Déborah
Ambassador
- Hourly rate £35
- Response Time 3h
- Number of students 50+
Book a class
Tutor with PhD in Classics with 10+ years experience offers Online Tuition in Latin, Ancient Greek and Classics / Classical Studies
-
- Edinburgh
- By webcam
Ambassador
We host the best tutors. Quality of their profile, experience in their field. Déborah will be happy to arrange your first Classics lesson.
About the lesson
I can prepare students for all Scottish and English exams (as well as the International Baccalaureate), up to the BA. I also have experience helping students work on their Post-Graduate dissertation, and have worked with adult students.
I exclusively teach online, using a mix of Skype (or any other video sharing service, such as FaceTime) and the online whiteboard BitPaper. We can work on grammar exercises, passages, and past papers on the whiteboard, and after the lesson, I will send you the pdf of what we did.
In particular, I offer:
- Grammar revisions with appropriate exercises
- Exam practice, from GCSE/Highers to Honours level
- Essay techniques
- Translation techniques
- Literary analyses of passages
- Unseen practice (translating from Greek/Latin into English)
- Prose composition practice (translating from English into Greek/Latin)
subjects
- Classics
- 13 Plus
- Latin
-
+2
Ancient Greek
Classical Culture
languages
- French
- English
levels
- Secondary
- GCSE
- AS Level
-
+6
A Level
Adult education
Undergraduate
Masters
Diploma
Doctorate
About Déborah
I have worked as a part-time Classics tutor at Edinburgh University since 2005, teaching undergraduate students Latin and Greek (from beginners' level to Honour translation courses) as well as Ancient philosophy, literature and mythology.
After I graduated for my PhD in 2009, I set up as a private tutor and translator, working one-on-one with adults as well as school or university students preparing for their exams (National 5, GCSE, Highers, A Level and university Honours levels).
I also have experience with teaching groups, as I teach business French for several Language schools (Simon & Simon, Cactus, Capital Business Languages), and adult classes in Latin, Ancient Greek, French and Philosophy for Edinburgh Council's Adult Education Programme.
I have taught over a hundred students, several of those for several years (especially adult learners). I have turned around many students' results, often helping them earn As and A*s. I am incredibly proud of each of them, and often get a bit teary-eyed when they email me their results!
I am very well organised and reliable. I always spend a lot of time preparing lessons so I can be ready to answer unexpected questions! I am also very adaptable, and enjoy working with various types of people, who have different motivations for learning. Tailoring the content of the lessons to the needs and abilities of the student is something that I always try to centre my work on. I have always received extremely positive feedback (and excellent exam results when applicable) from my students, but I also take criticism very well and am quick to change the content or rhythm of my lessons when I see a certain approach is not working.
Review
All of our reviews are collected by us and are 100% reliable. They correspond to a real experience lived by the students of Déborah.
5 (15 reviews)
Perfect! Déborah is an outstanding instructor; I've been especially impressed by her clarity, patience and mastery of ancient Greek. Thank you!
Perfect! Très attentive, perspicace, sagace, savante.
Déborah's response
- Déborah's response : Isabelle is a very sharp and astute student. She has a very clear idea of what she needs to work on, and is very goal-oriented. Working with her is very motivating and enjoyable.
Perfect! Jess had an excellent first session with Déborah and is already looking forward to the next one!
Déborah's response
- Déborah's response : Jess is a very intelligent and hard-working student, and lovely to work with. Our first lesson was very productive, and I'm looking forward to working with her more!
View more reviews
See more
Recommendations
Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teacher
12
Déborah was our daughter's French literature tutor for the International Baccalaureate for two years. Her inspirational guidance encouraged our daughter throughout this time and the results she achieved with this help were beyond our expectations. Our daughter looked forward to her weekly lessons with relish and learnt so much through Déborah's extensive literary knowledge, passion and kind and positive approach to teaching.
Déborah helped my daughter raise her French grade from a D to a B in 2 months We highly recommend Déborah for French tutoring , thank you for all your help
Would highly recommend Deborah. We first used her for my eldest daughter who was studying Higher Latin as a crash course in 6th Year, and she had only ever done Latin for one year as a taster in 1st Year at High School. The studying was carried out face-to-face either in our home or at Deborah's. She got an 'A'. We used her again for her younger sister, exactly the same circumstances, although all the tuition was done online and my youngest daughter never met her face-to-face. Again she got an 'A'. Both girls enjoyed their time spent with Deborah and there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever, which both girls would confirm, that their achievements in Higher Latin would not have happened without Deborah's ongoing support. If you're thinking about using her, don't hesitate.
Deborah did a fantastic job of drawing out my kids, easing them out of their self-consciousness about speaking French, laid out a coherent structure, and assigned/covered prep work in-between sessions.
I wish I had started with her years earlier, she improved their French dramatically.Deborah is a fantastic tutor, she helped me through my Latin A Level to get my predicted grade this summer. Her calm and thorough approach sets your mind completely at ease and allows you to make the logical steps needed towards your goal (in my case, translation). She is a genuinely lovely and kind person who will tailor the lesson to your needs completely and does so with assurance, never losing faith in your abilities. I genuinely couldn't recommend Deborah highly enough!
