A Level Economics Specialist Tutor | Oxford Graduate | 100% grade-improvement record | 2000+ hours' tuition | Leading Economics A-Level Tutor for UK's Top Agencies | Friendly and experienced!

Find out more about Geoffrey

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

  I developed an interest in economics and philosophy during sixth form, largely thanks to some genuinely inspiring teachers. I feel lucky to have had such an excellent education, including some outstanding professors at Oxford like Corine Besson, and I haven't forgotten their impact on me. I've done my best since to replicate this for my own students!

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  Economics: In terms of syllabus material, if I were forced to pick a couple of topics: For microeconomics I find externalities diagrams are particularly useful for students as they come up frequently and are a great topic to discuss in 25 markers to maximise KAA points. And the same goes for an in-depth knowledge of the Keynesian LRAS for macroeconomics.
  
  For university interviews it's so important to have a really solid understanding of the syllabus, so I make sure to cover this first.
  
  Philosophy: I've found ethics is the best place to start for students new to philosophy. It's intuitive, the case studies are relatable, and it's easy to get passionate about humanitarian issues, or whether stealing should ever be allowed etc. Honestly though I find a lot of areas really engaging - epistemology, philosophy of mind, even panpsychism! - and I generally try to cover the major schools ahead of interviews (if that's what we're preparing for) as it can be a real help to have some familiarity with all the topics that interviewers might ask you about.
  
  Politics: British political history and political philosophy are often useful as they connect so many other subjects together. Political history in particular provides a very human story of attempts to apply economic and philosophical theory in practice, with very mixed and interesting results!
  
  Regarding problem topics… I'm not sure this counts as a topic per se, but teachers are often not able to provide detailed tailored feedback on essays or personal statements, which can be a real challenge for students trying to make progress. I am really sympathetic to teachers on this as it's tough with so many students and so little time! But this is one of the many reasons tuition can be so valuable. We are able to provide the detailed line-by-line feedback, and that can make all the difference.

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

  My economics teacher at school was great. He provided encouragement, challenged me when I needed it, gave in-depth analysis of the syllabus material, and was also hilarious, which doesn't do any harm!

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

  Making sure your student is able to explain what they've just learnt back to you. Having a student explain something themselves is so often the best way to learn it.
  
  
  Also organisation: frequently taking a step back to assess what a student needs to do to keep improving; then talking through how I plan to achieve that during our upcoming sessions, as well as pointing out the progress they've made so far. Building confidence is of course crucial too, as is building rapport - it's no good explaining something if you don't have the buy-in and attention of your tutee!
  
  
  Building up a repository of your own materials - in the case of more experienced tutors - is a bonus too. For example in my case economics essay masterplans, a dossier of past Oxbridge interview questions, suitable extra-curricular reading materials in a range of subjects, Paper 3 'cheat-sheet', a list of rules for how to complete certain diagrams correctly, and so on. Obviously also knowing the syllabus well enough to provide detailed tips helps!

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

  One of my tutees recently found themselves being relied on by his peers in his economics class to teach them the exam techniques I'd showed him. That was pretty satisfying for both him and me!

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

  The challenges students face are so varied! It's one of the things that makes tuition so engaging.
  
  
  A student who has been really struggling and getting low grades may not have sufficient syllabus knowledge to jump straight to writing top level essays. So in those situations it's important to build a grounding in subject knowledge before progressing to essay technique etc.
  
  
  With other students aiming for a high A* we might focus on essay writing, and specifically for example on how to write high level judgements which assess whether the analysis or evaluation paragraph makes a stronger argument; or perhaps how to thread application and analysis into extended chains in KAA paragraphs.
  
  
  For university applications, whether Oxbridge or not, extra-curricular reading is so important. Teachers and parents often provide very well-meaning advice here but can actually misguide students applying to top universities. Academics are almost always totally focused on a student's academic abilities and interests, and little else. Writing about these in a personal statement is essential - and ideally students should do this while explaining their carefully considered opinions on what they've read. This can be tricky to do and believe it or not is missing from most personal statements. But it is well worth it, and it can actually turn into one of the most fun parts of the application process! Students usually gain a lot of intellectual confidence from developing their own points of view, especially when they have been tested against 'steel-man' counterarguments.

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

  Making a difference to students' lives is what it's all about really. When the results and offers come in you can reflect on the improvements a student made while working together. Those are very satisfying moments!

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

  I think being a good tutor often just comes down to being determined to succeed. Everything else I've described above flows from a desire to do that. Being dedicated to problem solving as you go, and learning from experience, you figure out the best ways to get help your students. And the fun thing is that's a never-ending process!