A few words about me

Born, bred and schooled in Bristol, I left Bristol University with a 2.1. degree in Microbiology thinking that I would spend my life as a scientist. I spent the next four years working in Canterbury and Minnesota before finally realising that working in the lab wasn't my cup of tea after all.

During the next few years I searched for an occupation that interested me. I worked in sales and marketing, in the photography and publishing industries. Finally, my interest in science and the natural world won out and I moved back to Bristol to work for Avon Wildlife Trust and Friends of the Earth.

I managed a small company within FoE called Energy Services. During this time I learnt about managing a small business with part-time employees and free-lancers. I worked hard and the company had a good reputation. We gave energy conservation advice to householders and small businesses, although our main income came from insulation work subsidised by government grants. When the government abolished the grants at short notice, we stopped trading.

The next phase of my education was spent learning about I.T. working for a local training company and a company that installed computer networks. During this time I realised how much I enjoyed teaching and helping people find solutions. So what did I do? I left and set up on my own as a private tutor.

As my teaching experience has grown, I've developed a keen interest in accelerated learning methods. I worked mainly with teenagers studying for exams and adults aiming to better themselves or get professional qualifications. I also kept up to date with science by working as a consultant for a local ecological consultancy - back in the lab again!

I wrote and delivered courses on literacy for workers moving into the lower levels of management. This was a revelation! It was so much fun - the first time I had worked in the 'corporate' arena - and they were all human beings after all. Nothing like being thrown in at the deep end though - I quickly became aware of good and bad training practice.

While teaching, I was aware that I enjoyed helping teenagers make the big decisions about what courses to take and what goals to set for their education and their careers. I carried this over to my work with adults by qualifying as a personal development coach and started to absorb a huge amount of information, learn new skills and meet many amazing people.

I also liked working with small business owners, learning a great deal about marketing and building reputations.

My tuition service now concentrates on teenagers studying for their Maths and Science GCSEs - that's my speciality - maths-gcse-tuition.com and science-gcse-tuition.com. I work closely with a colleague who tutors at A-level, so between us we cover all levels of maths and science.

I'm particularly interested in those who are not at school, for whatever reason - illness, exclusion or being home-educated by choice.

I'm currently single, and live in Frenchay, Bristol. I have a sixteen year old daughter who lives close by. Naturally she's amazing and fun to be with and heading for a great life. She's into acting and dancing and teaches me more than I teach her! My father, brothers and sisters all live close by.

I have a practical interest in the public understanding and debate about science; I run Science Cafe at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol, which meets every last Monday of the month: www.sciencecafe.co.uk and am involved in setting up others in Bristol, including at Explore At-Bristol, the Arnolfini contemporary arts centre and the Pierian Centre in St Pauls.

Currently I'm experimenting with online tuition to support those who don't have access to a local tutor.

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