Time and Place

Private lessons can be arranged for most times at a convenient location, with many clients choosing to have me visit their home.

Discussion

I always start with a discussion involving the student, and the parents of school-age students, to find out their needs and objectives, and to explain how I plan to meet those requirements.

Time

Students who have spent hundreds of hours in the classroom cannot expect to make huge improvements in one or two hours just before an exam. It takes time to develop the thinking skills and the habits of enquiry and independence which lead to consistent, lasting results. I strongly encourage starting private tuition as early as possible if you think it really matters.

Motivation

There are many motivations for wanting private lessons:

• to pass a forthcoming exam

• to improve a result for a re-sit

• to get better grades in regular classes

• to get into a chosen university

• or just to enjoy the subject and make regular classes more productive or easier to cope with.

Whatever it is, the motivation must be genuinely shared by the student. Parental pressure alone is not usually a good motivator.

Session length

Sessions last between one hour and two hours, depending on the age of the student. Younger students tend to need shorter sessions whereas older students and adults can concentrate for more extended times.

Content and style

People do best at what they enjoy and I try to make the sessions fun, but they involve a great deal of question and answer. I make the students work hard, constantly probing their knowledge and ability, and making them solve problems throughout the sessions. Students can expect to feel tired after one of my intensive lessons.

Note-taking and independent work.

Students take notes, which they must keep and review after every session, and I usually set some brief, but not trivial, exercises for students to do before the next session. It is important to do or honestly attempt the tasks set.

Homework

I will not do students' homework for them, and if I am asked about a problem set by another teacher, I will explain it in terms of the principles involved, so that the student learns how to solve problems of that general type.

Results

Students who learn with me can expect to get closer to their full potential in the subject, and I have had students go to the very top universities worldwide including Oxford, Cambridge, Stamford, Lausanne, Karlsruhe, Imperial College, Edinburgh. Not all students can realistically expect attain such heights and sometimes this has to be accepted.

Cost

Sessions cost Eur 40 per hour of teaching time. I do not charge for travelling time. A discount may be possible for longer sessions or a lengthy program of sessions.