The work of M.C. Escher is full of geometrical patterns, requiring excellent maths skills to design
Photo by bazylek100
About maths tuition
What do you charge?
For hourly lessons, the first class is a no-risk introduction class - if you're not happy for any reason, the class is free. After that, online classes are £20.00 per hour and in-person classes start at £30.00 for one hour. For more details, please click here.
What ages do you teach?
I prefer to work with students in year 10 and above, and I'm particularly keen to help adult learners regain confidence in their maths. I'm also happy working with university students - see here for more details of university packages.
Do you have CRB clearance?
Yes, I have a clean enhanced Criminal Records Bureau certificate and you're welcome to inspect it. I understand parents' concern for their children's well-being and am perfectly happy for an adult to sit in on classes if they wish.
Do you work with adults?
Absolutely.
Do you work with young children?
No, I find I relate much better to older students. I will gladly work with students from Year 10 and up.
Are the classes one-to-one?
Yes, almost always, although I'm happy to teach small group classes (up to four people).
Do you teach other subjects?
No. Mathematics is by far my strongest subject, but I'm happy to offer help with maths aspects of other subjects. You're welcome to ask me for help with your Russian Literature, but I doubt I'll be much help there.
Do we come to you or do you come to us?
I come to you. Online classes using Skype and an online whiteboard are a less expensive alternative.
What's the highest level you teach?
I am comfortable teaching pretty much the entire A-level syllabus - my knowledge of the statistics is a little less formal than core and mechanics, and occasionally requires me to look things up, but still workable. I can also teach certain undergraduate courses on a case-by-case basis, and help students in other science courses with the maths element in those.
How do you teach?
The usual format is that a student comes to me and says 'We did this at school this week and I didn't understand it - could you go through it with me?'. We then discuss the topic, iron out the problems and do examples until the student is happy and finds it easy. If nothing particular is troubling the student, we'll look through past papers and discover problem areas that way.
How far can you travel?
Anything up to about half an hour from Maidenhead is fine. Beyond that, I would recommend classes over Skype.
Do you offer internet classes?
Yes! Classes over Skype and/or instant messenger, depending on the student, can work very well.
When do you have classes available?
I am generally fully booked for regular weekly slots. One-off classes are occasionally available: please click here to see when I may be able to fit you in.
What's your background?
I studied Maths with French at the University of St Andrews, spending a year in Avignon, France and graduating with a 2:1 in 2000. I went on to do a PhD on the magnetic structure of the Sun's atmosphere and graduated in 2003. After that, I spent nearly four years as a researcher in the Physics department at Montana State University, Bozeman working on a NASA Living With A Star project. Throughout my academic career, I enjoyed tutoring, teaching and explaining maths concepts, and took up private tutoring when I returned to the UK in January, 2008. After a stint as a computer programmer, I am now a full-time maths tutor.
Can you recommend other tutors in the area?
I'd strongly recommend Kiran Arora, who is also based in Maidenhead. He's an excellent teacher and generally has more availability than me.
Otherwise, sites such as A+ Tutors, First Tutors, Happy Tutors, Personal Tutors, Tutor Hunt, TutorInUK and Tutors4Me may be able to help.