Teaching Experience

I have ten years of experience working as a private tutor. Results over the last three years have been 91% A*-C (9-4), with 65% of students achieving a grade above the grade they set out as their initial target.

I also have four years of classroom teaching experience, having taught English Literature for KS4 and KS5 in the Cambridge School of Bucharest, Romania for two years, with 100% A*-C at GCSE and A level in 2019.

Following this, I worked as a homeschool governor with Gabbitas Education Agency for a high-net-worth client for two years, teaching nine GCSE subjects full-time (English Literature, English Language, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, French and Spanish; 25 hours teaching per week) and managing a small team of other tutors to provide a full education for a pair of siblings. Exam results were 85% A*-C (9-4) and 30% A*-A (9-7).

In addition to my knowledge of the AQA, Edexcel and OCR GCSE, CIE and Edexcel IGCSE, and various A level English syllabuses, I also know the syllabuses for Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics for Cambridge IGCSE and Edexcel International GCSE back-to-front, and teach them frequently, with excellent results. I can speak five additional languages (French, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Polish), and have taught Spanish and French with top results at IGCSE.

In my second year at CSB I mentored KS5 students on personal statement writing, in particular for Oxbridge applications; I have since continued this work freelance. Students of mine have successfully earned places at Oxford, King's, Durham, Bristol, SOAS, UChicago and Imperial for a range of disciplines.

My students whom I have tutored for entrance exams have successfully gotten in to Harrow, Winchester, St Paul’s, Westminster, King's College School, and Sevenoaks, among others.

I have also written English, VR and NVR questions for the 11+ and 13+ learning platform Atom Learning, which are still in use to this day.

Finally, I am a published writer, with published work in several American literary journals; I can therefore bring a knowledge of the subject from the “inside-out”, as it were. I therefore also have a good knowledge of legitimate literary magazines that publish and run competitions for young writers, in fiction and non-fiction, across the US, UK, Irish and Australian literary scenes. I am keen to promote young writers and help them take the first steps to launch their careers!

Tutoring Approach

I focus on building up the foundations of a subject, and looking for new or unusual ways of explaining the basic concepts, to see if this can get things to 'click'.

My experience teaching a broad range of subjects allows me to explain English in terms that a more mathematically-inclined student could find easier to grasp, and vice-versa.

With strong foundations established, I then push students to develop their skills, with tailor-made exercises, tracked specific targets, and highly-detailed written feedback to maximise improvement.

Finally, by pushing students to begin revision early and gradually, as well as explaining how the skills covered in lessons translate directly to exam mark scheme requirements, my students enter exam term with less stress and more control.

I can write short lesson reports after sessions upon request. This helps everyone to keep on the same page with current targets and long term progress.

Please get in touch with your specific goals; I would be excited to discuss your needs and agree on an approach that works for you.

Reviews (24)

ozlem

We started working with Benjamin in Autumn 2024, and I can honestly say that choosing him as my daughter's English tutor was one of the best decisions we made. Benjamin is an exceptional teacher with outstanding subject knowledge, but what truly sets him apart is his ability to inspire and motivate his students. My daughter has recently finished her GCSE exams, and while we are still awaiting the results, she feels confident that she has achieved a Grade 9. More importantly, the progress she has made reflects the quality of his teaching and the confidence he has helped her build. He has not only improved her academic performance but also completely changed the way she feels about English. She genuinely enjoys the subject now. In fact, she is already talking about how much she will miss her lessons with him. She has even considered taking English alongside her STEM subjects in Sixth Form, or doing an EPQ in English, simply to continue engaging with the subject and learning from him. Every lesson ended with my daughter feeling happy, motivated, and inspired. Benjamin has a wonderful ability to make learning both enjoyable and academically rigorous. His communication is excellent, and he is consistently kind, professional, patient, and supportive. He is also incredibly ethical and deeply committed to his students' progress. It is clear that he genuinely cares about their success and confidence, not just their grades. Throughout the time my daughter worked with him, we always felt she was receiving not only expert teaching but also encouragement, respect, and genuine guidance. We are very grateful for everything Benjamin has done. He has had a truly lasting positive impact on my daughter's academic journey, confidence, and attitude towards learning. I would recommend him without hesitation to any parent looking for a knowledgeable, professional, inspiring, and genuinely caring English tutor.

