Sydney tutor in Creative Writing, English, English Literature, Essay Writing, Reading

ABOUT ME:
Hello! My name is Josephine. I’ve been working in education for over 12 years and have taught students ranging from Year 3 all the way up to HSC Extension 2 English! I’m also an avid reader and devote a lot of time to creative writing — my short stories have won competitions and been published in both national and international literary magazines. I’m passionate about teaching and about building students’ confidence in and enjoyment of English! I’m currently pursuing a career change into speech pathology.

Here’s a bit more about my experience:

EDUCATION AND CLASSROOM TEACHING:
--> At school I did English Extension 2 and graduated with a 97.8 ATAR
--> Undergrad: University of Sydney — Bachelor of Arts/Education (First Class Honours)
--> Throughout university I taught English and Maths at Maths Excel Class and Tutoring Advantage, then switched to freelance private tutoring.
--> After graduating I briefly taught high school English (temp maternity leave position) including marking NAPLAN and then switched into full time private tutoring.

HEAD OF ENGLISH - DYMOCKS TUTORING
From 2019-2025 I was Head of English at Dymocks Tutoring. During this time I:
--> Designed and wrote the centre’s English curriculum for Years 3—12.
--> Wrote HSC Study Guides for a range of Year 12 English texts
--> Taught small group classes ranging from Year 3 up to HSC Extension 2 English
--> Trained and mentored other English tutors.
--> Designed and ran a range of creative writing and HSC test prep workshops, both in Dymocks Tutoring’s centres and at high schools and libraries across Sydney.
--> Developed and organised the Beyond Words Competition in 2023, 2024 and 2025, Australia’s largest student creative writing competition!

CREATIVE WRITING
Outside of work, I do a lot of creative writing. My flash fiction pieces have won the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge, Stories Out of School Flash Fiction Challenge, and Writing Battle. My short stories have been published in The Big Issue Fiction Edition, Aurealis Magazine, ROOM Magazine, A Public Space, Factor Four Magazine and more.

CURRENT:
I’m now studying a Master of Speech Pathology at UTS!

SUBJECTS:
I currently have spots available for students in Years 9-12 including HSC English Standard and English Advanced. If you need help with something outside of this (younger students or Ext 1/2 English) let me know and we can discuss if I’m the right fit.

Throughout my career I’ve worked with students of all levels, but I have a particular specialty and passion for working with students who are finding English challenging and are looking for help improving their marks. If you are purely looking for additional extension I may not be the right fit unless you are specifically looking to pursue further development in creative writing.

TEACHING STYLE AND INTERESTS:
My teaching style is patient, positive, passionate and personalised! I am very bubbly and upbeat and always encourage my students to try their best. I truly believe English is a subject that every student can engage with in some way — bringing real world experiences in to connect with the issues we’re exploring in texts, and developing personal interpretations of the texts we’re studying. I have a genuine love for literature and writing and try to instill that same passion in my students, and that English is a subject that can be used to engage not only with the classics but with pop culture — whether that be TV shows, video games or songs!

I have a strong personal interest in genre fiction (especially post-apocalyptic fiction, sci fi and horror), Shakespeare (Othello and Hamlet are particular favourites!) and the poetry of Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath and Gwen Harwood (among others). When not teaching you’ll find me playing Dungeons and Dragons or video games involving zombies :D

HOW LESSONS WORK:
--> Currently taking lessons ONLINE ONLY — I taught extensively online during and after Covid.
--> All lessons take place using Google Meet and Google Docs. We will be on shared documents annotating texts and working in templates together. I will monitor your work and give written and verbal feedback in real time. All students must have a working camera and microphone.
--> I use Calendly for seamless booking of your chosen date and time, with integrated payment + automated Google Meet link. --> Book up to 24 hours before your class. Cancellation requires a minimum of 24 hours notice. --> Lessons are always customised to either the topic/text you’re working on at school, or specific skills you need help with.
--> Consistent reporting back to parent/caregiver to let you know what we’re doing in lessons.

AVAILABILITY:
Limited spots available on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 3.30pm onwards.

Get in touch — use the tutorfinder contact form to let me know what you’re looking for, how your child is finding English at school, and what you need help with!

Contact

Experience

- Teacher-trained with over 12 years' experience in both one-to-one and group classes from grades 3-12.
- Head of English at Dymocks Tutoring (2019-2025)
- Previously worked at Maths Excel Class, Tutoring Advantage and as a freelance private tutor
- Previous NAPLAN marker and high school teacher

Qualifications

- Bachelor of Arts/Education (First Class Honours) -- University of Sydney
- Current Master of Speech Pathology student at UTS
- 97.8 ATAR
- Prize-winning short story author published in a range of Australian and international literary magazines

Rates

$80 per hour

Gender

Female

Registered

Joined Tutor Finder on 22-Jun-2026 (updated profile on 06-Jul-2026)