Christian G.

• University of East Anglia, Philosophy
• North Lincolnshire

I'm a university graduate from the University of East Anglia, where I graduated with a BA in Philosophy (2:1, with Honours) in 2015. I have tutored students informally in Philosophy at A-level and undergraduate level for over three years.     Beyond this, I'm qualified to teach English as a foreign language and have experience in doing so both in China and online through Skype. I have also previously studied Mandarin and Chinese Culture at Fuzhou University through a scholarship awarded by the British Council, and can currently speak and understand Mandarin at HSK 4 level.     Academic Qualifications:     Postgraduate: Chinese Language and Literature (six-month language course), Intermediate level - Fuzhou University  Undergraduate: BA Philosophy, 2:1 with Honours - University of East Anglia  A level: History, Philosophy, Psychology, General Studies   GCSE: English Language & Literature, Mathematics, German, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, ICT, Religious Studies.

            My tutoring approach focuses on meeting both the individual needs of the students and the requirements of the set course to allow each student to achieve the best they can. Each student has their own needs; some may wish to stick rigidly to a course outline whereas others may be curious about elements beyond it. I allow a degree of flexibility to accommodate this in order to keep classes stimulating, interesting and most importantly fun.     My approach to tutoring also reflects my experience of being in the students' shoes; having sat GCSE's, A-Levels and undergraduate Philosophy exams, I'm aware of the struggles and challenges that students might face, and how to effectively manage and conquer them. Likewise with learning English as a foreign language, spending six months learning Mandarin at Fuzhou University gave me an excellent awareness and understanding of the difficulties that English language students face, and why they face them.     With all of this in mind, my tutoring approach emphasises sustained learning while promoting interest in the subject at all times, be it through current events related to the subject, such as recent historical discoveries, or occasional light-hearted moments to regain interest in tired students. My aim is to ensure that students achieve their best, and through maintaining this approach to teaching, i have been able to meet that goal.

            I hold a 140-hour TEFL qualification from TEFL Org UK, qualifying me to teach English as a foreign language. Aside from the tutoring mentioned below, I have also been informally tutoring English for free on www.italki.com since December 2014 in order to gain experience doing so.     EFL Teacher - Nian Shu Ba, Fuzhou, Fujian, China  October 2015 - February 2016     As an English tutor, my duties included teaching two 45-minute classes daily to English language students from Fuzhou, China. Students were aged between 6-45 with an average class size of 7. I taught English at Elementary, Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate levels. This was a volunteer role, and as such, unpaid. I left this role in preparation for my return to the United Kingdom.     ISAT (International Student Advisory Team) Representative, University of East Anglia  September 2013 - May 2015     My role as an ISAT representative for the University of East Anglia focused on helping international students of the university with successfully adapting to British culture and life within it. This would include acting as a 'language buddy' for several students, where we would meet twice a week in order for them to practice their conversational English with myself. This was both to help them improve their English and to make them feel more comfortable in talking with native English speakers. I left this role upon graduation at the University of East Anglia.     Philosophy Student Mentor, John Leggott College  2011-2012     This role focused on tutoring first-year A-level Philosophy students in Philosophy modules that I had previously sat and flourished in. I left this role on completion of studies at John Leggott College.     'Philosophy Buddy' Student Mentor, University of East Anglia  October 2013 - May 2015     During the second and third years of my undergraduate degree, I volunteered to mentor first-year students in Philosophy modules that I had previously taken and excelled at. I mentored students on a one-to-one basis on subjects such as prepositional logic, political philosophy and tutoring focusing on specific empiricists and rationalists.

            I'm very interested in Chinese culture and Mandarin as a language, which I study in my spare time. I enjoy travelling, having travelled in China, Australia, Germany and within the UK itself. I also enjoy running.