Our TUtors - Ellis Swindell

Ellis, History - UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

Hi, I’m Ellis and I’m a History, Politics and Geography tutor with two years of experience in the wider education sector. I graduated from Oxford in 2025 with an MSt (Merit) in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies from Kellogg College. My research focused on the economics, history and politics of the thirteenth-century Eastern Mediterranean. This built upon my BA (First Class) in History from Durham, where I received outstanding marks (78) for my dissertation and awards for my contribution to college life. At A Level I studied Politics, History and Geography, as well as taking an EPQ focusing on the governance of pre-unification Germany.

Before university, I worked as a teaching assistant at the selective grammar school Westcliff High School for Boys. This experience affirmed I wanted to work with young people as I found it extremely satisfying facilitating their success, watching them achieve things they never thought possible. So, upon leaving Oxford I re-entered the education sector, spending a year working as a primary school cover teacher and in a support role for SEN students. I also worked internationally, teaching British History to Romanian students at the Enisala English Summer Academy.

These years of real experience have developed me as a tutor, as I understand how some students are confined by the boundaries of the classroom, where some students are left behind and others aren’t challenged enough. Long-term, targeted support, something a classroom teacher often can’t provide, is key to resolving this. Such continuity enables a tutor to create a solid foundation for a student by learning their strengths and weaknesses, before providing highly tailored content to resolve any issues and push a student to their full potential. Students are then able to flourish as this base facilitates their understanding of the connections between each subject – a key ingredient in developing their own originality. This is something essential for achieving top marks at any stage, including university. Therefore, I would particularly welcome enquiries from parents and students who would like to work with me long-term. This doesn’t mean I can’t rapidly resolve core issues too – with one recent student who struggled with his essay structuring improving his grades by three levels in just two months once we resolved this issue.

Having attended two top British universities means I am also well-placed to help with university admissions, guiding my students through their personal statements, super-curricular reading lists and interview practice.

Alongside my work I have a keen interest in linguistics having developed skills in Arabic, Ancient Greek, and Byzantine Greek. I am also a keen athlete having competed in cross-country for both Oxford and Durham where I captained the team for a successful year where we won an award for most improved sports society in the university. I look forward to hearing from any prospective students.