Tutor response

Thank you so much Özlem; these are very kind words. It's been a pleasure and Güneş has come along incredibly. I would be very happy to continue working with her next year. Fingers crossed for the summer - and onwards and upwards!

violay

Highly recommended! My kid absolutely loves Benjamin's classes. He is organized, approachable, and an excellent communicator. He explains everything with great clarity, making learning both efficient and enjoyable.

Tutor response

Thank you so much Viola! Alistair gave it his all - well done this year, and fingers crossed.

cary

Ben has been a great help to our twin boys, Andrew and Matthew, during their GCSE English revision. He quickly understood what each of them needed to work on and helped them feel more confident with both the set texts and exam technique. His lessons were focused, calm and very well judged, and his feedback to us as parents was always clear and thoughtful. We are very grateful for his support and would happily recommend him. Cary

Tutor response

Thank you Cary! I've been very impressed with the boys' progress. Wishing them the best of luck this summer.

First Tutors

My son really valued the sessions with Ben. He built up a good rapport with him and took on the helpful advice. We only had a few sessions, however, this still felt like it made a huge difference. Thanks Ben!

Tutor response

Thank you Kerry - glad I could help. Best of luck Ben!

First Tutors

I am forever grateful to Ben! He has supported, nurtured and prepared my son for the English GCSEs exams in a professional and caring way. Always making himself available and providing excellent and prompt feedback after sessions. There has always been a thorough plan before and after lessons. My son worked with Ben for 6 months in order to prepare him for his English GCSEs exams. It was a race against time because when my son first started, he had absolutely no hope to pass his English GCSEs exams. He had been out of school for 18 months and not studied any English at all. With a diagnosis of dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD it had been hard for him to keep up with all the learning. Ben turned things around and made it all possible for my son to achieve his best possible grade. I have worked with many tutors in the past (home educated my 2 kids for a year or so) and have found Ben to be excellent. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Ben. You will be in safe and excellent hands. Thank you so much Ben, for everything. All the best.

First Tutors

Ben has been tutoring GCSE English to my Y11 son for all of Term 1. English was his weakest subject. At then end of term 1 he sat his mock exams and got 7 for English exam and 8 for English Literature, which is amazing and I'm sure he would not have achieved this without Ben's input (he was sitting at a 4-6). My son has a positive attitude to his sessions with Ben and gets on well with him, he values his lessons and instructions. His mock results show me that he has taken everything on board and put it into practice.

Tutor response

Thank you Julie! Raiden's made huge progress and worked really hard for it, so a very well earned result. Keep up the great work.

First Tutors

Ben is a wonderful teacher. He is patient and reliable. My son has always struggled to engage with English lessons, but he has started to show interest in the texts he is analyzing. He says that, thanks to Ben, he can finally see the story behind the sheer form. With Ben's help, my son has been making steady progress and is on his way to achieving his GCSE goal.

First Tutors

I had a few lessons with Ben but they were very helpful. Ben is an excellent and personable English teacher. I highly recommend him.

Tutor response

Thank you very much Niovi, it was my pleasure!

First Tutors

I approached Ben to tutor my daughter in GCSE English language and literature, at a time when she needed help and guidance. My daughter is very bright and was achieving grades 7-9 across the board, so it was a conundrum as to why she wasn't doing as well in English. Having signed up with Ben, there was a fairly quick improvement to her results that Ben built on each week. Ben was able to really engage my daughter, teach her how to structure her work, critically appraise literature, and how to focus on answering the exam questions in the most effective ways. We saw a dramatic improvement over the course of 6 months with Ben's guidance and teaching skills. I don't want to jinx anything, as we're still waiting for the results. I would say without any hesitation that Ben is an excellent English tutor that I would highly recommend. Not only is Ben a first rate teacher, he also sets challenging and comprehensive homework so the student can learn offline, in-between lessons. Been scored Grade 9 in English tuition. AAA***⭐

Tutor response

Hello Richard - my pleasure! Thank you for your kind words and I wish Hannah the best of luck

First Tutors

I am incredibly grateful for Benjamin's exceptional tutoring. My son, who is from Poland, joined a British school in Year 11 and had never attended one before. With Benjamin's help, my son was able to prepare thoroughly for his GCSE English Language and Literature exams in just one year. Benjamin's ability to speak Polish made learning easier, and his tailored teaching methods were instrumental in my son's progress. Thanks to Benjamin's guidance, my son felt well-prepared and confident. I highly recommend Benjamin for his professionalism and dedication.

