Private Latin tutoring in London and online
Whether it's 11+, Common Entrance, GCSE, A Level or something else — we can help you ace Latin!
Joe — our featured Latin tutor in London
Joe studied Classics at King's College, Cambridge, graduating in 2009. He then completed his PGCE (teacher training) at Queens' College, Cambridge in 2010, before teaching Latin in three different schools.
He has been a private Latin tutor since 2009, and has now clocked up thousands of hours' experience. He has taught Latin extensively for 13+ Common Entrance, 13+ Scholarship, 16+, GCSE, AS, A2, IB, Pre-U, SAT, Oxbridge entrance, university exams, and adults learning just for fun!
Joe also has 7 years’ experience as a Cambridge University supervisor, teaching the ancient languages to undergraduates at a wide variety of colleges.
Is Latin a useful subject to study?
Latin is the fascinating study of the ancient Romans. At GCSE and A Level, that usually means learning the ancient language of Latin and studying Latin texts from thousands of years ago. However, at degree level it can be even broader, encompassing Roman art, archaeology, philosophy, history and linguistics.
Learning Latin can be a brilliant foundation for learning other languages, as it has links with lots of modern languages, such as English, French, Italian and Spanish. Some people believe it's a great way to hone your logical thinking skills, as the process of translating a Latin text is a bit like solving a puzzle.
There are so many different career options for those choosing to study Latin at degree level - Classicists can go on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, civil servants, and many more. The CEO of Esso was once asked why he hired so many Classicists: he shrugged and answered "because they sell more oil".
How can a Latin tutor help?
Some schools sadly don't offer Latin as a subject, in which case you may need a tutor to teach you the whole GCSE or A Level course. This is a big commitment, but for students interested in the subject it is well worth considering.
For those who are already learning the subject at school, a tutor may still be beneficial to give you more bespoke support. They can give you tips to ace your Latin exam and spend time working on the specific areas that you personally struggle with.
A Latin tutor will usually start out by assessing your current level: in the case of Latin Language, this may involve working on an unseen translation together so that the tutor can get a feel for how much vocabulary and grammar you already know. For Latin Literature, the tutor may ask you to translate a part of your set text(s), or identify some style points within the passage.
Once any gaps have been identified, the tutor can then work with you to come up with a plan of action for future sessions. You can decide how much time should be focused on language, and how much on literature.
Each grammar topic that needs attention can form the basis of a future language session. You may agree with your tutor to spend half of each language lesson on grammar, and the other half on unseen practice: this will allow you to put your language work into practice, and ensure that you have regular exposure to the GCSE vocab.
A tutor can help you to learn the GCSE Latin vocab list, although you will make faster progress if you can find some independent study time to work on that. The tutor's time will more usefully be spent giving you the tools and confidence to come up with your own clever memory tricks for the GCSE Latin vocab list.
If you feel you can put in a little independent learning time between sessions, a tutor can set you a manageable mini homework at the end of your Latin lesson. This may be as simple as learning the new words that came up in the lesson; or a half page of the GCSE vocab list; or a new grammar table (e.g. imperfect tense endings). Homeworks will usually be linked to the content of the lesson, to provide useful reinforcement: remember that repetition is key!
Once you get nearer to the exams, the tutor can help you to structure your revision. This may include helping you to come up with a personalised revision timetable targeting the specific areas that you need to work on. The tutor may help you to break down the vocab list into manageable chunks. You can also arrange to do regular unseens with your tutor, bringing together all the vocabulary and grammar work that you undertook earlier in the course.
Not everyone needs a Latin tutor, so you should consider your current and predicted grades, and take advice from parents and teachers.
How can I find a Latin tutor?
There are two main options: the first is to hire a Latin tutor directly (without the use of an agency). This is usually the cheapest method, and you can find such tutors either through a Google search or by personal recommendation from a friend.
However, there are several advantages of using a tutoring agency to find your Latin tutor:
1) agencies know their tutors personally and can match you (or your child) with a Latin tutor who is best suited in terms of their personality fit and teaching approach. Every student learns differently, so it is important to get the right fit.
2) agencies vet their tutors carefully. They will check their ID to make sure they are who they claim to be; their qualifications to ensure they achieved their stated grades; and their DBS certificate to ensure they have no criminal record preventing them from working with the student. They will also take references from other parents and/or students. Some agencies, such as Titanium Tutors, also interview their tutors, which can involve watching them teach a Latin lesson.
3) agencies offer ongoing support. They will arrange for your Latin tutor to complete regular lesson/progress reports. Someone will be on the other end of the phone in case you have any concerns, and if your Latin tutor is unavailable (even for a short period) the agency can arrange a replacement.
What Latin tutors are available at Titanium Tutors?
We offer Latin tutoring at a wide variety of levels, from young learners (7+, 11+, 13+, Scholarship, etc.) to older learners (GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, IB, Pre-U, Oxbridge entry, etc.) and even to adult learners (those doing undergraduates or Masters courses, or learning just for fun).
Our qualified Latin tutors have been hand-picked by teaching experts (our longest-standing, most successful tutors, some of whom are PGCE qualified teachers) in our thorough selection process.
For those on a tight budget, we offer undergraduate tutors: those currently studying Latin at top universities. They have great school grades, and an infectious enthusiasm for their subject, so they make excellent study buddies!
For those with a larger budget, we have much more experienced graduates, with hundreds or thousands of hours of tutoring experience. Our very best Latin tutors have a mixture of: PGCEs (teacher training), PhDs, Latin school teaching experience, Head of Department experience, or Latin examiner experience.
What does a Latin tutor cost?
The price of a Latin tutor will depend on the tutor's qualifications and their total number of hours of private tuition or classroom teaching experience. Classics undergraduates will be at the cheaper end of the scale, whereas those with a PGCE, school teaching experience, or examining experience, will charge much more.
At Titanium Tutors, we offer varied Latin tuition rates to suit all budgets - check out our prices here.