English graduate with 1st class BA Hons and MA, over 20,000 hours experience. 7+, 8+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ expert, as well as GCSE, A Level and IB. Tuition is inspiring and gets results. London based

Find out more about Jade

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I was actually homeschooled until I was 7, as I lived on a remote tropical island (luckily my mum had trained as a teacher), and the school in Australia that provided schoolwork via correspondence had to increase my book quota by 400%. Not satisfied with this, I also started writing and illustrating my own stories, and have never stopped. As for tutoring, I signed up for an NSPCC training course in mentoring aged 16. My school quickly made the most of this by booking me as a free TA for the younger students who were struggling, but I loved it so much that again, 20 years later and I’m still tutoring.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  Studying English doesn’t just teach you how to communicate better, it teaches you to understand people better. It develops your empathy, your language skills and your creativity – and therefore lateral thinking and problem solving. For students who struggle with English I always say ‘that’s okay, you don’t have to be the best at everything, but putting the work in now (even though it’s hard!) will make life a lot easier in the future’.
  
  For younger students I teach story writing, multiple choice and written comprehension, essay writing and verbal reasoning. For GCSE and above I mostly teach literary analysis, critical thinking, essay writing and descriptive writing. In terms of what I discuss with my students, English is such a diverse, interdisciplinary subject, that we will discuss anything and everything from frogs to astrophysics, from the neolithic to pop culture. My teaching approach is to contextualise, to help my students make connections that lead to original ideas.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  My GCSE English teacher was and has always been an inspiration. She loved her subject so much, and she was so clearly delighted when her students did also. She was always encouraging, we read incredibly widely without even realising, and her classes didn’t quite feel like we were actually doing work - more that we were just having a lovely time discussing stories and characters and ideas. I think that’s a wonderful way to learn, being guided so expertly that you don’t even realise you’re studying.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  Firstly, you have to be fun - learning should be enjoyable, and even if a student doesn’t enjoy the subject itself they should still enjoy learning it with you.
  
  Secondly, you need to be able to read your student, and adapt. Their energy levels, their focus, their mood – how you scaffold their learning experience and your lesson plan will change depending on which version of them is in front of you on any given day.
  
  Thirdly, you should love your subject. Know it inside out, but also be endlessly curious to learn even more about it. Your passion and curiosity are two of the most important lessons your students will learn from you.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I changed primary school a few times aged 8-11 as we moved for my dad’s job, so sometimes I was behind the class in maths and sometimes ahead, rarely getting taught what I needed – I struggled, and I used to completely panic in maths tests. I cried through so many maths tests! Then at secondary school, I suddenly had the same maths teacher three years in a row. His lessons weren’t exciting (though we’d heard he rode a motorbike, so this didn’t seem to add up to us), but he was patient. After a while, I started to catch up. Then suddenly I was put in the top maths set for my GCSEs. Then I got a double A. I didn’t do anything special, I just kept at it, with the right teacher.
  
  Usually students who want English tuition are struggling, and sometimes they feel that they’re at fault because of that, so this is the lesson I bring to my tutoring. For me, studying English makes me feel alive, but I do know what it feels like when a subject doesn’t do that for you. And you need a teacher who is patient, and encouraging, and who doesn’t give up on you.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or are still facing in your subject?

  I used to struggle to finish longer projects in English, as I enjoyed writing so much and the scope of my ideas/imagination was sometimes too big. I assume my teachers didn’t want to dim my enthusiasm, but I wish they had found a way to keep me on track! Limiting the scope of an idea, planning and paring it down before you even start, identifying what is actually essential and what is superfluous - is such a useful skill. It’s definitely something I make sure I teach my students now, for story and essay writing in particular.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I’m really passionate about people, about stories, and about problem solving. Puzzling out what is happening in a poem, play or novel, especially when it isn’t obvious and I have to work hard to find the clues, and there are different possible ways of interpreting a character’s words or actions... that is my passion. I find guiding my students through the puzzle, teaching them to find their own clues and form their own ideas, even more enjoyable.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions :-P) ?

  My extensive experience allows me to adapt my approach to each individual’s learning needs, quickly identifying problem areas and making rapid progress. My students achieve excellent results but they also enjoy their lessons, which to me is the most important thing.