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

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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!

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.

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.

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.

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Tutor Profile

Benjamin

Benjamin

Teaching Experience

Tutoring Approach

Qualifications

BA English

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