Jessica

Experience

• Primary English and Maths (Key Stages 1 & 2)

• 7+ English & Maths and prep school entrance exams

• 8+ English & Maths and prep school entrance exams

• 11+ English & Maths and public school entrance exams, including pre-tests

• English as a Foreign Language: Cambridge English Language Assessment exams KET, PET, FCE, CAE

I have been tutoring professionally since I graduated from university in 2011. I have provided tuition to students at 7+, 8+, 11+ and 13+ common entrance level and interview preparations, and successfully placed students through their exams to a number of London schools.

I have also tutored English as a foreign language to students in Barcelona at levels ranging from complete beginner to advanced level, as well as tutoring students who were preparing to sit their Cambridge English Language Assessment exams.

Biography

I was born in Edinburgh to Chinese parents and thus grew up bilingual. After taking my Advanced Highers, I went on to study at King's College London where I graduated with a Geography degree in 2011. I have been teaching and tutoring professionally ever since. I moved to Barcelona shortly after graduating to obtain my CELTA and taught English as a Foreign Language there for three years. More recently, I lived and worked in Hong Kong as an English tutor. I have now been back in London since 2015 and have started a career as a professional tutor with Keystone Tutors.

Personal Approach

It is imperative to set clear goals with each individual tutee and over the course of the lessons, achieve these goals in a direct and rewarding manner. The methods used to reach these set incentives will change according to the situation and needs of the student. However, there are some central principles with my approach to tutoring that do not change. I seek to inspire confidence and motivation by drawing out enthusiasms of the subject to ensure on-going interest in the lessons. I also focus on building strong and trustworthy relationships with the students which in turn make for positive and successful lessons.

What I do when I am not tutoring

When I am not tutoring I enjoy spending time in the hills. I am a keen cyclist and whenever the sun is out, so am I. I love discovering new parts of the UK and Europe on two wheels, secretly hoping that my call-up to the Tour de France is yet to come! In the meantime, my challenge is to conquer the 100 toughest cycling climbs (I've done twenty-two so far!) and to qualify for the UK National Hill Climb Championships this year. Also, having lived abroad in Barcelona and Hong Kong, I like to keep up my language learning by attending language exchange meet-ups.

Testimonials

''My son enjoyed his session with Jessica and he said she's very friendly and answered all his queries. He was not hesitant asking her as she made him very comfortable. Looking forward for more sessions in the future.'' (Mother of Year 7 student)

''I would like to share the great news that my daughter gets the offer from UWCSEA today!” (UWC Applicant from Singapore)

''I am very satisfied with the tutor and the content of the assessment. My daughter also likes Jessica very much and is putting much more effort into it. I thank you and look forward to continued help and support.'' (Mother of 7+ student from Hong Kong)

''I am very happy with Jessica as a tutor for my daughter. She is very professional and also she instantly formed a good connection with my daughter. Her progress is very impressive and I got a lot of positive feedback from her school teacher as well.'' (Mother of previous student)

''Thank you very much for your help and always having a smile on your face as soon as we started each call! Because of your fantastic way of teaching, I got into Sherborne! I am so grateful that I got to experience my tutoring with you!'' (11+ student)

''Happy to confirm that X has secured her place at Sherborne school for next September. Thank you for all your help. You were always very kind and patient and made the lessons for X fun and engaging.'' (Mother of ISEB student)

''X received the Outstanding Learner Award for IGCSE English this year for the highest mark! I wanted to tell you how much the foundations you established helped. Please be proud of yourself for being part of that amazing journey. A big thank you.'' (Mother of previous 11+ student)

''He hasn’t complained once about doing a class with you which puts you well ahead of the other ‘academic’ after school things he does. I have been able to see a big difference in his ability to work through sample questions as well.'' (Father of ISEB student)

''We are very pleased with Jessica. X appears to be flourishing under her expert tutoring.'' (Mother of 11+ student)

''As always, your lessons are wonderful, and above and beyond satisfactory; we are very thankful.'' (Mother of Year 1 student)

“He is still an avid reader and often speaks of you fondly as the teacher who gave him the best grounding in English.” (Mother of 11+ student)

“I really love our meetings via Zoom where I do not feel that I am being taught online. In addition, I really enjoy our ''Speaking'' activities where I can express myself in English comfortably. There is not an activity that I dislike during our lessons.” (IELTS student)

“Your cheerful and positive personality has made X very motivated to learn. She has continued making efforts to improve her writing, which was her weak point, and she now seems to have grasped what form it should take. I can't give her any advice on comprehension, so she has relied 100% on your guidance. She is starting to feel confident in that area as well, so I think your guidance has been excellent. X says that your lessons are easier to understand than those of any other English teacher. She says that she can now understand writing techniques and character analysis. Thank you very much for always teaching with enthusiasm.” (Mother of Year 6 student)

“''It is the BEST to learn with you. Thanks to you, I can go to a lovely school because you taught me lots of things to be ready for 8+.'' (Year 4 student)

“I would really like to thank you for our interview sessions as they have really helped me in my interview. I have gotten my results from Charterhouse today, and I have been accepted. Thank you very much Jessica, for helping me. I couldn’t have done it without you.” (Year 7 student)

''I wanted to thank you for the work you have done with him over the last few months. He has made real progress and gained enormously in confidence with your help.'' (Father of Year 6 student)

''Jessica has incredible patience and manages to get the best out of him, whatever that may be at the time.'' (Father of Year 6 student)

''Both my wife and I are very impressed with Jessica and know that as she gets to know X better and better, she will continue to make good progress. As importantly, X is also a big fan!''  (Father of Year 6 student)

''The activities Jessica prepared were always very creative, interesting and centered upon the goal that she was trying to achieve. She ensured the content was age appropriate and also pushed my children to stretch their capabilities.'' (Mother of previous students, Hong Kong)

''Unlike other tutors that we had previously, Jessica was professional, fun, and patient. She always came on time well prepared, with lots of interesting activities to do with my daughter. Jessica always gave prompt feedback on how she was progressing, with particular attention paid to the areas that need improvement. We have no reservation in recommending her to any family who needs a professional English tutor.” (Mother of 7+ student, Hong Kong)

''Jessica is a lively tutor. I enjoy her lessons very much as she makes her lessons stimulating and inspiring. She also helps me organise my thoughts and has helped me write in a more structured manner. My lessons with Jessica were very entertaining, we even had exciting 'debates' when exercising critical thinking!” (Previous student, IGCSE English, Hong Kong)

''Jessica is a thoughtful tutor who plans and personalises her lessons to cater for my daughter's needs. She was able to widen my daughter's vocabulary and helped her gain confidence in her writing.” (Mother of previous student, Hong Kong)

''My son worked with Jessica for a few months and has thoroughly enjoyed his lessons. I wanted Jessica to help my son with his reading comprehension and work on foundations of writing but was hesitant as to how my son would accept the lessons. Jessica came well prepared with engaging exercises to keep him interested throughout the lessons and looking forward to the next lesson. Jessica is able to relate well with children and quick to observe their strengths and weaknesses and work with them. '' (Mother of 7+ student, Hong Kong)