I initially considered working as an English home tutor in London many years ago as a means of leveraging my academic knowledge to young people. After working extremely hard throughout my school years, I utilised my knowledge of English in various ways. I was helping children prepare for the 11+ common entrance exams, helping them obtain placements to some of UK’s most prestigious grammar and private schools. To be honest, I never saw this as a potential long-term career but after getting some serious results for my students whilst working with a private tutoring agency in London, my student base grew rapidly and I began to establish and really develop my credibility in the private tutoring industry. It was not long before I discovered that there was a huge demand for English tutors in London. I started to seriously consider the private tutoring world as a long-term career plan for myself as I gained more clarity on my niche and demographic.
Over time, my demand superseded my supply and after working with several private tutoring agencies in London, I realised English tutors in London were extremely sought after. English is a broad subject that covers various spectrums; from teaching English as a foreign language, to preparing students for GCSE English and 11+ common entrance examinations. The demand for personal 1 to 1 private tuition will always exist because of the undivided focus you receive that is specific to your goals and current academic level. The real life human connection and interaction is something that is evergreen that can never be automated or replaced.
When I initially began working as an English tutor in London, it required long commutes to various students’ houses. Many clients looking for English tuition did not live near me which made it difficult for me to leverage my time efficiently. Many students were looking for a 1 to 1 English tutor who could travel to their home on a weekly basis and in many cases, several times a week. The distance and travelling time was a huge factor when considering which students to take on which was a challenging dilemma because I knew I could really help each and every one of them but practically, it was not a long-term feasible option.
Fast forward a couple of years later, I began to have an actively growing stream of clients that brought their children regularly to my apartment in London where tuition was carried out. It was during this time that I really developed firm belief that I could really create my own private tutoring agency in London where I could serve a lot more students through leveraging and training other private tutors with excellent academic credentials and tutoring experience. A network of other private tutors were formed under our private tutoring agency Telios Tutors.
By having a strong team to support my mission to serve as many students as possible without limit meant that I did not have to turn away students. Moreover, I could leverage my expertise more efficiently and effectively. I am able to oversee not only just English tutors in London but also English tutors who operate internationally, too. When engaging in private tutors, it is important we recruit up and look for quality as a priority as opposed to physical proximity.
There are many one to one English tutors who still visit students’ homes and conduct face to face lessons in person and I believe there will always be a demand and supply for this. Many English tutors are by those who are university students or graduates who seek to find flexible work within London as well as leverage their academic knowledge and experience within the schooling system.
Working as an 1 to 1 English tutor in London has provided me with some wonderful experiences and memories. I am grateful to have led lessons that have accumulated to thousands and thousands of hours. My students have ranged from those who are preparing for the common entrance 11+ exams to some of London’s leading independent schools as well as those who are registered as partially deaf. I have had the pleasure of working with many international families who is unfamiliar with the English syllabus for both English language and literature.
The role of an English tutor should not simply to impart academic knowledge onto the student, contrary to conventional style of tutoring. Building and maintaining connection and engagement is of utmost importance – if your student cannot relate or resonate with you, it will not be a relationship that can be sustained long-term. Leading with empathy and edifying your student authentically will encourage and instill confidence and love for the subject. For those who are gifted in this subject, there is always another level. Thus, in my experience, inspiring them further by ‘modelling’ a standard far greater than the level they are currently working at is essential.
Whilst working as an English tutor in London, I have encountered a wide range of scenarios and if I could offer some advice to those who are looking to engage with a tutor, to not just focus on a tutor’s academic excellence. This is of course essential but equally, if not more important, are the tutor’s values and motivating factors. It is so important to entrust your child’s education with someone who is trustworthy, reliable and genuinely loves to be of service to people.
What I feel really differentiated me from many other English tutors in London was the personal touch I valued with every student. I treated every individual as if they were my only student and always went above and beyond every placement I agreed to commit to. I truly empathise with the students’ and parents’ struggles and desires and encouraged them to leverage my belief in the process. For example, before engaging with an English tutor, many parents were initially frustrated with their children because they could not write excellent stories, or they would be very slow in making progress compared to their peers. I genuinely tried to relate to both parents and student and come from a place of understanding. Through this, I developed a unique method and style of teaching that resonated well with the personality type of the student. For example, if my student was lacking in confidence and self-esteem, I would consistently acknowledge excellent effort and share words of encouragement. It sounds simple, but it really goes a long way when they have rarely been empowered or been shown the possibility of actually being able to write well.
Private tutoring is not linear; human beings are complex and there is certainly never a one size fits all. One of the main reasons parents engage in private tuition for their child as opposed to just learning at school is so that they can have 1 to 1 attention based on their unique circumstance and personality. We must really try to be creative when thinking of ways to improve a child’s love for English. When we enjoy and look forward to the process, we are able to open a person’s heart to receiving knowledge. A level of humility from all parties should be present to allow room for growth and development and so tutors should be willing to receive feedback from parents as well as offer it.
What I love about being an English tutor in London is that there is such a great demand – English is the second most internationally spoken language in the world. Living and growing up in London, I have been privileged to have received an excellent education in the subject as well as having a strong British accent. This is something that is highly recognised in society. Moreover, I get to engage with some wonderful families and young children and be entrusted with their education that I feel extremely confident I can help get some excellent results for. There are many layers of English tuition that I can cater for, whether it be in terms of writing or comprehension. In fact, I feel almost everyone could benefit from some English tutoring as there is always another level.
Aside from my own personal experience working as an English tutor in London, I am grateful to have been able to develop other private tutors in this way through our private tutoring agency whilst helping more young people grow in the process. The chain of growth is beautiful and one that has no limit; the industry is at its peak and looking at the current trend, I believe there will only be more of a demand in future years to come. The online tutoring platform is definitely one that many English tutors and students utilise now, allowing our extend our reach that is boundless and not restricting to those residing in London. It is exciting to witness the development in the private tutoring industry in such times where technological advancements have allowed more students and tutors to benefit from. I am curious to see where the next decade will see us grow – perhaps tuition via virtual reality!
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