Dominic

Experience

* AS/A Level Chemistry (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, and OCR)

* GCSE/IGCSE Chemistry (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, and OCR)

* GCSE/IGCSE Physics (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, and OCR)

* GCSE/IGCSE Biology (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, and OCR)

* GCSE/IGCSE Maths (AQA, CIE, Edexcel, and OCR)

* 13+ Science (ISEB)

* 13+ Maths (ISEB)

Throughout my PhD, I mentored and taught practical Chemistry in the laboratory, both to undergraduates and to younger school students who came to UCL for outreach days. It was at this time that I discovered how rewarding teaching can be. After I completed my PhD, I worked as an Analytical Chemist in the food and flavour industry. In my spare time, I also tutored various students in Science and Maths, at GCSE and A-Level, before deciding that I would love to tutor professionally. I have completed the Keystone 11+ Maths and English training, and have access to many resources to help students with their studies.

Biography

I grew up in Hertfordshire, except for a couple of years in my early teens, where my family moved to Switzerland and then to Spain. After moving back to England, I achieved the highest GCSE results in my year, and went on to receive three A's at A-level. Following this, I studied Chemistry at University College London. I earned a 2:1 in my Master's degree, and then obtained my PhD. During my time at UCL, I taught practical Chemistry to undergraduates and to younger school students who came in for outreach days.

After working for a year as an Analytical Chemist in the food and flavour industry, I decided that I wanted to pursue my true passion - teaching. I find teaching to be extremely rewarding and would love the opportunity to work with students who are looking to get more out of Science and Maths.

Personal Approach

I like to keep my lessons flexible and unstructured, so that they don't feel so much like a strict classroom environment, but instead, more of a fun, interactive discussion of the topics that we're covering, to hopefully allow for a more engaging environment for building understanding. We'll also go through exam-style questions to put this newfound knowledge to the test, and to practice exam technique.

I'm passionate about Science and Maths, and I know from personal experience how tricky it can be to grasp some of the concepts in these subjects. However, I strongly believe that no topic is beyond understanding. For me, it is of utmost importance to be able to explain the fundamentals of these topics in layman's terms so that anybody could understand them. I'd much rather take longer to build strong foundations of understanding, rather than rushing through the syllabus to cram before an exam. I want the student to be so comfortable with a concept, that they themselves could easily explain it to their friends or family. It's only at this point that a student will feel comfortable answering questions in an exam setting.

On top of this, I feel that it is indispensable to try and make the student excited about the subject that we are learning about. Science is fascinating and wonderful, but this can often get lost in the school setting. I hope to create an environment where the student really sees how amazing the Science they are studying truly is.

Finally, my goal is to be able to give the student the confidence and the skills necessary to tackle exams in their subjects. I believe that it is important to track a student's progress with exercises and exam-style questions. When a student sees an improvement in their abilities, the confidence-boost they receive really demonstrates how valuable tutoring can be.

What I do when I am not tutoring

I love films and I love cooking. In order to justify the fact that I spend a significant portion of my free time staring at a screen and eating, I force myself to go weightlifting a few times a week. On top of that, I juggle several hobbies, including Krav Maga, video editing, learning Polish (dzien dobry), sketching and painting when I can, and teaching myself to play the guitar - all of which are proving to be a lot more challenging than I initially thought they would be!

Testimonials

"Thanks to Dominic's excellent tuition and encouragement, our daughter has just received an A grade in her Chemistry A Level. She struggled with Chemistry at the beginning of the academic year and Dominic so ably assisted her the subject. Not only does this mean that she has achieved wonderful grades, but it also means that she can now realise her long-held dream of studying for a BVetMed! Our heartfelt thanks go to Dominic for all that he has done to help our daughter to reach her potential." (Mother of an A level Chemistry Student)

"Dom has been of invaluable help to my son in explaining various concepts and theories in his A level Chemistry course. I sense that my son has finally grasped the fundamental concepts. I think Dom is doing a great job at explaining and then reinforcing with exercises. Dom is very professional in his whole approach, from timekeeping to providing detailed feedback on each lesson to us parents. He is also helpful and accommodating when I suggested some homework for my son in order to reinforce certain areas." (Mother of an A Level Chemistry student)

"My son says he's enjoying the Science so much that he wanted it to go on longer! So you're definitely connecting with him which is wonderful." (Mother of home-schooled student)

