Jimmy R.

Hi, my name is Jimmy, I am an undergraduate Computer Science student at St Catherine's College, Oxford University. I have over 3 years of tutoring experience at 11+, GCSE, A-Level, and Oxbridge Admissions in subjects including Maths, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry and Computer Science, accumulating over 1000 hours across over 50 different tutees. For the last 2 years, I have been hired by multiple tutoring companies to help develop their resources for the MAT, TMUA, Personal Statements, and Oxbridge Computer Science Interviews which has led to some great results and multiple offers to students. Working for these companies and talking to my professors has given me deep insight into the necessary skills and techniques that help students in the Oxbridge application process. All of my tutees have achieved their target grade or higher, with my main tutee now being the best in maths A-Level at his school, having been told he wasn't smart enough to do maths A-Level before my tutorage. I am also a referee for grassroots football which has helped me to develop my communication skills and has given me experience managing kids. I really enjoy tutoring and am considering a future career in education, perhaps to become a teacher or professor. 

I think it is essential to assess what the student understands initially. I then build upon that knowledge by giving them tailored questions, guiding them through best practices and reinforcing the key skills. In my personal experience, teachers at school rarely explain more complex topics in enough detail, so I usually try to explain why a given concept exists, especially how it links to other concepts that the student already knows. I find that exposing these links between different knowledge areas helps students to remember and understand the concepts. Once I am satisfied with the student's understanding, I ensure they can apply the knowledge with exam-style questions and I explain where the marks are given, along with some useful exam techniques. I have found this method is extremely successful and look to build upon it with more tutoring experience.