Elizabeth

Hello! I`m a friendly, enthusiastic tutor with a decade of experience teaching English language and literature to A-Level, undergraduate, MA and TEFL students, and adult learners of English.

I have a BA in English from University College London (2004), where I studied literature ranging from Beowulf to Toni Morrison. I then studied at the University of Cambridge, first for an MPhil in Medieval and Renaissance Literature (2008), and then for a PhD (2011), in which I explored the work and lives of translators in fourteenth-century England. Between 2012 and 2015 I worked as a Research Fellow in the School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS) at UCL, where I studied the travels of fairy tales in different media. I currently teach at UCL part-time as a lecturer and seminar leader, and am writing a book about medieval werewolf tales and modern urban legends.

My teaching style is tailored to the requirements of individual students. I`m happy to work on particular set texts, teach general literary analysis and writing skills (whether essay structuring, grammar, writing style or exam preparation), or help with any areas that students are finding particularly challenging. The Cambridge supervision system is discussion-based, and I have found that guiding students through texts using a series of questions encourages them to think critically and creatively about what they have read. I am also keen to help students explore beyond the boundaries of their syllabus - A Level work on Chaucer`s Canterbury Tales, for instance, could lead to discussion of the fourteenth-century poem Gawain and the Green Knight, or of another writer from the period.

For tutees wishing to study English as a foreign language, I can offer general English conversation, or more structured tutoring in grammar, reading or writing skills. My teaching approach is very flexible - whilst I will provide prepared lesson plans and materials, I am also happy for tutorials to develop in a way which best suits the student.

Most of all, however, I aim to make my tutorials enjoyable. It is important for me to get to know my students and find an approach that works best for them, combining the requirements of their syllabus with their personal interests. I am an enthusiastic, dedicated teacher, and will do whatever I can to help my students fulfil their potential.

Availability: I am available weekdays before 6, and have some weekend availability.

Willing to travel: 5 miles

Experience: Between 2007 and 2012 I worked as a supervisor (tutor) at several Cambridge colleges, teaching English literature to undergraduate students. As the majority of supervisions are given one-to-one or in pairs, I am experienced in working closely with students on an individual level, focusing on exploring texts together, working on essay-writing skills, and generally discussing writing and literature.

At UCL (2012-present) I have designed and taught my own undergraduate course on the history of European fairy tales, in addition to providing lectures and seminars for undergraduate students in Middle English literature within the English department. I also teach comparative medieval literature to MA students within the interdisciplinary MA in Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

I also have extensive experience in teaching English as a foreign language. In 2001 and 2004-5 I taught spoken English to university and high school students (aged 12-16) in China, working with students of abilities ranging from intermediate to advanced. I have also worked as a teaching assistant on summer school courses in Oxford (2007) and Cambridge (2008).

Since 2011 I have worked as a private English tutor in London, both teaching English as a foreign language and providing tuition for students on a variety of topics relating to English literature, language and writing skills.

I also have 15 years` proofreading experience, and have proofread several types of work, ranging from undergraduate essays and dissertations in a variety of subjects (English, Japanese, Art History, Sports Science, Psychology, Law) to PhD theses and academic monographs.