Cambridge educated A Level, IB and university economics tutor | Economist turned full-time, experienced economics tutor.

Find out more about Tom

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

  I first became interested in economics while reading Freakonomics, the Economist and studying the Great Depression at about age 14.
  
  
  Since starting university in 2015, I have been helping students understand economics by providing resources, preparing students for university admissions and offering advice on A Level Economics revision. My first professional tutoring session took place in 2019 and ever since, my goal has been to help economics students as much as possible!
  
  
  My first professional tutoring session took place in 2019. Owing to the demand for my economics tuition, I was able to quit my job as an economist and work as a full-time economics tutor. Over this time I have helped several economics students improve their grades. For A-Level Economics students, seeing their grades improve during tuition from an E to an A or from a B to an A*, meeting their university offers. In the case of undergraduate economics students, during tuition we were able to improve their responses to achieve 1st and 2.1 grades. Making a difference through tutoring has motivated me to pursue tutoring further, in order to help many more economics students.

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

  I teach economics, primarily to A-Level Economics students. My particular strengths are in helping students with the A Level Economics Edexcel A and AQA exam boards.
  
  
  I enjoy discussing everything about economics, including any market to which economics can be applied! Any topic that students find interesting can be a lens through which to study economics. From video games to sports to fashion or food, we can learn economic theory through several different examples depending on students' interests.
  
  
  In addition I have experience tutoring IB Economics students. In the past I have also tutored undergraduate students, on topics from microeconomics and macroeconomics to econometrics and optional modules such as public economics, labour economics, the economics of crime, development and trade.

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

  The most inspiring teacher I have met is my mum! From her work as a teacher for other students, she has taught me how to explain ideas effectively, the importance of significant preparation for lessons and how to raise expectations and standards among students. Personally, she showed me the value of education and work ethic and encouraged me in my academic interests and abilities in mathematics, reading and science early on in my life. I credit any academic achievements to my mother's intervention and I am very fortunate for this.
  
  
  Outside of teachers, my other role is my dad. He introduced me to economics by sharing economics books such as Freakonomics and magazines like The Economist. Having someone with whom to discuss economics news stories led to an interest in economics and allowed me to pursue my interest further. My father also showed me the value of patience, consistent hard work over time and humility. I credit any achievements in economics to my father's support from the start.
  
  
  Perhaps most importantly, my parents showed me how to push through any naysayers and overcome any barriers in place from other teachers. Where a teacher tells you that you cannot achieve a certain grade, that represents an open invitation to prove them wrong. Outworking everyone in private and consistently can lead to excellent results over time. Now, through my tutoring and sharing online resources, I hope to lower the barriers to getting an education for as many students as I can.
  
  
  At school, my teachers were a mixed bag in terms of the quality of teaching. I meet a lot of tuition students with teachers who are less effective. There are even some teachers who tell you that you cannot achieve certain academic goals. If you are in this position and don't have a role model teacher, while more independent work may be required, I firmly believe you can achieve any grade you put your mind to. You don't need to have a role model teacher, to perform well in or to be inspired by a subject.

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

  Tutors should of course be knowledgeable about the subject. However in addition to this, they should be able to explain concepts to students, including in several different ways. Tuition requires being attentive to students' needs, focussing on concepts that students find difficult, planning sessions specifically to the students' requests and answering the students' questions.
  
  
  Tutors should work outside of the sessions, in marking homework, providing feedback, planning sessions and where required, preparing resources.
  
  
  Knowledge, not only about course content but also about how to apply knowledge to the exams, is critical. Exam technique is becoming a larger differentiator between students, particularly for A Level Economics. So inside-out familiarity with the exam boards as well as extra exam board specific resources, such as practice questions, will be critical. An attention to detail here can serve tutors well.
  
  
  I think tutors should be decent human beings, including being helpful, respectful, friendly and encouraging. This also creates an environment where students feel most welcome to ask and answer questions. This comes alongside having high expectations for students and pushing students to do the best they can. Tutors should also be humble. If a tutor does not know the answer to a question, they should not pretend and hand wave away the question. Instead, admit a lack of knowledge, look up the answer and get back to the student after the session.

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

  Doing lots of practice questions can help you do well in exams. However it's not as simple as just attempting lots of questions. You should also mark your answers or get someone else to mark them.
  
  
  If there are few or no practice papers, then create your own questions! I created lots of questions for myself as a GCSE and A Level student and still create questions today for my A-Level Economics students. Practice questions on recent issues, including current affairs, can be much more engaging as practice material, particularly in economics.

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

  One difficulty for students can be with the number of diagrams required for A Level Economics, particularly on the microeconomics side. Some students may not have learnt the diagrams in school too well. This can be a limiting factor for some students' grades. Without learning the diagrams first, it can be difficult to teach the remaining subject content in places.
  
  
  So, in cases where students struggle with diagrams, we can start from scratch in learning a key diagram, then discussing the related course content. We can also go further on diagrams, including discussing how to explain diagrams, how to avoid diagram errors and how to level up diagrams for long essays.

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

  My passions are both economics and teaching. I was fortunate to study Economics at Cambridge for four years and to work as an economist. Economics is fascinating and can be applied to many different non-monetary, personal, social and of course monetary problems. I hope to pass this passion on to many more students.
  
  
  Moreover, you can apply economics to any market you're interested in. Whether you spend your time on video games, fashion, sports, social media, film or any other interest, there is so much economics involved. As a tutor, this means I can relate economics back to the student's interests. So students can engage more with economics and are more likely to remember the content.

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

  Each year I take on a small number of students. This allows me to focus on each student attentively, tailoring sessions, spending time marking homework and preparing for sessions outside of the lesson hour.
  
  
  I have created Economics A Level practice questions and other resources used by hundreds and even thousands of students and teachers. This knowledge of exam technique benefits my tuition students directly, with resources being used for homework and session preparation, among other uses.
  
  
  While I have been fortunate to have academic success in my own life, I also know how best to break down complex concepts for students and am always learning more about how students learn. We can also discuss economics university applications if students are looking for tips for the top UK universities.
  
  
  The combination of academic expertise, how to teach, leveraging resources and high effort per student makes my tutoring quite helpful for the students I've tutored. I hope I can bring this skillset to many more students.