Hello, my name is

Mikesh Harrilall

About me

I was interested in maths from a young age, and this curiosity fuelled me to put in the work to matriculate in 2007 with the highest mark for Additional Mathematics in my school.

I then studied Actuarial Science at Wits University and the undergraduate maths courses really added breadth and depth to my understanding. My eyes were opened to many interesting applications of maths and I became fascinated by how any single maths problem could be viewed in a multitude of ways.

I have since worked at one of the largest insurance companies in South Africa for eight years, applying my actuarial skills as a Product Developer.

I left my back-office job because I wanted to help people more directly. Working now as a maths tutor, I find watching my students grow in confidence and skill to be exceptionally rewarding!

About maths

It’s no secret that many students struggle with maths. It’s not uncommon, even for students who don’t struggle with other subjects, to struggle with maths. But why is maths different?

For most subjects, memorising the facts presented is a strategy that’s often employed to great effect. However, when it comes to maths, this strategy falls short because maths is abstract in nature, and eventually, as the quantity of abstract “rules” becomes larger and larger, things start to fall apart.

So a different strategy is required here: learning abstract rules is difficult, but gaining an understanding of why things are the way they are makes maths less abstract, and therefore easier to engage with.

Tuition rates

Maths is a subject that builds on itself. Many high school students I’ve seen are struggling because they don’t have a strong enough grasp of the concepts covered in earlier years – they then don’t have the required knowledge on which more complex ideas can be built on. Despite this problem most students only get help in the later high school years – by which time the pressure is on to catch-up multiple years of work in the limited remaining time ’til matriculation. I offer a reduced rate for primary school tuition in the hope that this encourages help to be sought out sooner rather than later.

I also offer a reduced rate for public school students – income inequality is a big problem in the developing world, more needs to be done about it, so I’m going to do what I can.

Free introductory session

A free introductory session to get to know one another, discuss strengths and weaknesses, and talk about goals and timelines. There is usually time at the end to get started on solving particular problems.

Duration: 1 hour
Rate: free

High school maths tuition for private school students

Maths tuition for students in grades 8 to 12 who attend a private school.

Duration: 1 hour
Rate: R360 per session

Primary school maths tuition for private school students

Maths tuition for students in grades 4 to 7 who attend a private school.

Duration: 1 hour
Rate: R310 per session

High school maths tuition for public school students

Maths tuition for students in grades 8 to 12 who attend a public school.

Duration: 1 hour
Rate: R310 per session

Primary school maths tuition for public school students

Maths tuition for students in grades 4 to 7 who attend a public school.

Duration: 1 hour
Rate: R275 per session

Tuition for selected university courses

I also tutor selected maths and maths-related university courses. Please enquire whether I can help you with the course you need assistance with.

Duration: 1 hour
Rate: starting from R360 per session.