Kieran

I have been tutoring Politics since 2014 and have worked with students with a range of abilities. I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford and have worked for political parties in the UK and overseas. I find students value the insights these experiences allow me to bring to sometimes dull material. I have also written about international politics for the i, the New Statesman and several other publications.

I enjoy helping students with essay and exam technique, however my own view (and this is borne out by the success my students have once we correct the latter) is that allegedly deficient technique is often a result of a lack of knowledge of appropriate examples and arguments.

For students with realistic aims of Bs, As and A*s I will go beyond the textbook and explain more sophisticated theories and more unusual but equally appropriate examples. As well as giving these students an advantage over their peers, this is good preparation for studying humanities or social science subjects at university. For students aiming for other marks I will cover more fundamental material, but I promise to make sessions lively and make limited use of the textbook, which is quite dry.

Between each session I will ask students to do some work (normally a full essay) and send it to me in advance. I mark these essays in my own time. Most tutors will mark homework whilst they are with the student, `on the clock`, which is a waste of the student`s time and the parents` money!

Beyond the above, I`m pretty flexible about teaching style. Some students get the most out of back-and-forth discussions, others prefer a more traditional, tutor-led session. I`ll try to make a quick assessment of what best suits you/your child, however I`m always happy to take on board feedback and change my approach.

I`m comfortable supplementing a school`s teaching, when it is good and the student is generally doing well. I`ll help the student fill in the gaps in their knowledge and go further than the school can in areas that interest the student and/or give them the best chance of writing a high-quality, distinctive essay in the exam. On the other hand, if the student, for whatever reason, has missed lots of school teaching or is just not getting much out of it, I`ve also got lots of experience teaching the whole syllabus from scratch.

I only teach Politics and I advise you to be wary of tutors professing competency in several subjects. I am also able to help with certain admissions tests and personal statements.

I take at most four students a year. This means I can normally, if desired, provide extra sessions around exam time.

Availability: Flexible. Most of my other work is freelance so I can normally work around your needs.

Willing to travel: 15 miles

Experience: Worked in a school 2011-2014 running Oxbridge admissions programme, and tutored Politics privately for the last five years.