Trudi

I grew up in the London suburbs and after gaining A levels in Maths, French and Geography I took a gap year in which I spent the first 6 months living and working in Paris. I was able to improve my French as well as live and enjoy the culture. I went on to do a Languages for Business degree at Oxford Brookes University, with French as my main language and Spanish as a second. My degree gave me the opportunity to spend two further placements working in Paris.

After University I followed a career in Accountancy. Whilst my career progressed, I qualified with CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) and enjoyed an opportunity to spend a 6 month work secondment in Madrid. Throughout my career I’ve had many opportunities to help and train colleagues and trainee accountants who I have mentored through their careers and professional exams. I continued to mentor one previous direct report following his first promotion and often found myself being someone that junior members of the team came to for guidance.

In recent years, starting a family of my own lead me to question what it is that I like most from my career and how I can ensure that I get the best work/family balance. The realisation that a large part of my job satisfaction came from mentoring my direct reports through their accountancy exams and their subsequent career progression, made me realise that tutoring would provide me with a path to utilise my strengths whilst allowing me the flexibility to spend time with my children as they grow up.

Having worked with a variety of different personalities in both my professional career and as a triathlon coach, I have learnt the importance of adapting my teaching and communication style to meet the individual personalities and learning styles of my students.

I am patient and being a good listener has helped me to understand the issues that a student is having so that I can guide them in the areas they need. I understand the importance of not overloading them, choosing to guide them in a logical order and ensuring that I use encouraging language.

Outside of tutoring, my two young children keep me entertained and busy most of the time. We enjoy family dog walks in Richmond Park, reading books, baking and trips to the playground.

I am a keen triathlete so when I can, riding my bike and going for a swim or a run are my favourite ways to wind down. I have completed triathlons of all distances and have been lucky enough to represent the GBR age group team in both short and long distance races at European and World Championships.