Dr Ildiko Csengei

Need help with English exam preparation, school work, essay writing, understanding poetry or the books that you study at school or university? You are in the right place! I am a fully qualified English teacher with QTS and an experienced university lecturer. Since gaining my PhD from Cambridge in 2005 I have worked in UK higher and secondary education for over 15 years and have taught at the universities of Cambridge, Southampton and Huddersfield, as well as various secondary schools in Cambridgeshire. I am also experienced at teaching SEND, especially autistic students.

I can provide all levels of secondary English teaching from year 7 to year 13, including Key Stage 3, GCSE, IGCSE, IB, 11 Plus, 13 Plus and A level tuition. I can help with University admissions preparation (interviews, personal statements, Oxbridge admissions written test and interview preparation, mock interviews), university level assessments or essays, BA dissertations, MA and PhD dissertations. I can help develop essay writing skills, formulating an argument, grammar, spelling and all other aspects of academic writing for secondary and university students. I also offer professional copyediting and proofreading services.

As former Director of Studies in English for Newham College and fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge, I gained extensive experience with the Cambridge admissions process, including selecting candidates, setting and marking written admission tests and conducting interviews. I am highly experienced with all forms of university teaching, including Oxbridge-style supervision and small group teaching, university lectures and seminars. I am an active researcher and have published widely in my field, including journal articles and an academic book on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature. I currently research and write on the Romantic period and the literature and history of warfare and teach eighteenth-century and Romantic literature at the University of Cambridge.

I believe that excellent teaching is attentive to the student’s needs and current level of learning. I like to start by setting and agreeing on achievable goals and planning a realistic curriculum for achieving these throughout our sessions. I like to give feedback to students that is encouraging and compassionate, while rigorously and constructively pointing out errors and offering positive directions for improvement. I like to introduce fresh and exciting material and challenge students in order to ignite an ambition to succeed and achieve at the highest level. I like to inspire, build confidence and offer a practical route for realising students’ goals and ambitions. I encourage a questioning attitude and big-picture thinking about first-hand material – moving from close reading to an understanding of a text’s larger cultural implications.