Unlock Your Potential: Expert Architecture Tutoring from Architect & Business Owner. Shortlisted for RIBA Rising Stars | 1st Class Master’s Degree | Support from University Entry to Part 3 and Beyond

Find out more about Jaina

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

  My specialism within architecture is in the reuse and conversion of historic buildings and sustainability. I have always loved old buildings, however, my architectural interest in this area began when I started my masters. The unit I chose was in the reuse of historic buildings, and I also began working part-time for an architectural practice within this sector, that also had a focus on sustainability. 
  
  I first began teaching during my undergraduate studies, where I happened to get involved in planning and delivering workshops for prospective architectural students at UCL and high schools around the UK. I found that I really enjoyed helping students grow and develop. 
  
  Over the last 3 years, I have privately tutored students from pre-university, Part 1, 2 and 3 to adult learners. Having been through all the stages of architectural education myself, I am well aware of the struggles of being a student. I aim to help my students focus their energies to ensure they are learning or developing their projects in the right direction and following marking criteria. I would have greatly appreciated this type of guidance during my own education, so I believe it is important for me to pass on my knowledge to others. 
   

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less). 

  As a tutor, I cover a range of topics including the following: design project tutorials, construction & technology tutoring, software tutorials, representation skills development, essay writing and job application pack review.
  
  I enjoy all the topics I teach, however, my favourite topics at the moment are design project tutoring and dissertation tutoring. It is a pleasure to see my students' exciting and creative concepts and to help them develop their portfolios or writing.
  
  I also enjoy teaching Revit, which is my favourite architectural software. I think it is a greatly valuable tool that all architects (and sometimes students!) should be using. I absolutely live by the idea of working smart and using resources available to produce the highest quality work whilst saving time. Revit allows architects to do this extremely effectively.

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

  I have always found myself to be most inspired by the people around me. For example, colleagues, family, friends and even my students. There are lessons to be learnt from everyone and everywhere if you keep your eyes and ears open. 
   

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

  Some important qualities required to be a good tutor are to be patient and knowledgeable, and to have the ability to adapt your teaching style depending on your student and their requirements. 
  
  I think it is also important for a tutor to be able to provide clear and relevant guidance. Students should leave a lesson with some clear objectives – along with an understanding of why doing these tasks are important. The latter is important because it means that when the student goes their own way, they are still able to implement the lessons they have learnt from their tutor. A quote that encompasses this perfectly is: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. 

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

  In my early years of being an architecture student, I often found it difficult to direct my efforts effectively and would spend hours trying to over perfect a single piece of work, or waste time on things like drawing out all my scale people in detail. In hindsight, I think this was partially an act of procrastination, which came from a fear of moving on and starting the next task. This left my earlier portfolios inconsistent.
   
  In my 3rd year, I had a great design tutor who seemed to believe in me and my ideas. I started to become less precious and indecisive about my work and managed to find a balance between quantity and quality. I learned how to work smart and produce a portfolio that covered all bases and that I could be proud of. I ended up receiving a first for that design project, and a strong first for my masters degree after that, with a nomination for best portfolio in my final year of study. 

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

  The process of becoming an architect is long and stressful, with some unhealthy engrained cultures. The all-nighters as a student become long hours as an employee. Parts of architectural education are drawn out and longer than necessary. It is also extremely difficult for architecture students to have part-time jobs because of the intensity of the course, making it less accessible to those who need to support themselves during study. 
  
  It seems things are slowly changing, with RIBA introducing new routes into education, such as architecture apprenticeships and RIBA studio, along with ARB's very recent proposal to reform the part 1, 2 and 3 system altogether. I hope this will make the career more accessible and reduce the dropout rate. 

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

  As well as passing on knowledge, I enjoy learning new things myself. I set up my own business a few years after graduating as an architect, and through this, I have had to learn lots of different skills from finance to marketing to copywriting. Outside of work, I volunteer for the Prince’s Trust to ensure young people's voices are carried through the charity. 

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

  Offering knowledge and guidance is only a fraction of the job as a tutor. I do my best to bring out the talent and strengths in my students. I encourage and help them to develop their confidence, which in turn improves work ethic and quality of work generally. Everyone has strengths - often they just need someone to help them realise these and guide them in the right direction.