Tutor response

Thank you Tomasz! Wojtek was a pleasure to teach and I hope his hard work pays off. Bardzo mi miło i uprzejmie dziekuję :)

First Tutors

Ben helped my son in the lead up to his GCSE English exams as he was struggling. My son’s confidence improved and Ben’s ideas and techniques definitely helped him in the exams, particularly the creative writing section. I do feel there was still a need to ‘unlock’ the way my son thinks and help him to see things differently (he is very logical and maths is a strong subject whereas essay writing is not), which didn’t really happen, but I think this was probably partly due to the fact that we didn’t have enough sessions before the exams which wasn’t Ben’s fault!

Tutor response

Hi Debbie - thank you for your feedback. As you say, with only four one-hour sessions before the final exam there were limits to what we could achieve. I’d like to emphasise for future families reading this that while a systematic and sustained tutoring program can transform a student’s approach to a subject, this does take time and long-term commitment. I’ll make these expectations clearer in future. Good luck with the exams!

First Tutors

Ben has been great, my daughter enjoys the sessions and he is very knowledgeable.

Tutor response

Thank you Sian. Izzy has been a pleasure to teach - keep working hard!

First Tutors

Benjamin is an excellent tutor. My son was struggling with GCSE English at school but since he started having lessons with Ben his confidence has grown. He is doing really well and is enjoying his English sessions.

First Tutors

Benjamin is a great tutor. He's providing great support & suggested a number of new and helpful ways to master the topic. Highly recommended.

First Tutors

Benjamin was great! He really helped me improve my essay skills and enabled me to understand what I needed to do to make them better. He also helped me become more open minded when it came to looking at different perspectives.

First Tutors

Benjamin is wonderful to work with. He's enthusiastic about his subject, which he knows very well and he has a wealth of resources that he shares and brings to lessons. He has a very logical and thorough approach to tutoring; and is kind, encouraging and patient. He highlighted weakness in the first lessons and has targeted his help to where it's most needed. He's generous with his time and sets realistic targets between lessons. Very grateful for his help and would thoroughly recommend him as a tutor. Best wishes, Ben, and thank you…

First Tutors

My 7 years old daughter has English lessons with Ben. She really enjoys them. Lessons with Ben are always fun - she says. Ben takes a personal interest in hers progress and is working with her to ensure she achieved her goal. I would recommend Ben to any student. Thank you very much.

First Tutors

I highly recommend Benjamin as a candidate for a teaching position. Ben is an excellent tutor. Within the short period of time he managed to build a wonderful rapport with my son of 14. Most of all he was able to motivate my son, preparing his study plan in advance, thus drawing a clear line for developments anticipated throughout weeks to come and then leading it all the way, making the study material more accessible for the student's easy understanding. He has excellent written and verbal communication skills and is extremely organized. Benjamin is certainly able to follow through to ensure that the job gets done. Thanks Ben!

First Tutors

Ben has been really helpful in providing themes and ideas for my A2 coursework. He is a really good tutor, and is enthusiastic about his work which makes the lessons enjoyable.

First Tutors

Benjamin is a very professional and enjoyable tutor. When we first met and touched base he was extremely quick to see where I needed help and he has an extensive knowledge of the curriculum and what examiners are looking for. I shouldn't be surprised considering he studied English Literature at Cambridge but despite this he charges a modest rate. I look forward to our next lesson!

First Tutors

Ben is being very helpful to my son and my son has started improving and has started showing interest in English. Ben is very supportive and flexible and has a good personality.

First Tutors

Hello, We would like strong recommended Benjamin. He is big professional and his education methods is very progressive and after couple lessons you can see results and **Web Address Removed** and my wife can only recommended. Thank you

First Tutors

Although I've yet to sit my exams, I have noted a significant improvement in my ability to do A2 English Literature under Ben's tuition. Ben is professional and extremely organised, providing a myriad of materials to support what he is teaching. Thus far I have found it all immensely helpful and enjoyable, and would recommend him.

First Tutors

Really pleased with Ben - professional, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and well prepared. Has built a great rapport with our son and I have every confidence Ben will enable him to excel in English. Thoroughly recommended.

Tutor Profile

Benjamin

Benjamin

Teaching Experience

Tutoring Approach

Qualifications

BA English

Reviews (24)