English Language tutor & more · Caistor
John F.
GCSE A Level and University online tutor for English, Classical Civilisation, Film, Media and Theatre
English Language tutor & more · Caistor
GCSE A Level and University online tutor for English, Classical Civilisation, Film, Media and Theatre
About
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'.
£45–£55/hr · 5 subjects · 9 levels
Subjects & pricing
Languages
- English Native
Qualifications
Higher education
- PhD English Literature Certificate checked · University of Reading · 1991 University of Reading · 1991 Certificate checked
- MA English Literature Certificate checked · University of Oxford · 1977 University of Oxford · 1977 Certificate checked
Teaching qualification
- PGCE Drama Certificate checked · University of Leeds · 1973 University of Leeds · 1973 Certificate checked
Reviews from Tutorperch
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Reviews from First Tutors
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- Nov 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
Clare
My daughter is a few weeks in and already we are very impressed , John is a very nice man and his teaching is great , my daughters confidence has already improved
John F. replied
Hi Clare. Thank you so much for your feedback. I really appreciate you kind words. Your daughter is a pleasure to teach and she is starting to establish a really sound basis of understanding. Many thanks John
- Sept 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
Sridevi
Hi John, We are really happy with your teaching. Your way of explaining is very clear, and you make the lessons engaging and enjoyable. My daughter looks forward to your classes and is gaining confidence in English because of your approach. Thank you for being patient, encouraging, and supportive. it makes a difference in her learning. Thank you. Sri.
John F. replied
Hi Sridevi Thank you so much for your positive feedback. I really appreciate you taking the time. I am delighted my explanations are clear and helpful and i look forward to building your daughter's confidence even further in the months to come. With thanks and bdst wishes John
- Jun 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
Alan
John was absolutely amazing with my daughter Tan. Very kind and very fair. I would highly recommend and hoping John is able to tutor my next daughter. All the best John!
John F. replied
Thank you Alan. It was a pleasure to work with your daughter and to help her develop her creative writing skills. Best wishes. John
- Jun 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
Kate
My daughter finds John very approachable and he helps her understand the texts very clearly, boosting her exam confidence and technique. Would highly recommend.
John F. replied
Many thanks for your kind words. I really enjoy teaching your daughter and i am delighted to see her grow in confidence and critical skill.
- Apr 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
Thiran
John is an excellent English tutor for my two sons, one of whom is preparing for his GCSEs. I've noticed significant progress in their learning, and their confidence has also grown considerably. I would highly recommend John.
John F. replied
Thank you so much for your positive feedback on my work with Thiran and Gian. Their enthusiasm and hard work make my job a pleasure.
- Jan 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
alka
Mr. John is an excellent tutor providing invaluable support to my daughter in her GCSE preparations. His patience and politeness are exemplary.
John F. replied
Hi Alka. Thank you so much for your kind and supportive feedback. It is a privilege to be asked to help a young person achieve their full potential. We have a way to go, but your daughter is trying her hardest. I could not ask for more.
- Jan 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
Jane
Very pleased with the standard of tutoring provided by John - he explains clearly and in a way that my son enjoys.
John F. replied
Thank you Jane. I appreciate your comments. Harry is fun to teach works hard and keeps an open mind. I cannot ask for more.
- Jul 2024 ·imported from First Tutors
Namrata
John's classes have been really helpful for my son's improvement in English Literature and Language, as he has been getting better marks in both segments. He helps analyse the set texts in detail and explains the context behind it in order to give a greater understanding to my son. He has also showed him different ways to structure an essay in the longer questions on the language papers. He covers most things in depth and provides good feedback to his work.
John F. replied
Thank you Namrata for your positive and encouraging feedback. Ishaan is a great pleasure to teach. Attentive and open to new ways of looking at approaching writing and longer form essays. We have a year to go and i am sure there is even more improvement to come.
- Jun 2024 ·imported from First Tutors
Juliet
We found John to help our home-schooled daughter learn the course for her Classical Civilisation GCSE. She only had one year to complete the course and John has been excellent in teaching her. She sat the exam recently and felt that she had been well prepared. John knew his subject well and so was able to give lots of extra background information to the subject and was always clear in his explanations. He was very professional in his dealings with us, always giving notice for any lesson changes. It was a pleasure to have him as our daughter's tutor. We would highly recommend him.
John F. replied
Thank you so much for your detailed and enthusiastic feedback. I really aopreciate it. Clara was a terrific and diligent student. She had a great background in classical myth and legend which made it easy to enhance and deepen her understanding. It is greatly to her credit that she coped so well with packing two years' study into a littke more than a year. I was especially pleased that we established such an effective student/tutor relationship. I wish her every good fortune in the future.
