Zaynab

Hello,

My name is Zaynab, and I am currently tutoring online. I have been a tutor for 14 years and a teacher for 10 years.

Before we proceed, please ensure you have read my entire profile so that you are fully informed about how I conduct my tutoring and all of the things included in it.

I mainly teach English and Psychology at the moment, but I am also qualified to teach sociology and the sciences, in addition to other humanities subjects (please ask if you aren't sure).
I teach 11+, key stage 3, key stage 4 (GCSE), and key stage 5 (A-level), as well as adult learners and degree-level students. I can help with thesis proposals and dissertations (proofreading, content, or both—please enquire further).

Tutoring Experience

In addition to my degrees, I have excellent GCSE grades in the following subjects:
English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Science, Additional Science, History, Religious Studies, ICT and Arabic.

My A-Level qualifications are also of a high standard, with four As and two A*s (respectively) in:
English Language, Biology, Sociology, History, Psychology and Chemistry.

My qualifications have been verified by First Tutors (see qualifications - they only allow an upload of four qualifications).

I have extensive knowledge of these examination boards (due to being an examiner) – especially regarding syllabus updates, which will ensure that you are getting the most recent syllabus taught to your child. This means I can help tutees realise what they should be doing to achieve the top grades in their exams.

Tutoring Approach

Please find below my approach to teaching. This includes a list of terms, 'how tos' and different aspects of tutoring that you may want to know more about. It is quite detailed, but it's there to help.

How I teach:
I use a well-known calling application: Teams. Students are expected to use headphones. I also use Google Docs and the screen-share function, both of which function as a whiteboard.

What is included in tutoring:
The class + 1 piece of marked work per lesson per week, notes (only where applicable) + a termly report.

The process
- Contact me and we will discuss your needs, I will confirm you have read the details on my profile and agree to them and then I will /allow you to release my details.
- Before beginning lessons, I will discuss the topics and order in which we will cover them with the student/parent.
- Invoices will be sent 3-4 days before the class and must be fulfilled 3 days before the lesson. I do not prepare classes until this has been confirmed.
- I then teach the content to the student in depth. The level of this content is the highest it will go, so even if your child is aiming for a B, the content quality is A/A*. This allows the student to reach their highest potential.
- I will go through some questions with them providing them with model answer points verbally. I will also set them questions if the student/parents wish to have this, or as requested. Older students will be expected to find past papers that they find difficult to try out.
- Questions that they carry out on their initiative (see homework section) will be marked privately by me, and they will be provided with in-depth feedback (please also see 'homework' below.
- Time permitting, I also give students exams at the end of topics/ modules and mark those too.

Homework
I do not give students homework. However, I do provide them with the means to submit questions every week based on their choice/parental encouragement to do so. This is because it creates a lot of pressure for students. If the student/parent wants to have a piece submitted, they can most certainly do so at their discretion.

I have laid out my terms regarding marking below. If you do not agree, please do not ask me to carry out marking:
- Please note that I will be marking students' submissions in the very small amount of free time I have for no extra cost. Most tutors will not mark work unless it is done during the lesson.
- There is a limitation on the amount of work you can submit. Each student gets one submission of work to be marked per lesson that they have each week: for science, that is 1 past paper and for all other subjects consists of 1 large question or a group of 3 smaller questions. If you have 2 sessions per week, this means you can submit 2 past papers for science or 2 sets of 1 large question or 3 smaller questions for other subjects. Please expect a one-week turnaround for feedback. If it is a busy period, i.e. exams, I may take longer.
- During peak periods: mock weeks, exam periods, holidays, please allow longer for returns (this still won't be too long).
- If I advise the student that I may suspend or take longer due to personal circumstances/sickness/large work load/during exam or mock periods, then please be understanding of this.
- I have marking time on Tuesday and Wednesday, and will allocate your child to one of these days permanently. This means that submissions need to be received by Monday night at the latest. Submissions after this will not be marked until next Tuesday/Wednesday. Please try not to miss this deadline. I do not have other marking and feedback availability.
- You are also responsible for your child's homework - I will not chase them to carry this out and you must make sure they submit it. The marking and return of the feedback alone will be my responsibility - nothing else. I do not want the stress of dealing with non-submissions if I am giving my own time to marking student's submissions.

