University of Edinburgh Geography MA Student with extensive tutoring experience and 4 A* grades at A level looking to tutor Geography at GCSE and A level standards.

Find out more about Jonny

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

  I’ve always enjoyed geography, hence my decision to pursue it further at university. It was my favourite subject at school since I was about eight, and still is as I move into the final year of my Master’s!

• 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 particularly enjoy the human geography topics - especially those on development, sustainability and settlements. Some physical geography topics aren’t quite so interesting - I don’t think anyone particularly loves studying cloud shapes and different thermometer types - but it’s the combination of every topic which makes geography so unique, interesting and applicable.

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

  Both my geography teachers in sixth form really inspired me: they had such unique teaching styles, and were so different, yet were both brilliant teachers and helped us all get top grades. I think it is largely owing to these two people that I am considering becoming a teacher once I graduate.

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

  Being patient, personable and engaging. I always try to make my sessions, fun, dynamic and interesting: nothing is fun when you are forced to do it, and so I aim to make my sessions enjoyable for everyone. This requires tailoring my style to each individual student, ensuring that each is able to achieve their potential (and do so in an enjoyable way!).

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

  I had one teacher who never gave homework, aside test revision or extended essay writing. He showed me that if you worked hard enough in the time allocated to work, you could relax outside of this. This discipline and focus is something I aim to bring both to my own academic studies, and also my tutoring, largely eliminating the requirement for work outside of sessions should the classes be productive: shorter bursts of focus are always better than hours of procrastination. This method certainly motivated us to work harder in lessons at school to avoid homework!

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

  Geography is such a diverse, holistic discipline that sometimes it feels as if it either has no identity, or is fast becoming a different subject entirely. I think this breadth of topics can be quite overwhelming, even at school level, when the curriculum requires you to understand rivers, migration, volcanoes and economic development: topics which taken individually are all entirely separate. This though, is what makes geography GCSE and A level so interesting - no other subject allows such a diverse and world-focused education.

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

  While I love teaching, I think it would be hard not to argue that my passion lies outside the classroom in football. I am a huge Chelsea fan, and love both watching and playing the sport. Sport, and physical activity in general, is a huge hobby of mine, and I go to the gym as often as I can. It’s easy to forget to have a balance of work and play!

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

  I think my blend experience and relatability is really important in my tutoring. Having tutored over 30 students, I have extensive experience tutoring over a variety of boards. I also have experience teaching, and helped a student achieve 96% and a Grade 9 in his GCSE, learning the subject entirely out of school with me. And yet I can also remember sitting in my own GCSEs and A levels: I know the worries, emotions and strategies - it feels like yesterday that I was doing those exams myself! I think, therefore, that it is this unique combination of extensive experience and relatability which makes my tutoring so effective and enjoyable.