Sebastian

I was born in Regensburg, Germany and grew up in Penang, Malaysia. After completing high school (IGCSEs) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma at the International School of Penang, I worked at North London Collegiate School Jeju, South Korea for six months as a gap student and tutoring Geography to small groups of students. Following on from this, I completed my undergraduate degree in Environments, majoring in Environmental Geographies, Politics and Cultures at the University of Melbourne in Australia. During this time, I also completed a language summer programme at the University of Hong Kong and taught in rural Thailand during university holidays. After relocating from Australia to the UK, I have taught Geography at several independent colleges in London and St Albans and have also built my tutoring business. I then went on to complete a PGCE in secondary Geography from the University of Cambridge. I am bilingual, speaking English and German fluently. I thoroughly enjoy both Geography and tutoring with a passion. I believe education is the key to positive change in the world and a good quality of life, and individualised private tutoring is some of the best forms of education a student can receive.

Building a strong working relationship and trust between the tutor and student is very important, and being easily approachable is a vital characteristic a tutor should have. Some students may have just lost their inspiration to learn and so it is the tutor's job to motivate and inspire them. An important role for a tutor is to build a students confidence and acting as a mentor to them. Additionally, it is important the student is guided on an individual-based level and encouraged to actively engage and think, making links with information explained to them, and not spoon fed. Especially applicable to Geography, my lessons have a strong focus on exam technique, including essay structure and language; and effective exam preparation.

When I am not tutoring I enjoy exploring the city, catching up with friends, relaxing at home with a good book, keeping up to date with global news and events, and travelling and exploring new places and cultures. I am proud to say that I have been lucky enough to visit 63 countries so far - a list I intend to grow in my lifetime, to over half of the world's countries. I also love sports and consider myself a very active individual. I enjoy football, table tennis, badminton, squash, surfing, snowboarding and fishing. I am an avid hiker and have climbed South-East Asia’s highest mountain: Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, Malaysia as part of a school-based charity fund-raising trip.