Olivia

Law, English, History

I graduated with a first-class degree in Law from the University of Oxford, winning law faculty prizes for Best Dissertation and top performance in Moral and Political Philosophy. I am also a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative’s ‘Writing Your Novel’ course.
I have tutored for many years, in 1-1 and group settings, primarily English Literature and Language. My students have been aged between 4 and 18, have spoken English both as a first and second language (total beginner to fluent). During and after my degree I worked in the book industry: at a literary festival, at two publishing houses, as a freelance editor, and as a bookseller.
My varied professional and personal engagement with literature enables me to tailor lessons to my students’ needs. As a writer myself, I think daily about many of the issues my students are wrestling with, which enables me to provide fresh and genuine answers to their questions.
I combine focused work on the relevant syllabus or exam with material I take from far beyond it; I find this dual approach enriches a student’s existing learning, passes on my passion, and also leads to the best results. I engage with the student’s learning style in order to hone their study skills more generally. In lessons I push students to articulate their thinking precisely, important preparation for educational or interview settings. Regardless of how long I’m tutoring a given student, I like to cultivate a friendly and approachable tone so as to build rapport and enable students to speak up about any educational worries. 1-1 tuition is a brilliant opportunity to support a student’s educational growth in an overarching sense; I encourage students to develop intellectual curiosity which will improve their performance in every subject.