The Tutor Podcast

Write a book! Neil has written two, one on time management, ‘Elephant Sandwiches’ and the other on guitarists, ‘9 Weird Things Guitarists Do’ (both available on Amazon). Being a published author showcases your expertise in your field and can be fine marketing tools but how should we go about achieving this? Neil shares his advice on how to create your first written work.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Set aside...

Neil details how we communicate with our students can help us to gain their trust and confidence. Using his training in Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques, Neil identifies the mode of expression his students use and matches it, increasing not only the speed and efficiency of learning, but his likability as a tutor and mentor.   KEY TAKEAWAYS In Neils experience as a tutor, NLP has been...

Many of us have a very unhealthy and self abusive relationship with the concept and acceptance of failure. Neil discusses why it matters to tutors and business people and how, instead of using it as a mark to your detriment, you should try seeing it as a learning step and opportunity.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Remember, failure is an interim state unless your response to it is to give up. Encourage failures...

The nature of money and your attitude towards it can be complex and difficult and can affect all areas of your life. Neil shares his own ideas and beliefs about money which have allowed him to achieve success in his own field as a guitar tutor, and will also assist you in your endeavours by understanding moneys nature and its place in your life.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Money is a tool. It’s a construct fo...

In this episode Neil tackles the thorny issue of pricing. The issue of how you set your price is often tied into how you actually feel about your product and can be the biggest clue to your client about the level of quality they can expect. Neil details the possible results of high, medium and low pricing.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Your price you charge will tie very closely to your sense of self worth. If...

In this episode Neil talks about saying no. Sometimes we have to say no for the betterment of our mental health and to guard our wealth but often saying no can be difficult and socially awkward. How and when should we say no to save ourselves from taking on tasks which disadvantage our resources?   KEY TAKEAWAYS We can say yes to the wrong thing, job or person and quickly get out of our depth. We...

In this 200th episode Neil tackles the problem of facing up to uncomfortable truths. What must we do to face up to identify what is good and bad for us, about us and move forward with a more honest viewpoint of ourselves?  KEY TAKEAWAYS Recognise the habits and routines that are not taking you where you want to go and change them. We always want to justify to ourselves our damaging habits but conc...

Research suggests that 80% of New Years resolutions are broken by the end of January. Neil has suggestions about how you can direct your good intentions more fruitfully by detailing what he’s going to be doing at this turning of the year. KEY TAKEAWAYS New Years resolutions are a daft idea because they’re a one-off that fails for most people. How about a daily resolution. Do something every day th...

In this episode Neil talks all things Christmas and what it means to him from his spiritual take to what he will be doing over the holiday.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Why is Christmas the one time of the year where you break away from your normal way of being and demonstrate good will to all men?  Neil is going to be in the mountains this Christmas, walking and riding and surrounding himself with nature. He n...

In this episode, Neil covers accounting for expenses and all the not so obvious in and out costs of the business that can affect your profitability and your tax liability. He details the tax allowances you are entitled to and what you should be asking your accountant about. KEY TAKEAWAYS If you are using a vehicle for your business you are entitled to claim a mileage allowance for use of that vehi...

This week, Neil explains how crucial it is to keep accurate regular accounts of your sales. In the second of this three part series of episodes detailing his method of accounting, Neil shares his tips on how to accurately record your daily sales into an easy referable format to streamline you and your accountants overview of your business and not fall foul of the taxman. KEY TAKEAWAYS Do not secon...

This week, Neil explains how crucial it is to keep accurate accounts of your purchases. In the first of this three part series of episodes detailing his method of accounting, Neil shares his tips on how to easily and accurately store and record all your purchase invoices for easy reference. KEY TAKEAWAYS Every unaccounted for purchase means you are voluntarily going to pay more tax. Use an easy so...

This week, Neil discusses the importance of your workspace and how to maximise efficiency so you can concentrate on inspiring and informing your students. KEY TAKEAWAYS When designing your working space keep in mind the image you are presenting to your student and the learning atmosphere you wish to present. When arranging seating always leave a clean line of exit for your student. This will ensur...

This week, Neil discusses the power of journaling – how it has positively impacted not just his own journey as a tutor, but his life in general, and why keeping a journal for yourself might be the missing tool in your own world. KEY TAKEAWAYS Countless famous and successful people have kept journals, either as part of a collective series of memoirs, or as a way of diarising and organising. Journal...

This week, Neil reflects upon the words of Carlo Cipolla from 1976, and his work on ‘The Human Laws Of Stupidity’ – five laws that may explain a lot about the world around us today… KEY TAKEAWAYS Everybody underestimates the number of stupid people. The number around us is way higher than you may think. Stupidity does not rely upon factors such as race, religion, sex, profession, or income level....

One thing that we can all rely on in life, is change. No matter how hard we try, the world around us will change, and so will we. But as Neil discusses on this week's show, since change is inevitable, what can we do about it? KEY TAKEAWAYS Everything changes every day. We must stay positive about the things we want, staying firm on our outcomes and our desired end-point. If change outside of ourse...

Before we can hope to know others, and instruct them, we must know ourselves. In this episode, Neil pauses to reflect upon the value of connecting with ourselves, and the value it can bring to our skills as the tutor of others. KEY TAKEAWAYS We must take time to pause, reflect, think and consider, in order to better observe the patterns of life. Take time to think about what makes us happy, who ma...

This week, Neil discusses a very special sub-group of his very own students – a group he likes to refer to as “The Remedials”.  All tutors will have come across students like this in their tutoring journey.  In this episode Neil shares his thoughts on how to get the best out of them. KEY TAKEAWAYS A remedial is a long-time practitioner of their craft, who has become stuck in their ways. Sometimes...

The internet is very useful but has many pitfalls, traps and risks, and perhaps surprisingly Neil was recently caught out by one of these – copyright law bots. If Neil with his wealth of experience can be caught out, so can you, so listen in to this episode to find out more and the dos and don’ts of using images!   KEY TAKEAWAYS Neil’s top suggestions for you if you use images on your website, blo...

“Working with parts” is the NLP idea of unlocking deep resistance and talking with different parts of the brain. Neil discusses how to introduce “working with parts” into your tutoring business, how to uncover what drives your student’s behaviors and why WWP can help you remove the resistances in a students mind to help them learn more efficiently.   KEY TAKEAWAYS ‘Working with parts’ is a very us...

Do you often find yourself setting grand, ambitious goals, only to never find yourself achieving them? Join Neil today as he explains why setting goals is a biological process and to understand goals, you need to understand yourself. Neil shares his secret to achieving your dreams and how slow, measurable steps will set you on your journey to success.   KEY TAKEAWAYS To set goals it is important t...

Discover the importance of having a killer work ethic and how having one, can create amazing things for you and your business. Neil discusses the importance of removing all distractions when you sit down to work, why a strong work ethic is so rare and therefore valuable and why sticking to a routine is so beneficial.   KEY TAKEAWAYS The definition of ‘work’ is a physical or mental activity underta...

Your students are most likely going to have entrenched beliefs that may affect their confidence levels, it is your job as a tutor to defeat these beliefs to help them thrive! Join Neil as he discusses how throwaway comments made by others can affect your students, why you should give your students time to ‘gather data and the importance of instilling optimism within your students. KEY TAKEAWAYS Yo...

DESCRIPTION As September rolls around, so does the start of the new school year and you may find that some of your students are fleeing the nest to university. Today Neil discusses the emotional wrench of students leaving you, why after years of working together, a strong bond has been formed and why you should always be grateful to have been a part of their journey.   KEY TAKEAWAYS An unexpected...