Piers Karpinski
Location: Central London
I predominantly teach:
AS/A2 History , GCSE History
I also teach:
13+ History, AS/A2 Economics, AS/A2 English , Oxbridge Preparation
Other Subjects
English as a Foreign Language
Experience
My teaching experience began as a volunteer teacher in Kenya in 2005. That experience, whilst incredibly rewarding, showed me that teaching is a profession that one cannot simply walk into, but one that requires training and application. Therefore, when I decided to teach English in Venezuela I was determined to get some training beforehand that would make me a far better teacher and make my classes far more successful. As such, I completed the CELTA course and the experience, expertise and confidence this endowed me with made the six months I spent teaching in Venezuela far more rewarding, both for me and my students (I hope!). The school I worked at was a private language school and my contracted contact time was 20 hours per week (although, due to the chronic lack of English teachers, this number was usually closer to 30 hours per week). My class sizes varied from eight to sixteen students, and whilst most of them were university students, my youngest student was fifteen and the eldest was in her forties.
Biography
I am originally from Somerset but, due to my parents’ jobs, I’ve lived in various locations (some more exotic than others!), including Sheffield, Cambridge and Zurich, Switzerland. Between 1999 and 2004 I was an honourary scholar at Malvern College, a co-educational boarding school for 13-18 year olds in Worcestershire. At GCSE I achieved 4 A*s – including Maths and English Language, 7 A’s and 1 B. In sixth form I studied the International Baccalaureate and scored 39 points overall, including 7’s in all of my higher subjects (History, English and Economics). After leaving school I took a GAP year which I spent in Africa, teaching English in Kenya for three months before travelling overland from Nairobi to Cape Town. I read History at Oxford University (St Hugh’s College), specialising in Tudor and Stuart English history and the history of the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries. After graduating with a 2.1 in 2008 I undertook the CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) course at International House in London and was awarded the top grade, a Pass A. I spent the first half of 2009 working as an English language teacher in Venezuela, after which I travelled around Venezuela and Colombia before returning to England in August.
Personal Approach
I am a very personable individual who is easy to approach and in no sense intimidating. I believe that I have always created a warm and friendly atmosphere in my classes, giving students the confidence to express themselves freely. Focus is placed on the students as much as possible, but in a manner that encourages rather than intimidates. Furthermore, my experience at Oxford showed me how a personal approach can really encourage a sincere interest in a subject. One-on-one tutorials were intensive but incredibly rewarding and it was impossible for a student not to appreciate a tutor’s love of their subject and for some of that love not to rub off. I believe that this is one of the reasons that tutoring can make such a difference in a student’s performance, and I believe that my warm and personable teaching style readily fits into the tutoring mould.