Mel

I was born in Paris and moved to London at the age of 9 where I attended the French Lycée in South Kensington.

At 16, I made the switch to A-levels, taking Maths (A*), Further Maths (A), Computing (A) and French (A) at St Francis Xavier Sixth Form in Clapham, where I grew a deeper appreciation for mathematics.

This led me to study Mathematics at The University of Manchester, where my love for the subject really flourished. After 4 wonderful years, I graduated from my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree at the top of my class, achieving a 1st Class, with an 89% average .

Following this, I had diverse experiences. I was a PhD student at King’s College for a year and a financial modelling consultant at Operis for 18 months, during which I always found time to tutor on the side, even taking up my Sundays while I was working a full-time job. Eventually, I made the leap and established myself as a full-time maths tutor.

I'm particularly interested in tutoring entrance exams, maths competitions and university level mathematics where one needs to break down challenging problems into digestible stories.

My approach with each student is a collaborative effort and will be adapted to their needs and personality. That is the beauty of tutoring. However, my teaching is heavily influenced by my way of understanding mathematics, that is firstly, familiarisation & intuition, secondly, a problem-solving mindset and thirdly, clear reasoning.

Here is a summary of the typical approach my students and I prefer:

Content - Problem-solving techniques and exam strategies are at the forefront. Once basic content is understood, it is immediately applied to exam-style problems. I may create notes about key facts, clues and techniques applicable to specific problem types. Sometimes, resources are scarce and I may create my own problems.

Communication style - I create a friendly and safe environment so students can express themselves without fear of judgment. Intuitive interpretations are offered through visualisation and analogy. I aim to be as revealing as possible about my thought process and problem-solving insight I use to take down problems that appear daunting.

Reinforcement and assessment - Independent work is always a priority. I will regularly set carefully crafted homeworks which will be discussed in lessons or marked if desired. Some time is also given to advising my students how to best structure their independent studying themselves, teaching students how to fish rather than fish for them, so to speak.

Professionally, I have no other commitments as I am a full-time maths tutor.

Personally, I'm passionate about cycle touring and bikepacking. These past few summers, I’ve embarked on 6-week long trips cycling and camping through France and Spain. I hope to cycle much more of Europe and the World for years to come.