Qualified secondary science teacher with years of experience teaching GCSE level biology, chemistry, and physics to students of all abilities.

Find out more about Nicola

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

  I have been teaching science as a professional in the UK for several years now, and have really enjoyed it! The beginnings of my interest in science have to go to snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef at 10 years old - at that moment I decided I would be doing marine biology at university, and I would absolutely not be swayed on this! I started private tutoring when teaching in schools was not an option for me any more due to health issues, but I didn't want to leave teaching behind - I had worked so hard on becoming a teacher and refining my skill, and I love getting students interested in science.

• 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 biology, chemistry, and physics to GCSE level, and I also teach A-Level Biology. Despite being a biology specialist, I'd say that some of my favourite topics to teach are in the chemistry and physics side of things - I love the maths parts! I completely understand why some don't enjoy this, but I don't mind at all because that means I get to teach it and possibly help someone become a little more confident in something they were previously unsure of.

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

  One of my science teachers at school was a big inspiration for me. He was a great teacher - very funny and relatable, but made everything really interesting. I actually still use some of the little facts and techniques that I remember from his lessons, because if I remember them all these years later then perhaps my students will find them as fascinating as I did!

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

  Patience, and the willingness to teach the same thing over and over. There are topics that are inherently more challenging than others, and so there are some lessons that I repeat far more than others. There have been occasions where I have taught the exact same lesson 4 times in a single day, but you need to remember that for the student in front of you this may be the first time they have heard this information.
  You also need to be able to explain things from another angle. Different styles work for different students, and if your first explanation of a topic didn't make it click, you have to be able to adapt to a technique that will work for them.

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

  Students always really enjoy the practical lessons, but believe it or not the teachers also enjoy having their own little practicals! Throughout my days at school, I can think of numerous times when a discussion at lunchtime would result in a group of us in a lab testing something out, or grabbing a piece of apparatus to measure who was actually right in a (friendly) argument! Some interesting examples included using PTC paper to work out which of us were supertasters, and using a decibel meter to see who could shout the loudest - I won that one!

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

  Science is often a very conceptual subject - so much of it isn't able to be easily seen, if it can even be seen at all. This can make it a really challenging subject, as students need to gain an understanding of something they will likely never directly encounter, and this can sometimes lead to students becoming incurious about much of the subject. Trying to reignite the interest is no mean feat!

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

  My passion could be summed up in a single phrase - "Wow I did it!". Through both my teaching career and also in my personal life, I find that many of my favourite hobbies involve helping someone to improve a skill, and I live for that moment when someone realises that they have managed something that seemed impossible. The excitement for that first time, and then the surge in confidence when they do it right a second time is what drives me to keep making sure that I can help people get to that point.

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

  My experience and organisation - I'm a spreadsheet person and I am dedicated to making sure that every single student's experience with me is tailored to suit them exactly. I have a vast range of resources that cover many different exam boards and specifications because while the science doesn't change, the wording or the foci of the course definitely do. This level of organisation and attention to detail is what has allowed me to teach such a variety of students - at the time of writing this I am currently teaching for 7 different specifications across 5 time zones!