Giovanna

Academic History

Supervisory Analyst (New York Stock Exchange Series 16 exam)

PhD degree in Economics, University of Florence

Post-Graduate School in Banking, Siena

BSc in Economics, University of Siena, 110 out of 110 cum laude

High School Diploma in Accounting, High School, Siena, 60 out of 60

About Me

I specialise in teaching Economics, Finance and Accounting, as well as writing training.

My tutoring is very much based on the specific needs of the individual, which vary widely, from working on a few specific troublesome concepts to careful and ongoing support throughout the year to include general mentoring and study skills. Because of my wide-ranging experience, I am often asked to create bespoke courses for adults looking to gain a better understanding of the economics, finance and accounting required in their jobs or personal life.

Recent tuition

I have been a full time tutor for over 5 years building on my long professional teaching and training experience. I have therefore thousands of hours of teaching experience, so I can quickly adapt to what each student requires.  I list below only a few typical examples to give you a flavour of my work.

My A-level students often require additional material to spur their curiosity and help them reach the very top marks required to continue with economics at university.  This was very much the case with one student, a very bright boy with a mathematical mind but a fascination with investing – he found the Edexcel A-level economics course dull and struggled with the very idea of a balanced argument as in economics there is often not a right or wrong answer but “it depends”. I fed him articles and books, most of which he enjoyed, while working on the structure of his longer answers, focusing on clear structure and the addition of relevant real-life example to show off his knowledge.

This student came to me with the sole goal of getting an B in economics as this was required to go on to study history at his chosen university. By the end of the year, his passion for economics had grown so much that he is now reading it at Manchester, after having achieved an A in his AQA exam.

This student came to me at the end of her first OCR year surprised at her low predicted results – a bright and diligent student, she had approached the subject like her others, trying to memorise concepts so she stayed on the surface and never gained the deep understanding that is necessary to answer the challenging long questions.  After a whole summer of regular tuition, she hit the ground running on her second year achieving great results and going on to study economics at university.

My work with university students vary widely.  Often my students are perfectly capable, but they have unfortunately been taught poorly, so leveraging my extensive collection of teaching material is essential for them.  I am now for example working with a student who has failed his finance exam as the study material he had was totally inappropriate for his zero background, but has been able to make good progress on the introductory material I have provided him with.

Others need a firm hand and clear detailed instructions to focus on an imminent exam, such as one student who had six days to prepare for a third-year university exam that he had somehow not got round to but with two hours of tutoring each morning, a detailed homework plan and a quick catch up every evening managed to pass. Many students need specific work on answering longer/essay-type questions, so I prepare “model” answers for them to train them on how to argue and display their knowledge – this may vary from just a few questions to a whole course or even all the exams in a Master!  Others simply need regular support to make sure they never fall behind the class and get enough practice not to panic in the exam.

Much of my work is supporting university students with their dissertation, always within what is ethical.  Unfortunately, most university students receive very little support from their university (a maximum 90 minutes of their supervisor’s time is pretty standard) and can be quite lost when faced with writing an intelligent literature review, the task of doing actual research, and summing up their conclusions. My students know they can rely on me as a sounding board and a widely-read academic professional who has the time and patience to guide them and support them all the steps of the way, nudging them and keeping them on track to deliver a quality dissertation on time.  When actual text editing is required, this is always an opportunity for the student to learn and it is pleasing to see how their writing improves as we work together.  While not ideal, I have rescued many a dissertation at the last minute, sharing the last-minute panics with a sympathetic smile.

Many MBA students simply have not got the necessary economics, accounting and finance background to keep up with their courses – within weeks, they are struggling badly and doubting their intelligence.  I reassure them that they are not alone and am able to provide the necessary stepping stones they need to catch up with the class and often excel.  This is very much what happened with one student who was convinced finance was not for her, simply because she did not have the right foundations and once these were patiently laid she took off and got a first in her exam. Another student was struggling with corporate finance despite having studied it before; I prepared bespoke spreadsheet for him to get him comfortable with all possible permutations of the exercises and develop and intuitive understanding of the subject and he went on to pass the exam without problems.

Finally, students, especially younger ones, often need support beyond their academic knowledge and my life experience as a teacher and a mother helps me spot this and provide psychological support to boost their confidence and calm their nerves, involving parents when necessary. I have worked with one student now for two years and we are finally getting to the bottom of the insecurities that have plagued her academic studies since she was a teenager (her mother tells me) and she has managed not to panic in any of her last set of exams.

Professionals often contact me when they find themselves out of their depth, due to a promotion or career move. Here I combine my academic knowledge with my extensive experience of the business world so we work together with the specific problems they are facing while trying to build up their understanding of the accounting information they are presented, for example, or their ability to check the modelling done by their juniors.

Finally, several individuals asks me to devise bespoke material so that they can understand the general principles of investing and either take over from their advisors or at least understand what their advisors tell them at their regular meetings.  Women in particular find this knowledge incredibly empowering and sometimes become good friends, consulting me from time to time even when our formal lessons have come to an end.

Hobbies and Interests

I love cooking and I wish I had more time to play the piano!

Client Testimonials

“Just letting you know that my economics exams went really well and I cannot thank you enough for helping me this year!”

A-Level Economics

“I just got my results … I am extremely happy and am so grateful for all your help and support in economics. I definitely could not have achieved that result without you! Thanks again, you really helped me understand and even enjoy the subject.”

Management Undergraduate, year 2

“Gio, I must say, I left your home with a big smile on my face! I cannot tell you how much better I feel after just one session. I am thrilled that I was matched with you because I can see how wonderful of a teacher you are. Your ability to explain things in a very clear and understanding way is such a relief to someone like myself who has previously found finance rather difficult and confusing.”

MBA