Award-Winning Economist and MSc Graduate teaches Economics to GCSE and A-Level standard.

Find out more about Daniel

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I have always been interested in Economics, but it narrowly lost out to History for my first undergraduate degree. I returned to studying economics at the MSc level in 2020 and have tutored A-level Economics ever since. My interest in tutoring developed from a desire to be able to derive 'meaning' from any "job" I have - and teaching the next generation (while not dealing with the disutility of behavior control in a school setting) has appealed to me ever since. I really enjoy the strong professional relationships I am able to establish with students while they are under my guidance, and I remain in touch with some long after they have completed A-levels.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  The topics I discuss with students depend on the category of the student (which falls into two categories). If a student simply wants to meet a conditional offer for a subject that is *not* economics, we will focus relentlessly on core knowledge and exam technique to get them that required grade. If, however, a student intends to study economics at the undergraduate level, I like to introduce some reading from beyond the A-level syllabus with classic topics including asymmetric information (e.g. Akerlof 1970); underemployment (Chevalier 2003); the Phillips Curve (Phillips 1958, Niskanen 2002) and, if mathematically minded, utility theory/envelope theorem.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  Over the years I did have one or two inspirational teachers in school. I am still in touch with one of my economics teachers from almost a decade and a half ago now - she currently runs my old school!

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  I think the main qualities required are threefold: 1) a good tutor requires an innate understanding of the student's motivations; 2) a good tutor requires a deep knowledge of the subject, which enables 3) the ability to find explanations that accord with the natural learning style of the student. There are three learning styles for students in my experience: i) learning by numbers/algebra, ii) learning by diagrams and comparative statics, and iii) learning by rote and memorization. I am able to teach all three, although I by far prefer the first two styles to the third!

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  I'm afraid I don't have any interesting ones! One interesting fact about me *might* be that I have turned down the opportunity to dine with serving and former Chancellors of the Exchequer on three occasions.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  The main difficulty when I studied A-level economics was remembering the cumulative content for final exams. Now, the main struggle I have is finding the time to conduct some of the economic research I would like on top of my teaching responsibilities!

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I have a passion for that moment when a student has an epiphany or realisation, and something they previously did not understand is now a clear, malleable concept they can experiment with. I find this happens more commonly in maths and economics than it does in history, but I also do have a specific passion for economics. I think it is simply because it uses mathematical language to describe the world around us - and therefore there can be zero (or very little) unconscious bias: you are either correct or you are incorrect!

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions :-P) ?

  Firstly, it is the results I am able to achieve: last year, 86.6% of my students (n=18) achieved an A or better, when at least two-thirds were predicted to get low Bs and Cs. Secondly, it is also the passion I am able to pass on for economics in a majority of cases. Even if a pupil does not elect to study economics at university, they often leave my teaching with an understanding of at least a few Nobel Prize-winning economics papers that I have explained to them in A-level Economics terms. Many end up switching to economics when their first-choice subject is not what they thought it would be!