Tutor Profile
BA English Language and Literature -- University of Oxford, Merton College.
From
£60 (per hour)
Disclosure & Barring Service
CRB/DBS Standard
CRB/DBS Enhanced
John Warriner
I am a former student of Merton College, Oxford, where I studied English for BA (First class) and MSt (Distinction), and of Hertford College, Oxford, where I took the BCL postgraduate degree in Law (Distinction). My secondary school was Watford Grammar School for Boys.
I have also have the Graduate Diploma in Law (Distinction), the equivalent of an undergraduate degree, from City Law School, University of London. I’m very happy to advise about breaking into the legal profession.
I have been teaching, independently and while attached to my old university, since 2013.
Unlike many tutors, this is my full-time job (alongside various academic and legal projects), and I wouldn't want any other. It means a lot to me to be able to make whatever impact I can on the intellectual lives and careers of young people - and the best and perhaps the only way, I think, to do that is through proper conversations, individual-to-individual.
I have countless hours of experience by now.
I understand that finding a reliable tutor can be difficult. There are many to choose from on this site alone. I hope that the feedback you see below, which represents only a small sample of my former students (I work through other agencies and institutions/schools/universities), will be reassuring to any reader of my profile.
I'm based in Herts, where I’ve lived since I was a kid. Nowadays I spend a few days out of the week practising in London, and in Oxford where my academic life is based.
Please get in touch with inquiries about sessions for the subjects listed on this page, for essay writing and exam skills, or for preparation and advice for secondary school, university and Oxbridge admissions. I've been through it all...
The subjects I took for A-level (2009) were English Literature (A), Maths (A), History (A), and French (A).
And for GCSE (2007): 11 at A* inc. French, German, Geography, History and Religious Studies.
I am certified fluent in French (DALF C1). I also have Latin.
My specialism: helping students at all levels with structured writing.
This is a unique and important skill - knowing how to shape an essay is just as important as knowing what to put in it. It is also a skill which I think schools and universities often neglect.
There is a dangerous myth that it can’t be taught, that you can either write well, or you can’t.
My view is that good essays can be reduced to a few simple techniques for setting out ideas clearly and in appropriate language.
Many (though not all) students who contact me feel confident with content they need to grasp, but, having received inconsistent or confusing advice from teachers and tutors, struggle with exam technique and written expression.
I aim to prove that academic writing is best kept simple. The difficult things often fall surprisingly quickly and painlessly into place once the basics - basic research, essay planning, and critical thinking skills, plus basic grammar and expression - are mastered.
I have extensive experience helping students with coursework projects and tutorial essays, proposals, literature reviews, academic presentations and dissertations in a number of disciplines.
Very commonly students approach me for these subjects (as well as others):
English/English Literature (AQA/OCR/Edexcel/WJEC/CIE, UG). I've taught a very wide range of literatures in English at GCSE, A Level, and at University level at universities including Oxford and UCL.
History (AQA/OCR/Edexcel, UG). I've taught across periods and exam boards, particularly for Edexcel, including: 'Conquest, control and resistance in the medieval world'; 'Religion and state in early modern Europe'; 'Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII 1399-1509'; 'Rebellion and disorder under the Tudors 1485-1603'; 'Revolutions in early modern and modern Europe'; 'Communist states in the 20th century'; 'Ireland and the Union c.1774-1923'; 'Democracies in change: Britain in the USA in the 20th century' etc.
Latin/Classics (OCR/CIE). My masters dissertation focussed on translations of classical literature (Lucretius) in the early modern period. I have taught the Latin language, and literatures at A Level including: Cicero, Philippics II; Virgil, Aeneid; Catullus, Poems; Horace, Satires; Tacitus, Annals and Histories; Ovid, Poems; Livy, Ab Urbe Condita; Pliny, Epistulas etc.
Law (UG, GDL). I have tutored students taking the GDL since taking the course myself in 2015-16. I’m equally comfortable with all of the ‘seven key areas of law’ (Contract, Tort, Public, EU, Equity, Land and Criminal), and have assisted undergraduates in the past with more specialist research projects (for example in the fields of IP, Legal History, Remedies etc.)
Subjects Offered
| Subject | Level |
|---|---|
| English | G.C.S.E |
| English | As level |
| English | A2 Level |
| English | BA (Hons) |
| History | As level |
| History | A2 Level |
| Law | As level |
| Law | A2 Level |
| Law | LLB (Hons) |
| Law | Diploma |
Availability
John Warriner is available.