Jean-Michel

Experience

• 11+ English and Maths: ISEB and public school exams, including pre-tests.

• 13+ English and Maths: ISEB and public school entrance exams

• (I)GCSE Maths: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC

• (I)GCSE/IGCSE English: AQA, CIE, Edexcel and OCR

• (I)GCSE Physics: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC

• A-level English Literature: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, IB, OCR and WJEC

• A-level Maths: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC

• A-level Physics: AQA, CIE, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and Pre-U

• A-level Philosophy: AQA and Pre-U

I have five years experience tutoring both in the UK and in Dubai and have taught both Maths, English and Physics to all age groups between 11+ and A level. I also have experience helping students with both 11+ and 13+ preparation for a number of selective schools (North London Collegiate, Eton, Dulwich, and Tonbridge, to name a few). This includes working towards the difficult Eton King's Scholarship papers.

When employed as a Full-Time Tutor in Dubai, my remit was both to teach Mathematics and English up to A-Level standard, as well as to head the firm’s new English department. This not only involved teaching students between the ages of 7 and 18, but sourcing material and developing teaching strategies for English.

During my time with Keystone, I have supported a number of students towards the Oxford PAT and Cambridge NSAA, as well as Physics and Philosophy interviews. I also have extensive experience teaching A level Philosophy, as well as supporting Undergraduate Philosophy students.

Biography

I had something of a nomadic life before settling in London for University, which is one of the reasons I ended up with a French name, despite being an English Dane.

During my years studying Physics at Imperial College, I discovered a deep interest in Philosophy. This led me to pursue a Master’s degree in Philosophy at University College London. I then embarked upon a more research heavy degree in the link between Philosophy and Poetry at Durham University.

I was a full-time tutor in London between 2016 and 2017 before heading up to Durham to continue my studies. Following the completion of my degree, I moved to Dubai for a year and was employed as a full-time tutor across both Mathematics and English. I also lead a number of undergraduate seminars throughout my postgraduate degrees. I worked freelance through Keystone for 6 months before joining as a Professional Tutor in August 2020.

Personal Approach

I really do see teaching as an extension of learning, which is something I have always tried to put into practice. And this is the wonderful thing about private tuition, with the format really allowing the tutor to be an integral part of the learning process and not just the overseer.

Of course, there are effective strategies, exam techniques, and revision plans that can all be extremely useful. Structure is also a central part of my overarching approach. It's only that I am loathe to apply such tactics indiscriminately or to the detriment of fostering a love for learning.

What I do when I am not tutoring

Whilst I am not yet a published poet, this is something I would like to change. My poetic pursuits are a topic of deep bewilderment amongst my old Imperial College pals, which always makes for interesting conversations.

I am also a keen cricketer and footballer, though after numerous football related injuries I have chosen the safer option of watching more of the beautiful game these days.

Testimonials

“It has been a pleasure dealing with Jean-Michel and I have been impressed with his intuitive and highly professional approach to his classes with my son. Not only has he succeeded in identifying and sorting out the issues that were bothering my son in the first place, he has also stretched and stimulated his interest in other areas of the subject.” (Mother of A Level Physics Student)

''Jean-Michel was an excellent tutor, very knowledgeable in his subjects but also able to connect well with my children and make the subject matter accessible and comprehensible to them. In addition, he was personable, flexible, reliable and resourceful. Both children were very grateful for his help.'' (Mother of students in Yr. 8 and Yr. 11)

''Jean .. is responsible and trustworthy, constantly updating me on the progress of my son and giving input. I give credit to him for pushing my son to excel in the recent Dubai College entry assessment and he successfully got in. I have no hesitation to recommend Jean to anyone.'' (Mother of 11 year old)

''My son has had several sessions with Jean-Michel, who had an immediate impact in terms of identifying problem areas and helping to identify solutions that our son was able to implement. Jean-Michel has the advantage of a background in both science and English, which helps him to approach issues from a variety of viewpoints as well as covering multiple subjects. He has a genuine interest and commitment to helping his students.'' (Father of GCSE Student)

''It has been a pleasure dealing with Jean-Michel and I have been impressed with his intuitive and highly professional approach to his classes with my son. Not only has he succeeded in identifying and sorting out the issues that were bothering him in the first place, he has also stretched and stimulated his interest in other areas of the subject.'' (Mother of A-Level Physics Student)

It was a great opportunity for our son to receive extra support in Math from Jean-Michel, who along with his positive and engaging personality and extensive background in both Math and Science, really made a difference in our son's learning. Jean-Michel has the ability to inspire students to explore their abilities to the full and we are immensely grateful for his support. (Mother of A-Level Maths student)

Jean-Michael’s genuine interest in his students and their progress shines through. His lessons were always engaging and tailored to my son’s strengths and weaknesses. He was flexible and adapted to changing circumstances but was positive and encouraging throughout. Most importantly my son enjoyed working with him!

(Mother of A-Level Further Maths student)

''Thank you again for all of your help; our sessions allowed me to improve dramatically and really helped me get the result I wanted!''

(GCSE Maths Student)