Languages, Literature, Humanities & Educational Mentorship
I provide bespoke tuition and educational mentoring for families navigating schools entry, public examinations, and university admissions.
With over a decade of experience in independent education, including as Head of Scholarship and Head of Department at Charterhouse, I have advised and supported students applying to some of the world's most selective schools and universities.
Today, I work with a small number of families, providing personalised guidance in languages and literature, admissions preparation, and wider educational development.
Approach
My work is built around clarity, depth, and sustained scholarly development.
My sessions are highly personalised and carefully structured, with a focus on helping students think more precisely, write more effectively, and approach their work with increasing independence and confidence.
Alongside subject teaching, I support families in thinking about longer-term educational pathways, academic choices, and cognitive development.
I encourage students to engage with literature, culture, history, and the arts, helping them develop the analytical breadth and cultural confidence that support a lifetime of learning.
Four areas of focus
I prepare students for 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ entry to leading independent schools, including ISEB Pre-Test, Common Entrance, and scholarship examinations, with a focus on reasoning, communication, and academic confidence. Interview preparation is offered as part of this process.
As a Pearson and AQA examiner, I provide GCSE and A-Level tuition in English Language, English Literature, and Modern Languages (German, Italian, Spanish, French), with an emphasis on close reading, essay craftsmanship, linguistic precision, and confident expression.
I provide editorial and strategic support for personal statements, Oxbridge interviews, Common App essays, SATs and wider application materials across the UK and US admissions cycles.
I mentor students for essay prizes and academic competitions, including the John Locke Institute Essay Competition, Minds Underground, Think Prize, and others, with support for topic selection, research, and the craft of a distinctive argument.
About
As the former Head of Scholarship at Charterhouse, my work combines subject teaching with longer-term educational guidance. I believe that academic success emerges from analytical confidence, curiosity, and the ability to think clearly and independently. My aim is not simply to prepare students for examinations, but to help them develop habits of thought that endure beyond them.
My students have progressed to schools such as Westminster, Wellington, Winchester, and Eton, and global elite universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Columbia, Princeton and Yale.
Alongside tuition and admissions support, I work with a small number of families on longer-term educational mentoring, helping students develop confidence, scholarly independence, and a sense of academic direction.
I tutor GCSE and A-Level English Language and Literature, and Modern Languages including German, Italian, Spanish, and French. I am an examiner for both Pearson and AQA.
I am also a test creator for the UK Linguistics Olympiad, helping design problems for one of the UK's leading academic competitions.
I read Modern Languages & Literature at UCL.
Get in touch
michael@michaeldawson.education
Based
London & Online
Residential tutoring available on request