Friendly, highly qualified tutor & novelist with 11 years’ experience and an MA from Warwick University - teaches English for exams, EFL, and creative writing for all levels of ability

Find out more about Joshua

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

  I developed an interest in reading and writing when I was very young (I remember writing stories about a group of kids who could transform into animals, and were facing some sort of peril together). Around the age of 17, it crystallised for me that I was going to pursue literature, and, more specifically, pursue creative writing. This was because I went on a writing course with my school, and so, you could say that trip - who knows? - changed the course of my life. Now, just under two decades later, I'm a published novelist (search 'The 8th Emotion') so I think I stayed pretty true to that youthful ambition.
  As for private tutoring, that came when I was about 25. I needed some income, and a friend of mine was a science tutor. He recommended I gave English tutoring a try. And what was meant to be a stopgap quickly became my preferred livelihood, as I've now been a full-time tutor for 10 years.

• 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 teach English (at pretty much any level, and for any age), writing (pretty much any form of writing, whether that be creative, fictional, non-fictional, essays, applications, etc) and English as a foreign language.
  My favourite things to discuss with students are ideas, whether that be ideas of how to interpret a text (say, a story of some kind) or creative ideas for a project. The best lessons, in my experience, are stimulating conversations, where there's a genuine back-and-forth between tutor and tutee, rather than something more prescriptive and one-sided.
  I also have a particular enjoyment of the classics (across all forms: plays, poetry, etc), as well as sci-fi, fantasy, and genre fiction in general.

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

  One role model is the teacher who most inspired me on that school trip when I was 17: he was an author named Jim Friel.
  Another, on the writing side, is an author called Alan Moore. In my opinion, he's the greatest living writer, and he offers plenty of compelling ways to think about writing, storytelling, and language in general.

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

  Calmness. Patience. Understanding. And an ability to make things fun.

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

  When I was 28, I had my first novel published. I was very keen to get a quote from my favourite author. I ended up having a means to contact him.
  I went to his house, knocked, and timidly gave a proof copy of my novel. I told him it'd be great to get a quote from him, but that I was short on time, as the deadline, really, was two weeks from that date. He graciously told me he was swamped with work, but that he'd try to get back to me.
  Two weeks later to the day, I got a phone call from an anonymous number - and it was him! He gave me a lovely quote. That's a memory I may well treasure for the rest of my days.

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

  Protecting the time to get better at my craft. And navigating an industry that is very competitive.

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

  My passions are writing and storytelling. And teaching is something I enjoy. It seems like a pretty ethical way to make a living (and there are a lot of unethical ones in the world); and it's lovely to share your enthusiasm with others, and hopefully, light that torch in their spirits as well. Apparently, etymologically, the root of 'enthusiasm' is 'to be possessed by a god'. I'd go along with that. So probably, the more enthusiasm there is in the world, the better.

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

  10 years of experience. Plenty of happy tutees. Firsthand experience of what I teach (I practise my craft nigh-on every day). Compassion. Enthusiasm. Patience.