My name is Mark and I am a graduate of the University of Exeter and King's College London. I have a strong background in caring for people: besides being the eldest of ten children (the youngest is seven at the time of writing), I also have a great deal of experience as a private tutor, as a carer, and as a responsible adult. Whether it’s changing nappies or helping with algebra, I’ve done it all.

When it comes to teaching children, whilst I know how to utilise techniques such as competency-based or task-based learning, total physical response, the lexical approach, and so on, I have no personal preference, and prefer to experiment and find which method the children respond best to. Beyond that, I always try to make the subject as interesting and engaging as possible, and to try and mix playtime with teaching. Finally, I try to arrange things such that, after a day of schooling, a child can feel a sense of accomplishment, whether it be swimming a whole length of the pool for the first time, seeing their poem printed out and put on the wall for all to admire, being able to say or do something in English, or something else entirely. As far as teaching English is concerned, I recently completed a government-certified Level 5 TEFL course with merit, and most of the work and volunteering I've done since university has revolved around teaching or other activities for adults and children with learning disabilities. I genuinely love teaching and mentoring children, and watching them grow, learn and mature is a wonderful and fulfilling thing.

Although I only speak English, I am a qualified SCUBA diver with BSAC, can ski, suffer from no forms of travel sickness, have a good sense of humour, get on well with everyone regardless of background, and as a graduate of Dulwich College, am familiar with the full range of traditional British sports. In addition, although my education has focused on history and the humanities, I am no stranger to either science or the more practical world: I’ve always had a keen interest in space, have built two computers, and very much enjoy making or fixing things with my hands. In summary, I am a highly experienced native English speaker with excellent academic qualifications, a wide range of knowledge and experience, and a deep and abiding love of seeing children grow up to be mature, intelligent and learned young gentlemen and ladies.