- May 2024 ·imported from First Tutors
Matthew
John has been excellent! John started working with our son at the beginning of Year 13. He was able to understand where our son was very quickly, and then added immense value to his revision and exam preparations. Our son thoroughly enjoyed all his sessions with John, and we would recommend him to anyone looking for a Classics A-Level tutor. Thanks John!
John F. replied
Thank you Matthew for this very positive feedback. Gabriel was an absolute pleasure to teach, open to new ideas and always well prepared. I wish him every well deserved success he will achieve in the future. With my warmest best wishes John
- May 2023 ·imported from First Tutors
David
I contacted John during Easter break to help my daughter prepare for her upcoming GCSE English exams. She is a good student, but English is her weakest subject. John quickly responded and started giving her 2 lessons / week which she has found helpful.
John F. replied
Thank you so much for your feedback and the chance to work with Maria. She is a great student and I wish her every success in all her exams this summer. Best wishes. John
- May 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
Fabienne
Although the lessons with John were given in a relaxed atmosphere, my son needed more structured lessons and help with writing essays.
John F. replied
Thank you for your feedback. Tutoring is a highly personal matter and my first objective is to establish a calm and sensitive atmosphere and a positive working relationship with each student. From my perspective, in the four lessons we had together, Jack and I were well on the way to building a foundation for long term success. I wish him all the very best in future. Best wishes John
- Mar 2022 ·imported from First Tutors
Vikram
I reached out to John for my child's GCSE support. John has been an excellent help. His support and constant guidance has increased my child's confidence level immensely. He has thorough knowledge on both English Language and Literature. He explains each topic in great depth. He also helped a lot in reviewing my child's GCSE past paper attempts and provided great feedback. He is very flexible and open to reschedule the lessons based on my child school schedule. I fully recommend him. My best wishes to John. Thank you.
John F. replied
Thank you for your very positive comments. It has been a pleasure to work with such a dedicated and committed student.
- Sept 2020 ·imported from First Tutors
Yanmei
John taught my daughter GCSE English for one time. I can feel his passion for literature, he talked about every book my daughter mentioned and talked 10 minutes Shakespeare and history relationship when he knew my daughter like English and history, two subjects. He was able to ask some very in-depth questions to find out my daughter's level. He was very friendly and patient. My daughter liked John very much. I believe John is the best English teacher I've ever met so far.
John F. replied
Thanks Yanmei. I really enjoyed talking to your daughter and hope to work with her in the long term. I appreciate your kind words.
- Oct 2019 ·imported from First Tutors
Martin
We are so lucky to have found John. He is tutoring our 10 year old son for his forthcoming entrance exams and has been a real hit. The lessons are engaging and fun but also tailored and personal. We have already seen tremendous progress and a lovely enthusiasm from our son towards John's teachings, we would fully recommend him to others. Communication has been faultless and administration a breeze as a result, first class all round
John F. replied
Many thanks for your input. Max is engaged, positive and inquisitive. Which is all a tutor can ask. I look forward to the next year or so working with him.
- Aug 2019 ·imported from First Tutors
Rob
I have had several sessions with John as a mature BSc (Hons) Student, he has helped me gain confidence in my writing skills. He is a patient and thorough tutor who helps with understanding academic writing and the construction of dissertations. I really enjoy and look forward to the tutor time with John
John F. replied
Thanks Rob. I enjoy our sessions too and I am delighted they are proving helpful and effective. A very worthwhile experience for us both.
- Jun 2019 ·imported from First Tutors
Pam
My son has advanced considerably with the help of John, he is kind with consideration - simplifying the learning to his needs and ability. John has immense passion and knowledge for the subject which he is able to pass on with enthusiasm, tutoring my son was enormously helpful. I cannot recommend John highly enough - we were fortunate to find him and the service he provided has helped my son to reach his potential and importantly helped his confidence.
John F. replied
Thank you so much for such positive feedback. I really enjoyed the challenge of working with Matt. And I am delighted that his knowledge and confidence have improved so noticeably. Credit for that goes to him and his tenacity and and concentration. Good luck to him and thank you again.
- Feb 2019 ·imported from First Tutors
Ayoob
John is very experienced in English Language and always well prepared for his lessons.
John F. replied
Thank you. I am enjoying working with Yusuf. He too is well prepared and works hard!
- Nov 2018 ·imported from First Tutors
Nasser
John is an excellent teacher. We are delighted with him.
John F. replied
Great student and charming clients. Delighted to be working with them
- Mar 2018 ·imported from First Tutors
William
John is an excellent and experienced tutor - through his incredible knowledge and personal teaching style I have already begun to see improvements in my A Level studies. I cannot recommend John enough as a tutor.
John F. replied
Will is a delightful student and is receptive and perceptive. He is a pleasure to work with and determined to make our sessions succesful.
Hourly rates
£45–£55/hr
Varies by subject. See breakdown above.