Bespoke, tailored private tuition

Charlie obtained an honours degree in Geography & Environmental Studies (with French) from the University of Sussex in 2003.  He then completed his PhD in 2006 from the same university, focusing on climate variability and change over southern Africa.  Immediately following this, he was awarded a Dorothy Hodgkins Fellowship from the Royal Society, which he held for 6 years, during which time he developed his expertise in past, present and future climate change.

He has been working as a Climate Scientist for over 13 years, firstly at the University of Reading (where he is still a Senior Visiting Research Fellow) and then the University of Bristol (as a Research Fellow).  He is also a part-time tutor at the Department for Continuing Education at the University of Oxford.  He has published extensively, including many papers in the peer-reviewed scientific literature and an edited book, and lectures nationally and internationally.

His primary research focuses on climate change during 'Deep time', looking at how climate behaved in a much warmer world (such as during the early Eocene and mid-Pliocene, approximately 50 million and 3 million years ago, respectively) or a much colder world (such as during the Last Glacial Maximum, approximately 26.5 thousand years ago).  Prior to this, his background was in present-day climate variability and change (and in particular rainfall extremes) over the tropics, and associated atmospheric, oceanic and land surface interactions. In addition, his current research interests include climate impacts, vulnerability to climate change and adaptation measures, and perceptions/beliefs of climate change.

Outside of work, Charlie is a keen traveller and tries to get away as much as work allows, primarily to countries across Europe.  He is fluent in French, having spent a year at university in Normandy, and also speak basic Spanish, Italian and German.  He has been fortunate enough to visit countries from every continent, apart from Antarctica (where he has absolutely no desire to go, as it's too cold!).  At home, Charlie is an enthusiastic cook and restaurant-goer.  Perhaps unsurprisingly given his work, he is also a strong environmentalist, regularly campaigning (mostly via social media) on environmental issues.

As is perhaps hinted at in the photo, Charlie also happens to be physically disabled, using a specialised electric wheelchair, non-invasive ventilation and requiring 24/7 care (that he manages himself). Think Prof Stephen Hawking, just less intelligent (Charlie would never make such a presumptive comparison himself, but others have!).

Despite being primarily involved in research, Charlie has constantly undertaken teaching and supervision throughout his career.  He has taught a number of undergraduate Geography and Meteorology courses, including Advanced GIS, Remote Sensing, and Current & Global Weather Events.  He currently teaches an adult-education evening class, at first year undergraduate level, in Contemporary Climate Science.  Concerning supervision, Charlie has supervised multiple undergraduate, Masters and PhD projects, covering aspects such as present-day climate variability, rainfall extremes, the Indian monsoon and atmospheric wave activity over Africa.

As mentioned above, the broad subject of climate - including topics such as the physical science, impacts, adaptation, mitigation and politics - is Charlie's main area of teaching expertise.  

A secondary area of expertise, however, is GCSE and A-level tuition.  Given his educational background and deep/holistic understanding of climate/environmental change and the natural world, he is also qualified to provide tuition for pupils at these levels, particularly within the subject of Geography, but also elements of Environmental Management, Environmental Politics, etc.  With all of these, Charlie will of course work with the relevant syllabus, and ensure that any tuition is specific to the needs of the student and their studies.

Finally, tuition is also available for non-subject specific work and IT skills.  Non-subject specific work includes:

• Essay writing
• Revision techniques
• Exam preparation
• CV writing
• Job application writing

IT-related work includes: 

• Use of Microsoft Office (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Use of email/calendar software (e.g. Outlook)
• Website building (in HTML)

These lists are not exhaustive, so if there are other desired topics/elements then please make an enquiry and Charlie will assess if he has the required expertise to teach these.

All lessons will be bespoke, and tailored exactly to the requirements of the individual.  Once contact has been made, a preliminary meeting will be held with Charlie to discuss exactly what tuition is required, at what level, how often, etc.  Charlie will then draw up a lesson plan, with specific goals/achievements (again, according to the requirements of the individual and discussed in the preliminary meeting) and circulate to the individual for approval.  If satisfied, tuition will begin - if changes need to be made, no problem!

If climate change is the topic of interest, either the full course can be delivered (covering all the topics mentioned above, and more). or just individual elements (e.g. just the politics).

If GCSE/A-level tuition is required, again a preliminary meeting will be held with Charlie to discuss the exact requirements, e.g. covering new material, exam revision, essay writing techniques, etc.  Again, an appropriate plan will be created, working with the individual.   The appropriate syllabus will be followed.

Lessons can either be one-to-one, or in small groups* (no more than 5 students), to be decided by the individual.   

Prior to 2020, lessons were taught locally, at Charlie's residence, with online/email support in between.  If GCSE/A-level pupils are under the age of 18, the parent/guardian was able choose to stay on site during the lesson in a separate room, where refreshments and free Wi-Fi were provided.

During and following the pandemic, lessons will be taught remotely (via Zoom), and this will continue into the foreseeable future.

Lessons will be 1 or 2 hours, and will be during weekday (early) evenings.  Again, exact timings, frequency and duration will be tailored to the individual.

In line with other private tuition at this level, the fee will be £35 per hour.

Payment will be made in advance, via check or online bank transfer (no cash).

* (If individuals wish to receive tuition in groups, the fee is £35 per person, per hour). *