Benjamin

Experience

- 13+ Geography

- GCSE Geography

- A Level Geography

- IB Geography

- A Level Politics

- IB Politics

Post Graduate Certificate of Education, Qualified Teacher Status and successful completion of induction.

I have taught geography to all ages between 11 and 18 for a range of GCSE, IGCSE and A-level and IB specifications.

I have also taught the Cambridge IGCSE Geography syllabus and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in three different international schools in three continents. I have also recently started teaching the IB Diploma Programme Global Politics course and thoroughly enjoy the challenge of using my knowledge in this area to engage students in topics such as Human Rights and Peace and Conflict.

I have tutored students in a range of different geography and A-level syllabi.

I was also an examiner for the Geography OCR B syllabus for three years.

I have recently completed an M.A. in Environment and Politics at King's College London, receiving a distinction grade.

Biography

After graduating from Southampton University in 2002 with a 2:1 in Geography (BSc) I spent one year working as a Learning Support Assistant in a secondary school in north London. It was during this period that I realised I had a passion for education and I applied for a PGCE in 2003 and started the course at the Institute of Education in London in September of that year. Following successful completion of the PGCE I started a full time job in London teaching Geography. After two years in the job I was promoted to the Subject Leader (also known as Head of Department). I successfully led the department for three years. In my final year at the school I took over the role of Head of Humanities (covering History, Geography and R.E.) on a temporary basis during a transitional phase in the school's development.

In 2009 I applied for and successfully got a job to teach at in international school in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This was an amazing opportunity and one I thoroughly enjoyed. Again, after one year as a classroom teacher I was promoted to the head of department role where I stayed until July 2013.

I then decided to move back to the UK to study for an MA in Globalisation and Environmental Politics at King's College London and was pleased that the hard work I put into this was rewarded with a distinction grade. Following that I worked in international schools in Slovakia (as a classroom teacher), then in Togo and Myanmar where I was head of the Humanities faculties. In August 2021 I moved to Bangkok and started work at an international school in the city where I am currently the head of the Geography and Global Politics department.

Personal Approach

As a tutor I believe it is very important to understand the particular needs of the student, and to develop an understanding of how they learn best. A tutor-student relationship should be completely honest so that both tutor and student feel comfortable during sessions and students are confident in asking for help when needed. Crucially, a tutor is not there to provide the right answers, but rather to guide students towards finding the right answers themselves - this principle should be established at the start of the tutoring programme.

What I do when I am not tutoring

As mentioned in my personal biography, I am a full time teacher and head of department at an international school in Thailand. When I am not tutoring or teaching I enjoy snowboarding, scuba diving, running, watching live music and I have recently taken up kitesurfing.