English GIS Consultant in the environmental and civil engineering sector, come and learn GIS and Geography/Geology!

Find out more about Gaius

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

  My inital interest in geography came during my A Levels where it was one of the few subjects I truly enjoyed, understood and felt engaged by. Whilst I enjoyed the subject, physical geography was what really interested me and I found specific courses which integrated geology heavily at Plymouth. After finishing my undergraduate and masters degrees I found that going into the workplace in such a niche industry somewhat limits my exposure to a lot of the subjects I really enjoyed learning about such as glaciology, ecology and long term landscape development. This made me think about going into private tutoring and targeting those who are doing similar undergraduate degrees to me and who could use someone with academic, research and industry experience.

• 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).

  My primary subjects i tutor are Geography and GIS, both of which go hand in hand with supporting the other in providing the best information and evidence possible. With GIS i like to teach students who are starting from square 1, get them to understand the fundamentals of GIS and how the software can be used as it is usually poorly taught at university level if you are not in a GIS specific course. Seeing students go from not knowing how to start a project and use a basemap, to getting them fully fledged mapping projects and using geospatial analysis tools is brilliant. On the geography side, i enjoy engaging with students about the work they are undertaking (which more often than not is why they contact me) and if theres something i am not 100% sure on i get to go away, learn what i need to and pass that on to the students.

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

  At university i had a lecturer in climate science who was extremely good at what he did, but he was also approachable and personable and he got to know each of his students. He combined so many different disciplines into his own and encouraged us heavily to use things like GIS to support our analysis and work with climate data. He was a big part of the reason why i enjoyed the subject so much and he was a big reason why i wanted to get into tutoring in some shape or form.

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

  I think being a good tutor is actually very simple and just needs a few things to work well. You need to have very good interpersonal skills to build rapport with your student, even if its only over a couple of lessons. You need to have good knowledge of your subject, not perfect knowledge but adequate to know where and how to find the information to pass onto your students. Finally I think you need to be empathetic and understanding, your students may not have your experience or knowledge even when it comes to the bare bones simple things in a subject they are studying. Give them time and you will see how good they can be.

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

  At university i had a dissertation supervisor who was a world renowned geological engineer in his field and had worked all over the world with some of the biggest companies. He taught me so much about carrying yourself in industry, being professional and getting your ideas and points across. Equally as important he taught me that it was okay to have a moral compass, to refuse to work in places you do not agree with (at his time, he refused lucrative work in apartheid South Africa) and to stand up for what you believe is right both inside and outside the workplace. This has led to me turning down opportunities which would have progressed my career but at the expense of my morals and humanity.

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

  My subject in industry is rather niche and there is not a huge demand for it at the moment. Finding new and interesting job opportunities is always a challenge and whilst i was search for a job a few years ago, with a BSc and MSc it took me 5 months to find a job in the field. The demand is growing and the opportunities are now there but initially just after covid had slowed down the job search was very difficult and really took a toll on me.

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

  My true passion is for marine research and science. I have done a lot of field work related to marine research, coral and fish populations and various other topics in that same vein of interest. I usually find myself in some far away place for a month or so every few years diving and undertaking fieldwork to support someone's project, thesis, PhD or community project which really does invigorate me and have me enjoying life.

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

  I think I am a superprof because of my ability to understand the needs of a student, evaluate the trouble they are having and then supply them with what they need. If its project specific then i will go away, learn what i need to and return that info to the student but I will also understand and empathise with them that learning and fully understanding this work isn't easy and they need to have time to go away, learn what they need to and come back with a positive result from our work together.