Payments
- I only accept bank transfer, and lessons must be paid for on a lesson-by-lesson basis (before). You may also pay fortnightly or monthly (I can also do termly payments). I do not accept cash or any other platform, as bank transfer is the safest method (and there is also proof of payment).
- Furthermore, I do not accept payments in arrears (because teaching for four weeks and then not getting paid is not very pleasant!).
- I expect payments to be made 3 days before the lesson, or the lesson booking for that week will be given to the next person on the list. I do not prepare for a lesson until it has been booked for that week, so please do keep that in mind.

Please find an outline of the terms for tuition below. I must stress that if any of these are not agreed to, I cannot proceed, as they are my terms of service. If you are contacting me for tutoring, please let me know that you agree to these terms below.

1. Cancellation Policy
- You can absolutely cancel the lesson up until 24 hours before the class (e.g. if the lesson is Saturday at 4pm, then it should be cancelled strictly by 4pm on Friday). This goes for any reason.
- If the lesson is cancelled less than 24 hours before the class, you will be charged for the lesson, and the lesson will not be carried out at another time.
- This applies to lesson changes too, as well as any lesson that has been changed from either side that the parent has confirmed and agreed to. Please provide a 24-hour notice period before the class is due.
- I will immediately terminate tuition with those who do this because I do not appreciate the prep time I spend on these sessions being wasted.
- Additionally, if the student is more than 10 minutes late to the lesson or is a no-show, this is an automatic cancellation of the class and you will be charged for this lesson. I will not make this lesson up. Parents who create a fuss after being informed fully of these terms before agreeing to tutoring will be asked to find another tutor. [I have to be firm with this - but it does prevent abuse of my time].

2. Rules During Tutoring
- Fixed times must not be changed, except for when agreed by the tutor and must be within the 24 hour window I have advised.
- Students must use headphones (1. to ensure the lesson is taking place between me and the student only and 2. to ensure there is no interference/ feedback/ echoing, which makes it difficult for me to talk or hear).
- The area that tuition is taking place in should be calm - there shouldn’t be disturbances or too much noise. *Please do not include other people in the lessons, unless agreed to with the tutor beforehand.
- Consistent non-payment of lessons on time and not adhering to my cancellation policy will lead to the termination of tuition. The limit is 3 times in the space of 3 months. If you have issues with a payment, you can always contact me and discuss what is happening.
- Lessons will not be prepared or booked until the booking invoice has been fulfilled.

3. Important Points/FAQS
- At the time of writing and onwards, please refrain from requesting tuition from me only to get a reference. I cannot provide references for university or college students for their exams/UCAS as I have to be working with you at an official institution and must have known you for a year, as well as having much evidence of your achievements.
- I do NOT partake in trial lessons.
- Please don’t ask for me to teach more than one subject if you’re only having an hour per week with me. I strictly operate with 1 hour (for GCSE) or 1.5 hours (for A-level) per subject, per week. This applies once tutoring starts, too (no subject switching, please!).
- I only tutor weekly. I do not do fortnightly or monthly classes (because what would I do with your time slot on the weeks you don't have classes?).
- I expect some flexibility when needed. This means that there may be occasions when I need to move the lesson to another day. On the other hand, I cannot have students moving their lessons around a lot as I have a very tight schedule, so please cancel within the time frame and within reason.

Sorry for the high level of details! I hope any of the questions you had have been answered. Please send me a message if they haven't. If you are okay with these arrangements, then I will be happy to proceed with tuition. By reading my profile and accepting tuition services, you are agreeing to this wholly. For those who agree but then do not comply with this, I will no longer offer my services.
I need to keep an organised system in place in order to run services smoothly and so I must ensure these rules are kept in place. If they are, it is a very enjoyable experience.