Being a teenager is tough enough, but those struggling with school and learning face an additional challenge. It can send even the most loving households into a state of conflict. Oxford-educated Jerome Barty-Taylor knows all about the enormous frustration young adults tackling learning challenges face. Jerome has been there with his own experience with dysgraphia. Now through his specialist tutoring business, BartyED, he is helping Hong Kong teenagers blossom from struggling student to successful graduate.
“Teenagers just like to be taken seriously,” says Jerome, who explains that a student’s personal connection with a tutor is key to success. For this reason, BartyED’s tutors range in age from 25 to 30 years; this means they have the intellectual rigour to teach complex subjects plus the life experience of overcoming their own personal learning challenges – it makes them relatable to teenagers.
This combination ensures BartyED staff all have the soft skills required to build a connection with, and in turn mentor, teenage clients who are often frustrated with school. “That relationship is an important element and drives the process forward,” says Jerome.
Here we share the story of Adam and his mum, Tammy, who read about BartyED in Expat Living and reached out to Jerome for help.
Give us a bit of background to Adam and his schooling.
Adam is now 16 and completed his GCSEs in June 2018 at Kellett School. We had been living in Hong Kong for six years when we began working with Jerome.
What prompted you to call the BartyED team?
I saw a feature about them in Expat Living last September and it resonated with me. Our son Adam was in the second year of his GCSE’s and was struggling to realise his potential because of his difficulties with focusing and organisation.
Adam had various tutors over time, some were better than others, but most of the tutors didn’t last very long. Hong Kong has a thriving tuition industry, but usually it’s formulaic. With the others, I didn’t feel there was any genuine attempt to engage Adam on an individual basis.
Since that call, how has BartyED helped Adam?
It quickly became clear that we were in another league. Jerome and his team are passionate about their students; they understood how to engage Adam, assisting him with setting goals and better organising himself.
Jerome was much more than a tutor, he also became a coach and mentor to Adam. We were all thrilled that Adam achieved mostly A*s and A’s, with a few B’s in his GCSE’s. It was a great boost for his confidence to achieve these good results. Most significantly, Jerome has been an important influence on Adam beyond the academics, keeping a genuine interest in how he’s doing beyond the contracted time, and continuing to motivate him to achieve.
Why would you recommend the BartyED team to other parents?
They’re very professional, and committed to supporting students in an individualised manner, meeting them where their needs are. The relationship between student and tutor is key, and the team really focuses on this. Students with individualised needs can get left behind in Hong Kong; BartyED, in my experience, can help these students extend themselves to reach their potential.
The BartyED team can help with homework or provide tuition in all pre-tertiary subjects with expertise in IB, AP, HSC and standardised testing. They can also deliver personalised admissions consultancy for top-tier schools. For more information, contact enquiries@bartyed.com.
Barty Education and Development Limited (BartyED)
1/F, New East Sun Building, 18 Shing Yip Street, Kwun Tong
2799 6438 | bartyed.com
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