Experienced English tutor. I have been teaching English privately and as part of the Monash University Mentoring program for over 5 years.

Find out more about Imran

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

  My passion for teaching English really grew when I became part of the Monash University Mentorship Program. As part of this program, I assisted students in their final year with transitioning to the workplace from university. I helped up to 10 students from various faculties with reviewing their resumes, cover letters and answers to application questions. After enjoying a lot of success in this program, I branched out and began private tutoring in English. I received extremely positive feedback from students including giving clear instructions and maintaining a very polite, patient and encouraging attitude. All this positive experience led to me teaching English on Superprof.

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

  English is an international common tongue, it is the language of academia and is essential if you want to work in international business or commerce. These are just some of the key reasons why the English language is so important and why I want to teach it and teach it well. To become fluent in any language, it is key that you are strong in reading, listening, writing, and speaking. In each English lesson I focus on one of these four areas. For example, I will choose a scene from a popular movie, ask the student to listen carefully to the scene and then explain the meaning of the scene back to me. Focusing on an area of reading English has been challenging at times as students are less likely to read something well if they are not interested in the topic. Furthermore, it is not always easy to find reading (i.e. book/article) which may please the student. To overcome the challenges of reading English, I have been encouraging students to try and find a reading themselves (i.e. from a book/online journal).

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

  In the first year of my Commerce degree, my Business Statistics teacher was extremely inspiring for several reasons. Firstly, he always engaged the students by asking their opinion after every topic. For example, he would ask students how statistics are used in the world. This ensured that students remained attentive, the class was interactive and interesting. Secondly, he used personal examples to highlight a topic. For example, he highlighted the types of jobs available in the field of Business Statistics by going through his personal career. And thirdly, he recorded all lessons and made himself readily available after class hours. This gave students, including me, more confidence that should I not understand a topic during the class, there were many more opportunities to discuss after class hours.

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

  Some of the qualities of a good tutor include a tutor who is motivating, provides constructive feedback and who is easy to approach. It is never easy to learn any topic including English so it is pivotal the tutor always motivates the student. I always highlight the areas the student has improved in English (i.e. reading) to keep the student engaged and motivated. The tutor always needs to provide constructive feedback. After every lesson, I always highlight what areas of English the student needs to improve on and what they are doing well. The tutor also needs to be easy to approach. To learn any topic successfully, students need to ask many questions, however students are more likely to ask more questions if their teacher is friendly and supportive. I aim to always maintain a friendly and approachable character, so all my students are comfortable asking me any questions about English and don't feel judged.

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

  When I was at school a valuable anecdote was 'the key to success is to double your number of failures. You can't win them all, you can't lose them all either'. It is easy to lose motivation and focus on learning any topic if you are not performing well for a long period. During high school, I was not performing well in all my subjects up until year 10 due to lack of motivation. However, when I read this quote, it really inspired me to keep trying and not give up no matter how many mistakes I was making. From year 11 onwards, I learned from all my mistakes, and this helped me to significantly improve not only my grades in high school but also university and in my career. During my English lessons, I always tell my students to learn from their mistakes and use it to help them perform better.

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

  A key difficulty is reviewing an English paragraph but not understanding the background behind it. This can make it difficult for me to understand what the appropriate words are to use/how to rephrase certain words. For example, I have a student who wants to improve their business English but it is difficult reviewing an email as I do not know the context behind it. Similarly, I have another student who wants me to review essays for a specific topic. Again, it is sometimes challenging knowing what English words to use as I do not know the topic well.
  
  
  In both examples above, I try to overcome the shortcomings by asking the students to give me as much background information as possible before I review their work.

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

  My passion is teaching and teaching English. I am privileged to be taught English in an English-speaking country (Australia), undertake my education at a world class institution (Monash University) and work in some of the largest companies in the world (Deloitte, National Australia Bank). My life experiences have allowed me to develop sound skills in English and now I want to pass on my English skills to anyone who needs to learn or has a passion to learn.
  
  
  In general, I love teaching because I get the opportunity to see students develop and reach their goals. It is also very rewarding listening to and answering all the students' queries. In all my student relationships, I always make it an aim to stay in touch and watch them progress.

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

  I believe I am the ideal Superprof for several reasons. First, I love to share what I have learned in life with others who may also need it. For example, I want to pass on all the knowledge I have gained in English to students who need it. Second, I want students to enjoy learning from me. It is a well-known fact that if someone enjoys a topic(s), it is much easier to learn. I therefore try to ensure my students enjoy learning English. Third, I want all my students to become confident in their learning. To become successful in life, you need confidence. And lastly, I want all my students to be happy when learning. The learning environment will be more positive and enjoyable if my students are happy. In my English lessons, I always ensure the meetings end on a positive note and my students are happy. I achieve by always asking for feedback from the student on what I am doing well and what I can improve on.