Academic staff at a leading UK university, PhD in Economics, Fellow of FHEA, and 15 years of teaching experience, offering GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level, undergraduate, and postgraduate Economics tuition.

Find out more about Alex

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

  My interest in teaching actually began when I was an undergraduate student. I often found myself explaining difficult topics to my classmates and helping them prepare for exams. What started informally soon became something I genuinely enjoyed, and I began tutoring while I was still a student.
  
  There are a few things in life that give me a real sense of satisfaction, and teaching is definitely one of them. One of my favourite moments as a teacher is when a student has been struggling with an idea and then suddenly understands it. You can almost see the moment it clicks from the expression in their eyes! Seeing that sense of achievement and happiness is incredibly rewarding.
  
  That experience has stayed with me throughout my academic career. More than 15 years later, despite teaching at university level, I still get the same satisfaction from helping an individual student understand something they previously found difficult.
  
  Economics itself attracted me because it provides a fascinating way of understanding the world around us. It is not simply a collection of theories and diagrams; it helps explain the choices individuals make, how businesses behave, why governments introduce particular policies, and why economies and societies develop in different ways.

• 2) 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 genuinely enjoy teaching Economics in its different forms, from GCSE and A-Level Economics through to undergraduate and postgraduate Economics, Econometrics, Statistics and Research Methods.
  
  What I particularly enjoy is taking something that initially looks complicated and finding an intuitive way of explaining it. Economics can sometimes appear very abstract when students first encounter models, equations or diagrams, but underneath them there is usually a logical and often surprisingly simple economic idea.
  
  I especially enjoy discussing topics that connect economic theory with real-world events. Inflation, unemployment, inequality, international trade, financial markets, government policy, economic growth and market failure all become much more interesting when we ask: "What does this actually mean in the real world?"
  
  I also enjoy Econometrics because it gives us the tools to test economic ideas using real data. Students sometimes approach Econometrics or Statistics with anxiety because of the mathematics involved. I particularly enjoy helping them get beyond that initial fear and understand the intuition behind what they are doing.
  
  There probably isn't a topic I actively dislike teaching. The parts I enjoy least are those taught purely as definitions to be memorised. Economics becomes much more interesting when students are encouraged to question ideas, examine evidence and think critically rather than simply memorising material for an examination.

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

  Yes, definitely. During my academic career I have been fortunate to meet some outstanding academics and teachers.
  
  A particularly influential period was when I was carrying out research at UC San Diego. I encountered lecturers and researchers there who were exceptional not only because of their knowledge, but because of the way they communicated complicated ideas.
  
  What impressed me was their ability to take a technically sophisticated subject and explain the underlying intuition clearly. They demonstrated that being an expert does not mean making something sound complicated; a great teacher can make a complicated idea understandable without losing its intellectual depth.
  
  That has strongly influenced my own teaching philosophy. When I teach, I try to put myself in the student's position and ask: "If I were seeing this for the first time, what would help me understand it?"

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

  For me, four qualities are particularly important: patience, care, practice and a willingness to keep learning.
  
  Patience is essential because students learn at different speeds and in different ways. If a student does not understand my first explanation, I don't believe the solution is simply to repeat the same explanation more loudly or more slowly! It is my responsibility as a teacher to find another way of explaining the idea.
  
  Care is equally important. Good tutoring is not simply delivering information for an hour. A tutor should understand what the student is struggling with, what they want to achieve and what may be preventing them from progressing.
  
  Practice is also fundamental, particularly in Economics. Understanding a concept is the first step, but students then need to practise applying it to unfamiliar situations, data-response questions and essays.
  
  Finally, a good teacher must remain a learner. Even after many years of teaching, I continue learning—from research, from current economic developments and also from my students. Every student thinks differently, and that constantly challenges me to find better ways of explaining things.

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

  One experience that has stayed with me goes back to my early days of teaching as an undergraduate.
  
  When classmates asked me to explain something they found difficult, I discovered something interesting: you never understand a subject quite as well as when you have to explain it clearly to somebody else.
  
  Sometimes I thought I understood a concept perfectly until someone asked a very simple question: "But why?"
  
  That one word can be surprisingly powerful!
  
  It taught me an important lesson that still shapes my teaching today. Knowing a formula, definition or diagram is not necessarily the same as understanding it. If we really understand an economic idea, we should be able to explain the intuition behind it in relatively simple language.
  
  This is why I encourage my students to ask "why?" frequently. Those questions often lead to the most interesting discussions and the deepest learning.

• 6) What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still face in your subject?

  One of the biggest challenges in Economics is connecting theory with reality.
  
  Students can learn a model perfectly, reproduce a diagram and remember all the definitions, yet still struggle when they are asked to apply that knowledge to a real economic problem.
  
  The real world is much more complicated than an economic model. Models deliberately simplify reality so that we can understand particular relationships. The challenge—and also one of the most interesting parts of Economics—is understanding when a model is useful, what assumptions it makes and where its limitations lie.
  
  This is why I use real-world examples and current economic issues extensively in my teaching. If we are studying inflation, for example, I don't want students simply to memorise its definition and causes. I want them to look at what is happening in an actual economy, consider possible explanations, examine the policy response and question whether different groups in society are affected differently.
  
  Learning to make that connection between theory, evidence and the real world is challenging, but once students develop that ability, Economics becomes a much more powerful and interesting subject.

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

  Teaching is certainly one of my main passions.
  
  What I enjoy most is not simply presenting information, but seeing someone develop intellectually. A student may initially say, "I can't do Economics," "I'm terrible at maths," or "I don't understand this at all." Watching that same student gradually become confident enough to analyse a problem independently is extremely rewarding.
  
  Within Economics, I am particularly interested in the relationship between economic theory and the real world. I enjoy Economics, Econometrics, Statistics and Research Methods because together they allow us to move from asking interesting questions to examining evidence and reaching informed conclusions.
  
  I also have a strong interest in Political Economy—the interaction between economics, politics, institutions and society. Many of the most important questions we face cannot be understood from a purely economic perspective, and I enjoy discussing these broader connections with students.
  
  Above all, I am curious. I think curiosity is important both for academics and for students. There is always another question to ask and another perspective to consider.

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

  Perhaps the combination of academic experience and a genuine enjoyment of one-to-one teaching.
  
  I hold a PhD in Economics, am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and have more than 15 years of teaching experience. However, qualifications and experience alone do not necessarily make someone a good tutor.
  
  What I believe makes the difference is my willingness to adapt to the individual student. I don't have one standard explanation that I give to everybody. If one approach doesn't work, we try another. I use intuition, diagrams, mathematics, data, current events and everyday examples depending on how the individual student learns best.
  
  I also want my students to feel comfortable saying, "I don't understand." There should never be embarrassment in asking a question during my lessons. In fact, those questions are often where the most valuable teaching begins.
  
  Ultimately, my aim is not just to help a student answer the next exam question correctly. I want them to leave our lessons understanding Economics more deeply, thinking more independently and feeling more confident in their own abilities.
  
  And if they start enjoying Economics along the way, that makes the experience even better!