Teresa Song is a young Surrey-based academic coach getting great results. Miranda Jessop meets her
As a parent of a teenager approaching GCSEs, my meeting with academic coach, Teresa Song couldn’t have come at a better time. With declarations of ‘nothing is impossible’ and promises of ‘together we will make it’ on her website, I am open to any hints on ways of encouraging my reluctant daughter to switch off her phone and knuckle down to some schoolwork. Step forward Surrey’s academic coach, Teresa Song.
Born in South Korea, Teresa moved to Esher when she was seven years old and was educated at Tiffin Girls’ School. A former investment banker, she has now set herself up as an academic coach working with students of varying ages and I am intrigued to find out what this actually entails. “I am not a teacher, I am not a tutor, I am a coach. I become involved in almost all aspects of a student’s life and together we focus on the present, the future and results.”
I ask Teresa why parents might choose to turn to her. “It could be about getting their child into the right secondary school, helping them to achieve higher grades at GCSE or making sure they get the right A level grades for their chosen university.”
After an initial consultation in which she finds out exactly what the parents and student are trying to achieve, Teresa puts together a bespoke programme. She sources and manages the most proficient tutors, following up with both parties after every class. She checks in with her secondary level students at least once a day, helping them to organise their time and manage their homework as well as offering advice on concentration techniques and learning strategies. Parents receive progress reports on a fortnightly basis. “I am very hands-on and my role is to take the big picture view from start to finish.”
Teresa offers four different levels of service from bronze all the way up to platinum and her fees vary accordingly. “My platinum clients have 24/7 access and can ring me at any time of the day or night. One student called me at 2am recently to say they had found out about an internship they really wanted to pursue and the deadline was the next day. So we started cracking on with it straightaway.”
It is these platinum clients that fascinate me most as many of these parents apparently outsource absolutely all aspects of their child’s education to Teresa.
“I am the first port of call if there are any problems at school and I sometimes even represent them at parents’ evenings. They might both be too busy working, they are not experts in this field and, in the same way as you might employ someone to clean your house, they can afford to outsource this area of a child’s life.”
Although I would never dream of missing a parents’ evening myself, as the discussion moves on, I am beginning to see how this set-up could be the solution for some people. Teresa is only 27 and I am sure many teenagers would respond better to her than they might to their own parents.
“I am a neutral person and that’s why it works so well; when parents want the best for their children, it’s easy to say the wrong thing and too often they can end up clashing. I remember being a teenager only too well and I do understand when students tell me they are not feeling motivated.”
Teresa tells me that one of the most important aspects of the relationship with her students is to keep the lines of communication open at all times.
“I always tell them not to let a problem fester; instead they need to send me a message, talk to me and we will sort it out immediately.”
At the same time, she is very clear on boundaries. “I make it quite plain that I am not their friend. We are in a working relationship and I am not going to hold their hand for ever. I am there at that moment to help them grow as an individual.”
As far as parents are concerned, Teresa always insists on complete transparency.
“I am brutally honest with parents but, in turn, I need parents to be honest with me; I need to know everything that is going on in a student’s life.”
I am keen to hear about some of Teresa’s success stories.
“I have been responsible for numerous students who were below average or in bottom sets and I managed to get them into schools that they had been told not even to bother applying for. I also recently worked with a student who was predicted Ds in his A levels. I helped him bring his grades up so that he was able to apply to the universities he wanted while, at the same time, he grew in confidence and his relationship with his teachers improved significantly.”
So what is it that drives Teresa on in her role as an academic coach? “Seeing the transformation is amazing; it is so rewarding to be able to have such a big impact on students’ lives and for parents to entrust me with the responsibility of taking care of their children’s educational needs.”
As for this parent, I’ll keep on cracking the whip at home for the moment but, as the dreaded GCSEs draw closer, I know exactly who to call should the need arise.
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