Experienced politics, international relations, and sociology tutor. I teach at undergraduate and postgraduate university level, as well as politics A level.

Find out more about Rob

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

  I've always been interested in politics and history, but the Iraq War in 2003 (specifically, my opposition to it) motivated me to take my interest to the next level. It was 10 years later that I started to teach.

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

  The world is so interconnected, I find all of it interesting one way or another. At present, I'm most passionate about political economy, international relations, and the legacy of the colonial era on the present day.

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

  My father is the role model who has most heavily influenced my political perspective. As a retired philosophy professor, he was key to sparking my initial interest in the subject and I still turn to him for advice on anything related to politics, history or sociology.
  
  I am also lucky enough to have been taught by some great teachers at school and university, but I couldn't pick one.

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

  You have to love your subject, have compassion and understanding for other people, but it's also important to have humility: as a teacher, you never stop learning yourself. No matter how well you know a topic, there's always something new to learn, so I try to stay on my toes and take nothing for granted.

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

  I remember reading The Coming First World Debt Crisis by Ann Pettifor in 2007 in which she predicted the global financial crisis with remarkable accuracy. It was the first book of political economy that I'd read and had a huge effect on me. Firstly, it made me realise how much easier a subject can be once you're given the right vocabulary. Secondly, when the financial crisis played out on the news just as she had predicted, it blew me away and gave me a thirst to learn more and more.

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

  There's so much of it! But, that's also what makes it so fascinating.

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

  What I enjoy most is playing with ideas. In order to do that effectively, though, you have to know your history and understand how the political system works. Every new piece of information can give you a new angle.

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

  I love helping people achieve their goals.