Professional Biography
I am a Private Tutor of Mandarin Chinese, Study Skills & English with 11+ years of 1:1 tutoring experience. I spent my younger years living and working in Beijing, China. There I learned Mandarin to fluency and began developing my career in education. Since then, I have been taken on by China-based and UK-based companies to consult on various educational products and projects. Though I have enjoyed these immensely, tutoring students, nurturing their learning, and seeing them grow, remain the most fulfilling areas of my work.
Notable Organisations: Project Trust, 2013-2014
Undergraduate: University of Leeds, 2014-2019, Mandarin & History (First Class w/ Distinction in Spoken Mandarin)
School: German, History, English A-Levels
Personal Biography
My journey to becoming a Private Tutor begins aged 10.
In my very young years, I was often cajoled into helping my Grandad use his computer, which I was very good at. I realised a few years ago that this weekly, sometimes arduous, multi-hour process was integral in forming my ability to explain difficult concepts in a simple way, develop my patience and understanding, and ensure that he / my students remember the points I had explained. Grandad, my first student, came from a different age and a culture that was world's apart from the one I lived in, so I learned to explain ideas in ways that my he would understand - not as the textbook dictates or as teacher training suggested.
I later undertook voluntary tuition work in high school. I would help younger students read books, especially those who were struggling with reading and did not have parental help. I have fond memories of doing this.
Aged 18, I moved to China with Project Trust where I initially taught English in a rural town called Zhangye. There, I began learning Chinese before attending university to complete a degree in Chinese. The completely different teaching methods used in China were eye-opening, as students had almost no 1:1 time and suffered from a lack of direct engagement. The students who would otherwise have flourished in the UK, were stuck with rote-learning in China. Conversely, the students who would flourish with rote-learning in China were stuck with independent studying in the UK. This fascinated me and frustrated me in equal measure.
This duality of learning styles and outcomes drove me to become a full-time private tutor. Here, I have the freedom to adapt my teaching styles to suit any learning style or learning needs, drawing on my years of experience in doing so and delivering excellent lessons. I very much hope to welcome you and your children into my classroom soon.
Notable Organisations: Project Trust, 2013-2014
Undergraduate: University of Leeds, 2014-2019, Mandarin & History (First Class w/ Distinction in Spoken Mandarin)
School: German, History, English A-Levels