Chartered Accountant with over ten years work experience offering accounting lessons in Christchurch

Find out more about Timothy

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

  In relation to maths, I started my interest in maths when I was in primary school where it was clear that I was outstanding at that. With accounting it was when I started doing Year 13 accounting at the age of 14 that I realised I had a talent in it. For Excel, I started helping my Dad teach when I was about 10 or 12. In terms of tutoring, I have always liked to help people and this started in high school and I have continued and grown to like this over time to where I am today.

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

  In maths, I really prefer to start from the basics in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and then work to more complex stuff such as algebra from there. For accounting I generally like the basics as more complex accounting can be pretty subjective judgemental so in those cases I like there to answer and explain the judgements made.

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

  I really liked my maths and accounting teachers in high school who also helped me learn these subjects.

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

  I think being patient and understanding is important, as well as listening to the student. Listening to the student is important so that you can adapt your tutoring to what is best for that student.

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

  When we were at school we would always get in a line to ask the math teacher our questions and while we were in the line I would help the students ahead of me with their questions. This would shorten the line and mean that the teacher would be able to answer my question faster and also meant students in front of me in the line got their questions answered quicker as well.

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

  Excel is always changing with new functions and features being added. The complex parts of accounting can be very subjective judgmental which means there can be multiple correct answers. Fortunately most people who do this work are expensively paid accountants who don't come to me for tutoring.

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

  My passion is for helping people and seeing them improve. Hearing that one of my students' achievement has gone from being below expectations to well above expectations in six months was music to my ears.

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

  I am a great tutor and I believe this is reflected in the rates I charge. I have a broad set of skills being able to tutor in Excel, maths and accounting.