Why I do what I do

I thought I’d make this blog post a little more personal for those of you that are wondering who I am, what I do and why I do it. Most client who contact me know a lot about me already because they come to me through recommendations. Some clients don’t know anything about me but are intrigued by my website or by my testimonials. I think it is important to know a little bit about me so that you know why I actually do what I do.

I started teaching full time in a Top London Prep school nearly 13 years ago. This seems insane to me! 13 years have passed since I started teaching as a qualified teacher. However, I have been teaching far longer than this. At the age of 18 (20 years ago!) I started working in a little creche with children aged 3 months - 5 years of age. This is when I realised I had a gift. My gift was that of having an incredible ability to work with children. I was passionate about looking after these little children and teaching them.

After working in the creche, I went on to teach Spanish at a local Primary school and I loved it. That’s when I decided to do my PGCE. I studied full time at Goldsmiths University. As soon as I graduated, I got my first teaching job in a popular prep school in Hampstead.

I learnt so much here. I loved it. But the hours were long (7am - 6pm) and I decided to leave after 3 years. When I left, many parents followed me. They wanted me to tutor their children who were sitting their 4+ and 7+. They knew about the amazing results that I had had teaching at this school. I had an incredible success rate at 4+ and 7+.

I continued tutoring part time, whilst working full time in several different schools.

When Covid happened and everything went online, I also took my business online. I realised how many more people I could help online. So for 3 years now, I have been exclusively online.

A few months after everything returned back to ‘normal’, I was pregnant and made the decision to leave my full time teaching job and focus on my business.

Since then, it has been an incredible journey.

And here we are today. I am currently at capacity for the 4+, 7+ and 11+ but I have the most amazing tutors who are currently available.

So I do what I do because of this reason.

As a child, I didn’t feel ‘seen’ at school. I knew I had a talent. I knew that I was special but no one saw that. Only me. I felt other children were given more attention and I didn’t have the truest opportunity to really flourish. I didn’t want any other child to feel this way. Ever again.

I do what I do because I truly desire each child that I teach to have the possibility to reach their truest potential. To achieve any goal that they desire to achieve.

When I was in Secondary school, I wanted to apply to Oxford. I was simply told ‘no’. I didn’t know any better and I just believed that I wasn’t ‘good enough’ to go to Oxford. Of course, this is ridiculous and I was just as able as any of the chosen Oxbridge candidates. I ended up studying at UCL, Reading and Goldsmiths.

If any of my students tell me that they have a goal, a desire, I listen. And I support them every step of the way. And I support their parents to support them. To have a voice and to truly allow their child to flourish and succeed. Why shouldn’t each and every child have the chance to do what they truly desire to do?

This is why I do what I do.

And this is what I will teach my own son. That he is truly capable of doing whatever he wants. Whatever he sets his mind to. I will never tell him, ‘You can’t do that’ or ‘That’s too hard’ or ‘That’s meant for someone else’. This is what I was told as a child and this is what I believed until quite recently actually.

Now I know that I can do whatever I put my mind to and I want to teach all of my students the same.