Cyrus

Academic History

In 2024, I received the prestigious Royal Geographical Society Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching for my work in schools and teacher training making me one of the few teachers in the world to have received this recognition.

2020- 2024, Lecturer and Tutor at King’s College London

2016-2019, University of Oxford: DPhil (PhD) Geography and the Environment. (No corrections).

2015-2016, University of Oxford: MSc Nature, Society and Environmental Governance (Distinction).

2014-2015, University of Cambridge: PGCE Geography.

2010-2013, University of Oxford: BA Geography (1st).

About Me

I have been a private tutor for over a decade, delivering many thousands of hours of tuition and working with hundreds of families across the UK and around the world—both online and on residential assignments. The families I work with seek genuine intellectual growth for their children in ways that are supportive and often neurodivergent-friendly.

I completed my teacher training at the University of Cambridge, followed by my undergraduate degree, master’s, and PhD at the University of Oxford. This means families can trust they are receiving authentic academic depth combined with extensive experience in leading UK independent schools.

I have held leadership roles at some of the UK’s top schools, including Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith and Head of Geography at Dulwich College. Most recently, I served as Deputy Head Academic at Brighton College Vietnam and I have extensive experience working with international families.

Through my work in schools and as a tutor, I have had the privilege of seeing countless student successes. My subject specialism is Geography and I have supported students in making rapid progress across all major exam boards—GCSE, A Level, and IB. I have helped very many young people gain places at Oxford and Cambridge to study Geography helped by my experience from being an Admissions Tutor at Oxford for three years.

In addition to my school-level work, I have supported students studying Geography and sustainability at undergraduate, master’s, and PhD level. I feel equally at ease working with adults as I do with younger learners. For the past five years, I have had the privilege of training teachers as an academic at King’s College London, supporting global education leaders in gaining their master’s degrees in education.

I have published widely on education themes of sustainability and am a respected international voice.

Recent tuition

I have worked with a great number of different families all over the world from including the children of Royals and high net worth individuals. All families have in common a wish for their children to be inspired, supported and treated as individuals.

I have recently supported students gain places at Eton through the King’s Scholarship, gain places at Oxford and Cambridge though advise on personal statements and mentorship and increasingly I support students continue their studies in Geography and sustainability related fields at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Below I have provided a sample of my most recent tutoring experience.

IB Geography & Application for University of Cambridge

This student attended a prestigious international college in Hong Kong and studied the IB in Geography. I taught her for two hours per week for a year via Skype as a supplement to her regular lessons in school. She wanted extra support as her school was not able to provide sufficient help to really get the top grades at IB and prepare her for her application to read Geography at the University of Cambridge. I supported her by building on her existing knowledge and taking this up to what would be expected of the very top students at IB. I also assisted her with her fieldwork by helping her to think about her findings and prompted her to think strategically about how she can get marks. With guidance on her personal statement and mock interview preparation this student secured a place to read Geography at Cambridge, she also secured the best IB mark in her class.

A Level Geography

This student originally attended a prestigious boarding school in Shropshire (UK), but his academic progress and enjoyment faltered due to changes in the school structure and the teachers’ lack of assistance with his dyslexia. I became his full-time Geography teacher in the autumn term and taught him for four hours per week until the exams. We worked together to quickly identify the gaps in his knowledge, I taught the aspects that had been missed out and prepared him for all his summer exams. This student was expected to achieve the equivalent of a C grade when I met him and went on to achieve an A equivalent in the final exams and secured a place at Pearson College in London.

A-level Geography (OCR)

I started teaching this student in the autumn until his exams in the summer. He struggled with aspects of the physical geography content of the OCR A-level and he did not feel that his school teacher was able to give him the time he needed so that he could understand how to improve. I worked closely with him and his parents to really understand his strengths and weaknesses. With two hours a week tuition over eight months, his confidence and ability improved markedly after each tutorial. This student went on to get an A* in Geography having been predicted a C at the beginning of the academic year and he was inspired to take Geography

A-Level Geography (Cambridge International)

This student becomes anxious in the school environment and had been teaching herself Geography A-level from home with the guidance of remote support from a tutoring agency. She had been falling behind in her progress and recognised very close to the exams that she needed additional support if she was to reach her target grade of a C. I worked with her on an intensive basis for several weeks before her exams. We revised and went over all content. Much of which she had tried to learn but it had not been fully understood. I taught her exam skills and helped her develop her skills of writing long-answers. This student achieved her target grade and went on to her first-choice university. Previously she doubted she would be able to sit the exams.

A-level Geography (Edexcel)

This student had previously completed A-level Geography at a prestigious school in Oxfordshire, but his result of an E was much lower than he needed to get into his first-choice university and well below that which he was capable of achieving. I started teaching him in September on a 1:1 basis as his full-time geography teacher. I teach him for four hours per week and will do so until his exams in the summer. When I first started teaching him, his confidence was low and he was reluctant to turn up to lessons. Through working closely with his parents, making lessons fun and highlighting his strengths, he has made huge strides in his progress. He loves being taught Geography and is on-track for an A*. I teach him all aspects of the Geography course, including his fieldwork. place (successful). London.

Hobbies and Interests

Foreign travel, hiking, community volunteering.

Client Testimonials

“Cyrus supported my son through the King’s scholarship for Eton. They worked closely together in the lead up to the exams. My son gained a place at Eton and the scholarship thanks to Cyrus. He makes it look easy but his years of expertise of working with neurodiverse and high performing children at top UK independent schools shows.”

Parent, King’s Scholarship Eton.

“Cyrus is an excellent tutor. He tutored my son throughout his A-Levels and gave him fantastic support and encouragement when he was struggling at school. Cyrus has a vast subject knowledge and quickly understood my son’s strengths and weaknesses. My son described Cyrus as a fantastic tutor and a great person! Cyrus helped my son improve his exam technique and understand key concepts which enabled him to achieve an A* and go on to study Geography at University. I would highly recommend Cyrus to anyone considering a tutor.”

Parent, Geography A Level.

“Cyrus supported me through every step of my academic journey, from A Levels to a top-tier master’s in sustainability. His expertise, care and consistent guidance made all the difference. I always felt in safe hands.”

Student, Geography A Level (OCR), MSc in Geography at Queen Mary.

“Not only has Cyrus helped me to succeed at the subject but also to really enjoy it too. I honestly don’t think I’d be looking forward to the future quite as much if I’d stayed where I was.”

Student, A Level (OCR), Oxford application and mentorship.

“I just wanted to thank you so much for what you are doing for B–. He is inspired and happy and clearly achieving better than he ever has done in the past. We are just so delighted to see this. Thank you.”

Parent, A Level Geography (Edexcel) and university application.

“Cyrus is a remarkable tutor. He worked with my son for over five years. My son left a top independent school with lower-than-expected grades. Cyrus worked with him to achieve an A* in his A Level Geography in just one year, then supported him apply for a top university and mentored him through his undergraduate course. We could not have done without him.”

Parent of A Level Geography, University Application and Undergraduate.