Former OECD & British civil servant who studied at Cambridge & Harvard offering tutoring for school admissions (11+ to 16+) and university admissions

Find out more about Emma

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

  I first developed an interest in education while studying at UC Berkeley in the USA, where I was mentoring younger students and running academic workshops. But it was as an international civil servant at the OECD in Paris where I was tasked to help support work experience students from a local international school that I realised just how much I adore mentoring and empowering young people. Over time, tutoring became far more than helping students pass exams: it became about helping them find their voice, build confidence, and discover what truly motivates them. My passion grew from seeing how much a caring, tailored approach can transform a student’s relationship with learning, especially for those who are anxious, neurodivergent, or feeling unseen in traditional classrooms.

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

  I support pupils with all aspects of school admissions exams from 7+ to 13+, including interview preparation. After this, I offer tutorials across the social sciences - mostly Psychology, Business Studies and Economics - at 16+, GCSE and A Level. I particularly love exploring how ideas connect across disciplines: how language shapes philosophical thought, how economic decisions affect society, or how literature reflects psychology. I’m less fond of purely mechanical rote-learning; I prefer to help students understand why something matters, rather than just memorising facts.

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

  Yes, one of my professors at Cambridge was a huge influence. She had remarkable clarity of thought, and treated ideas as living things to be explored rather than simply learned. She taught me that great teaching isn’t about showing off what you know, but helping someone else discover what they can do. Despite having a huge amount on her plate, she always made time for one-to-one tutorials with her students, and made each student feel significant. Devastatingly she died suddenly a couple of years ago; her approach to teaching will stay with me forever.

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

  Empathy, patience, and curiosity. A good tutor listens deeply, adapts flexibly, and meets the student where they are. It’s also about clarity - explaining complex ideas in simple, relatable ways - and about encouragement: helping a student believe in their own potential. Above all, great tutors know when to challenge and when to nurture.

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

  When I was an undergrad, I volunteered to run study groups for local students who’d been told they “weren’t academic”. One of them, a quiet 14-year-old girl, later emailed me to say she’d gone on to apply for university because those sessions helped her believe she could. That moment crystallised why I love teaching -- because education, done with heart, can be life-changing.

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

  I’ve always been drawn to multiple subjects - humanities, social sciences, and even the sciences - which can make it hard to fit into one academic box! I also love learning foreign languages, and have learnt five altogether. But it's a great deal of work to maintain proficiency in all of them, so I am realising I need to let some go. Early on, I also had to overcome perfectionism and the fear of “not being enough.” I would sometimes push myself too hard, and would face overwhelm or even burnout. That experience now helps me relate to students who struggle with confidence or imposter syndrome: I understand how it feels and know how to help them through it. I have since trained in mindfulness-based stress reduction as well as cognitive therapy, in order to better support my students.

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

  My passion is helping people connect learning with meaning. I love weaving together mindfulness, communication, and critical thinking so students don’t just succeed academically, but also grow as people. Outside of teaching, I run regular workshops on cognitive health and psychology, in collaboration with psychotherapists, psychologists and doctors, all of which influence my approach to education and well-being.

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

  I combine academic excellence with genuine care for my students’ well-being. With 14 years of experience, first-class degrees from Cambridge, Wariwck, Berkeley and Sciences Po, as well as training in mindfulness and psychology, I bring both rigour and empathy to every tutorial. I believe students learn best when they feel safe, inspired, and understood -- and I work hard to create exactly that environment.