- Bea, a very grateful A level Student x
Zuzanna
I had French lessons with Déborah over the last year and I thoroughly enjoyed them. She’s a very patient tutor and is always happy to adjust the lesson plans to suit her student’s needs. Déborah was also always happy to share any extra materials that could help with understanding of a subject. I highly recommend her!
Zuzanna
Both girls feel confident and are full of praise for the solid knowledge that they gained from you. They both said that they feel that they actually understand Greek better so they do not panic if they get an unknown word or sentence as they can apply the principles that you taught them. We cannot thank you enough for all your help.
Aidan was so pleased with your session last night, we would be delighted to book you in for a weekly session if you agree?
Thank you for all your hard work and time spent with Imaan. It was pleasing to see her report card and the significant difference she made in her french from the start of the year until now.
Thank you so much for today's lesson. THANK YOU MORE for your continued time, efforts, support and patience while tutoring Oscar.
Please know we are very BLESSED to have crossed paths with you.First of all, a huge thank you for the outstanding tutoring that you have proved in Latin and Greek.
On Friday, we received an e-mail from W. A. offering Abigail a sixth form place.
On Wednesday, we also received intimation from W. School that they are also offering Abigail a place. But more than that, as Westminster were so impressed with Abigail's entrance exam and interview performance, they have also offered her a Queen's Scholarship.We are ever so grateful for all the help you have given both Issy and Jamie over the years; it has been so much appreciated and you are a very gifted tutor; thank you.
Wishing you every happiness and success.View more recommendations
See more
Rates
packages
- 5h: £165
- 10h: £320
webcam
- £35/h
Details
No refund offered.
Find out more about Déborah
01
When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?
While I was working on my PhD, I started giving university tutorials on literature, mythology and language. I really enjoyed explaining concepts and grammar to the students, and listen to them explain their take on a particular idea. Around the same time, I was asked to work one-on-one with some students, especially around grammar, translation and exam practice. Working with one student meant that I had to focus entirely on their individual needs and difficulties, and constantly adapt to them. It kept me on my toes, and one-on-one tuition became my favourite thing!
02
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 French, Latin, Ancient Greek, and Essay writing. Without a doubt, my favourite part of tutoring is explaining complicated grammar and word-building. I particularly enjoy breaking down difficult words and forms with students, so we can figure out what each element means: what's the root? Is that an augment? Does the verb have a prefix and what does it mean? What is the ending telling us?
My second favourite thing is helping students structure an essay, especially if I'm not very familiar with the topic. I learn new things, and the fact that I'm not an expert means that I can advise them on clarity and on the strength of their argument. Having to explain to me what they're trying to say helps the students clarify their own thoughts. This way, I've worked on Dostoevsky and 19th century medical debates, manslaughter in medical law, sign-language interpreting, and the concept of Intentionality in Philosophy. Like my other favourite aspects of tutoring, it keeps me on my toes and forces me to fully adapt to the student's needs and goals.03
Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?
My father was a teacher before he retired, in a French High School. He taught different subjects than me (history and geography), but he was always passionate both about his subjects, and about making knowledge accessible to all his students, especially those from a disadvantaged background. He created board games to teach historical events, used skill-based assessment (coloured belts like in judo) rather than marks. He made a profound impact on generations of students, who remember him decades after their school years.
04
What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?
A good tutor needs to be conscientious and knowledgeable, but they also need to genuinely enjoy teaching, and be passionate about their subject. Students, no matter how young, are not stupid, and can always tell if their teacher is bored or uninterested. Passion is contagious, and therefore one of the best teaching tools.
05
Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.
When I was in High School, I got a sudden passion for philosopher Voltaire. I printed out dozens of small posters with philosophical quotes, and taped them all over the school after hours. I never got in trouble for it, even though I am pretty sure all my teachers knew it was me. I think everyone was more perplexed than anything else!
06
What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?
I started off very bad at Latin grammar. You see, when I started Latin in high school, there was no beginner's class. It was understood that if you were taking Latin, then you must have started it years earlier. In my case though, it wasn't Latin I started earlier, it was Ancient Greek! So I ended up never really having grammar lessons for Latin, and started straight away with translations. I managed fine, but it worked more on gut feeling than proper knowledge of the rules.
When I started teaching Latin to University students however, I really had to dive into Latin grammar, and basically learnt it by teaching it. It's an incredibly efficient learning method, and I often ask my students to explain some rules to me, to make it easier for them to remember!07
Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?
I think one of my passions, or at least the common element to all my favourite parts of tutoring, is mind organisation: I like to create structure from chaos, whether that chaos is the third declension in Latin, the use of the subjunctive in French, or an essay plan. I like to break things down into smaller elements with the student, until everything becomes clearer, easier to remember, or easier to write about. I am lucky enough that my mind spontaneously break ideas, declension tables, and conjugation into visual diagrams, and it is my privilege to use that skill to help students.
08
What makes you a Superprof (besides answering this interview questions :-P)?
I am passionate about teaching, about my subjects, and I care deeply about every students that I work with. Many of them stay with me for several years. I respect them, their intelligence, and their goals, so I adapt each lesson to suit their needs. I don't take myself too seriously, and don't hesitate to goof around if I feel that the student is shy or intimidated.
