John F.

I have been involved in every aspect of education for most of my working life, and that includes bringing up my three children - all of whom I taught! Though I am a qualified teacher with a post graduate degree, I am equally happy working with younger students. In my spare time, I am a writer and spend as much time as I can on my boat.

Over more than fifty years, I have taught at every age level from Infants to Oxbridge candidates, in maintained and independent schools. My specialist subjects are English, English Literature, Theatre, Film and Media Studies and Classical Civilisation. I have also been a headteacher, a principal, a governor, an examiner, a teacher trainer and school inspector. I am very familiar with the demands of entrance exams, SATs, GCSE, AS and A level - and I set up and ran units to help children with special learning needs including dyslexia and English as a Second Language. In recent years I have become more and more involved in tutoring undergraduate and post graduate students in subjects as diverse as Creative Media, Engineering Management and Education.

I believe tutoring needs three things to be successful: a clear goal, a clear plan to get there and a determination - by the student and the tutor - to make it work. A warm personal relationship is important - because that enhances the confidence of the student - and is a motivation in itself. I seek to share my enthusiasm, build confidence and maximise potential. And I always bear in mind that 'education is what is left when you have forgotten everything you were taught'.