What I do

I work with a small number of clients in a very focussed area of the education sector, putting my experience and time to very targeted use, to provide advice and technical support that I believe is impossible to find elsewhere. It’s a bold statement, but here is my philosophy:

 

1. I am a specialist - there exist lots of generalist advisers who support many types of applications and/or tutors who juggle multiple subjects, but I am a specialist in a particular part of STEM education and I don’t deviate from that area. UK university applications for Physics/Engineering/PhysNatSci/MatSci etc, Physics and Engineering extension support, and Physics tuition for A-levels, IB and IGCSE; these are the areas in which I operate. 

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2. I work with ‘two handfuls’ of clients – as a general rule, I like to be able to count my clients on two hands. Fewer than that and I don’t have enough breadth to keep things interesting and to spot patterns over time - more than that and I don’t feel comfortable offering my dedicated attention to the families with whom I work.

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3. My fees reflect the quality of what I offer – I could turn up and discuss a university application without much thought or teach a session with no planning, but that doesn’t make me feel good about the quality of the support I offer. From analyzing university application statistics, to reading examiner reports, to recording my own tailored resources, to monitoring news feeds of educational competitions, and much more, I put in a huge amount of work in the background to ensure I offer something unique.

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4. I work online but chat over coffee – using a combination of online resources, GoogleMeet conferencing, and Miro whiteboards, I provide a virtual experience that is better than working in-person. Students can access all the resources at any time, prior work cannot be lost, and no matter where my clients and I are based in the world at any particular time I can maximize availability in my diary. I do, however, regularly head to London to meet clients and colleagues (inc. coordinating diaries with those travelling to the UK) to catch up and chat in person.

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5. This is my job – I have run a faculty of 30+ staff whilst teaching 6 sets whilst being a pastoral tutor whilst doing admissions interviewing whilst … and I know how difficult it is to keep balls in the air, let alone try and also do private work as well. I made the conscious decision to stop working in-house so I could focus my attention on working with a smaller number of clients to a much higher quality.

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6. I say ‘no’ quite a lot – I get a lot of requests for new clients and decline many, to ensure I can devote enough time to my existing clients. I make sure I never have too many of my clients working towards the same goal, so everyone doesn’t need additional help at the same time. That means I am sometimes unavailable for one area of work (e.g. Year 13 university advice) but do have capacity in another (e.g. Year 12 physics support).

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7. I don’t outsource – the clue is in the name of this website; families work with me, not an army of recent graduates looking for a bit of cash on the side. I sometimes will make a recommendation to someone in my network with specific experience (e.g. to do a mock interview with an unfamiliar face), but on those rare occasions there’s always a very targeted reason and families are openly told of the benefits of getting that opinion.

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8. Most of my work is by recommendation – most of my clients come via an introduction by another client or another respected educational professional. By relying on such channels, I have a vested interest in ensuring the quality of the work I undertake is high, so that I continue to be recommended.

 

I hope the above makes it clear how I operate and why the quality of my offering is what underpins my decision-making when choosing what work to complete, what to charge, when I am full, who else to recommend, etc. It also explains why my students make the best possible progress and the families I advise receive expert advice that they cannot find elsewhere.