Jonathan
Jonathan is a highly experienced tutor and educator with over thirty years’ experience, including eight years at Cothill House preparing pupils for entry to leading UK schools. He specialises in English and also supports students across a range of humanities subjects.
After nearly 30 years in the profession it's pretty simple: if the student and I are both relaxed and enjoying ourselves, then we're making progress.
- Primary, 7+, 11+ & 13+ English
- 13+ French
- 13+ Geography
- 13+ History
- 13+ Religious Studies
- School Entrance Interviews
- English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
- Verbal Reasoning & Non-Verbal Reasoning
In fifteen years of school teaching I did it all: day and boarding, mixed and single-sex, state and private, primary and secondary, English, German and Turkish. In particular, I spent 8 years at Cothill House prep school, preparing boys for entrance (and scholarships) to Eton, Winchester, Harrow, Radley, Marlborough and Wellington, among others.
In 2014 I set up my own business, tutoring and employing other tutors. I have worked online and across England, especially in London and Oxford. My PGCE was in French and English but I specialise in the latter, as well as in preparation for interviews and aptitude tests such as UKISET.
Internationally I have tutored in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Malta, Croatia, the USA, the UAE, Russia and Ukraine. These roles usually involved preparing overseas students who wanted to come to school in England, or supporting them once they had arrived. This involved plenty of TEFL, mainly through teaching other subjects from across the curriculum, and quite often from beyond it. I have vast experience of introducing students to the history, politics and culture of the UK.
I was born in Gloucester, raised in Cornwall, schooled in Oxford and Winchester. The Army sponsored me through Oxford University, after which I served six years as an artillery officer. Following a brief stint in recruitment I went back to Oxford and did my PGCE. Since then I have worked as a teacher in Oxford, Berlin and Istanbul, and more recently as a tutor. I live in Chiswick with my wife.
After nearly 30 years in the profession it's pretty simple: if the student and I are both relaxed and enjoying ourselves, then we're making progress. In ten years of residential contracts I've always been invited back at least once, so it seems to work.
Since 2012 I have averaged one marathon a year. I also play padel, golf and chess. The army trained me as a ski instructor, so I'm in the mountains as often as is practical. At home I read, cook and pander to the whims of our long-haired dachshund, Arthur.
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