About Me

Right after I finished Year 13, I spent a gap year living in Jordan, teaching English as a foreign language to Syrian refugees. It was here that I first developed a passion for teaching and working with young people.

After that, I didn't go to uni - instead I took an apprenticeship at BBC Radio Solent in Southampton, as a cub reporter. When that finished, I freelanced as a newsreader, then went to work for the Sunday Politics South as a researcher.

After four years at the BBC, I went to Cambridge to study English. I'm now a huge advocate for applying to Oxbridge even if you don't think you'll get in - the teaching there was transformational for me, the resources are extraordinary, and I think it's worth taking the pot-shot.

Although I started teaching English in 2014, I only began offering formal lessons online two years ago. In that time, I've taught everything from 7+ to A Level, with texts from Macbeth and The Duchess of Malfi to Skirrid Hill and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I've seen students score full marks in their A-Levels, wildly exceed their expectations and fly into some of the top universities in the country.

My favourite part of tutoring is when students who once found English exhausting and pointless, suddenly get pleasure and fulfillment from their texts. I don't believe English should ever be boring, and I aim to pass my love of literature on to every student I work with.

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Frequently asked questions

What exam boards do you teach?

I've taught nearly every exam board in the UK, but I most often teach AQA, OCR and Edexcel for GCSE and A Level.

What texts do you teach?

I've taught all the most common GCSE and A Level texts, and on the occasions when a student surprises me, I'm always excited to have something new to teach. At GCSE level, Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, A Christmas Carol and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde have been my most-taught texts.

What's your favourite text to teach?

At GCSE, I'm a big fan of A Christmas Carol - partly because it's a rollicking story, but also because it's often where students who assume they won't be able to understand a Victorian novel, suddenly discover they can! At A Level, I think Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking novel. I'm also a huge Dr Seuss fan, so I'll often crack out The Cat in the Hat for students at the other end of the age spectrum!

How can I contact you?

You can email me on jc@venable.org, or fill out the form on the Contact page. I usually reply to emails within 24 hours.

Are you the same Joe Venable who writes musicals?

Yes I am! You can find out more about my musicals, and my work as a theatre producer and actor, on my other website, joevenable.com.