"Dominic is an extremely able tutor, his tutoring rekindled my love for chemistry. Not only was he knowledgeable on the subject matter he also gave me useful exam tips and techniques. He was able to explain topics that I found particularly difficult despite being tutored in them several times, such as transition metals and electrode potentials. Dominic motivated me to believe in my ability which greatly improved my confidence." (A Level Chemistry Student)

"Thank you so much for teaching my son and daughter. First of all I was very taken by how fast you could build the connection with them and a great working alliance. Even at times they were unmotivated or tired you could hold their attention for one hour, which in their case is a mighty achievement. They really liked your personality. Progress was clearly visible, and my son still remembers the timetables tricks you have taught him! Lesson summaries via email were very effective and a great reference. We are really sorry to be loosing you due to our move out of London and only hope that we will find other tutors like yourself. We wish you all the best and thank you again for your contribution." (Mother of Year 5 and Year 3 Student)

''My son enjoyed Dom’s lesson very much yesterday. Thanks a lot!'' (Mother of Year 4 Maths & English student)

"Just a little feedback on the Chemistry revision week. My son is very impressed and has said Dominic is the best Chemistry tutor he has ever had." (Mother of A-Level Chemistry student)

''This is a very condensed version of how thankful I am but I just wanted to say thank you so much for everything. Before we met my confidence in maths and science and even myself was very low and you have helped me to believe in myself more. I’m very sad that GCSEs aren’t happening and sad that our lessons have ended but I’m very grateful for everything.'' (Home-schooled GCSE Science & Maths student)

''She got an A in her chemistry which without your help would never have happened. We all knew it was the subject she struggled with the most and she is totally totally over the moon. Her grades were A* A* A and she got her place to study veterinary med which as I am sure you know had been her lifelong dream. Thank you so very much for your support and excellent tutoring to get us here.'' (Mother of A-Level Chemistry student)

''I have great news to share! I got my physics GCSE result back and I got a 9! I realise that this is in no small part to all your sessions with me and I am so grateful for your support!'' (GCSE Physics student)

''She got her A grades in chemistry, as well as in Biology and Geography and we are totally delighted that she has now had her place at the Royal Veterinary College confirmed and will be starting in September. She couldn't have done it without your help and excellent tutoring and we will be forever grateful for all you did.'' (Mother of A-Level Chemistry student)

''My daughter says that Dominic has really helped her immensely. Her confidence has increased and her understanding has developed significantly. She recently undertook a test at school which she was dreading as she had not covered the work adequately and did not really understand the topic. Fortunately she has a tutor session with Dominic on the morning of the test. She was delighted that she gained 78% and received the highest mark in the class - entirely thanks to Dom's work with her! He really has been tremendous and we are extremely grateful to him.'' (Mother of A-Level Chemistry student)

''We are absolutely thrilled with my daughter's Grade 9 in physics and are very aware that you had a large part to play in this. I am afraid that working with her was not an easy gig. She was so disappointed with the 5 that her physics teacher assigned for her last year and her confidence was very low - and she has never liked physics! You managed to engage, organise and motivate her over a long period of time and we are very grateful to you. This has been a wonderful end to her physics story and I think a good life lesson too - that determination and hard work pay off and one person's opinion need not dictate future success. The teachers at her school are rather stunned she has gone up 4 grades which makes it all the more satisfying I think!'' (Mother of GCSE Physics student)

''My daughter said she enjoyed her session with you - and reckoned she worked harder in those two hours than at any other time so far this year. Needless to say, I’m very pleased to hear that!'' (Mother of GCSE Science & Maths student)

''I would wholeheartedly recommend Dominic as a brilliant tutor who was able to provide excellent A level chemistry tutoring for our daughter. Dominic’s enthusiasm and depth of knowledge is to a top standard which he communicates with ease. We are really grateful to have had his expertise.'' (Mother of A-Level Chemistry student)

''It is always difficult to find the right balance between fun and learning but you achieve it regularly.'' (Father of Year 8 Science student)

''My son enjoyed very much his lesson with you and thought it was very helpful.'' (Mother of Year 8 Science student)

''My son was very pleased about his lessons with Dom and he thought they were very useful. I would like to book more lessons.'' (Mother of Year 8 Science student)

''My daughter is very pleased with your tutoring style and says she learnt new things in this first lesson. She would like as many lessons with you as you can manage.'' (Mother of A-Level Chemistry student)

''Thanks Dominic – My son really enjoyed the lesson so we appreciate your help.'' (Father of Year 9 Chemistry student)

''My son very much enjoyed studying with Dom, he said he was a very good tutor and his support was crucial for his exams.'' (Mother of Year 8 Science student)