger picture and how the disparate parts of the A Level syllabus fit together.

Although my A Level days are some years behind me, I can still recall with startling clarity how challenging many of the topics were when I first encountered them. Let me be your guide to this occasionally bewildering world!