Elena S.

Very responsive
Private Tutor

Tutoring near Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC & Keilor East, Melbourne, VIC

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Rate

$90 per hour

Services

  • One-to-one tuition
  • Group tuition
  • Home visits
  • Phone help
  • Online help
  • In person

Subjects

Year 11
Year 12
International Baccalaureate

About

My name is Elena! I'm a 34 year old medical scientist at the Royal Children's Hospital, with 10+ years and thousands of hours of tutoring experience. I began tutoring while completing my masters, and fell in love with educating young students and helping them regain their confidence in science and specifically, biology. I love inspiring my students to enjoy the topics they're studying and see how its relative to the the real world. I find once students see how the topic matters, they're much more interested and learn better. My qualifications include: Bachelor of Science Graduate Diploma of Science - Genetics Masters of Biomedical Science - Cancer Genetics Please note in 2026 i am offering very few private classes at $90/hour and group classes at $30/hour

Achievements

  • Helen R Freeman scholarship recipient
  • Bachelor of Science
  • Graduate Diploma of Science
  • Masters of Biomedical Science
  • GTAC Scientist Mentor
  • Currently employed by the Royal Children's Hospital

Education

I completed 7 years of tertiary studies at the University of Melbourne, having completed a Bachelor of Science, Graduate Diploma of Science and Masters of Biomedical science. Recipient of the Helen R Freeman scholarship I have been tutoring for 10 years, and was also employed by the Gene Technology Access Centre (GTAC) as a scientist mentor conducting science experiments with high school children

Interests

  • Comic book movies
  • Cooking
  • Gardening

Reviews

Elena is an amazing biology tutor, her warm, friendly personality as well as her abundance in knowledge had made me excited to come to tutor each week. Her teaching style and her resources have definitely helped me throughout this year; I always feel fulfilled whenever I leave the class as I learn a lot from her and feel more confident in my biology abilities. Moreover, out of class, she will give feedback in SACs and updates in the biology curriculum, which has been extremely helpful. She is by far the best biology tutor I have ever had, and I will truly miss the sessions we have. Because of her positive attitude, as well as teaching me additional things that schools don’t teach, Biology has been a subject that I truly enjoyed. She also tells me stories in her workplace that relates to the topic she was teaching me, which have inspired me to want to take on a job that uses biology in the future. I was able to achieve high SAC scores because of Elena, and want to emphasise on the immense help and passion she has passed onto me.
Lana on 14th November 2025
El tutored my daughter this year for Biology during a particularly challenging year, where she had to study the subject remotely. El has been an exceptional support to her — guiding her through all aspects of the subject, including SACs and exams. Her dedication, patience and genuine care have been unwavering. For my daughter, El essentially became her teacher — her go-to for understanding, clarity, motivation and confidence. I cannot recommend El more highly, and I cannot thank her enough for everything she has done. She made a real difference this year, and we are incredibly grateful.
Daniela Torcaso on 4th November 2025
My daughter just finished year 12 and Elena was probably the best experience of the whole year! She was always upbeat, engaging and extremely helpful. Generous with her time and made biology genuinely interesting. My daughter got her best score in biology too which I think had a lot to do with her excellent tutor Elena. I recommend her very highly.
Libby on 20th December 2024
Thank you for all your help with Biology 3/4! I started out not very confident in my abilities however, with your help, I was able to gain the knowledge and confidence to tackle my SACs and the exams with my best effort and without any reservations to achieve marks I am very proud of! Your ability to teach the content at a fast-pace yet still ensure that I understood and remembered the content even up to the end of the year was extremely helpful! Thank you again for all your help!
Seja on 20th December 2024
Elena tutored my child in Biology 3/4 in 2023. As a parent, I found Elena very approachable, willing to give feedback and open to listening and taking on suggestions. I felt she had a genuine interest in helping my child achieve their goals. I found her to be a very invested teacher - a rarity as per my experience. As per feedback from my child, Elena is a master of the subject she tutors and is well versed in exam strategies. Also, she was more a mentor than merely a tutor; my child was able to look up to her and draw inspiration from what she has gone on to achieve in life. I have no hesitation recommending Elena as your child’s tutor in Biology.
N on 4th November 2023
Elena has been an absolute god send this year . My daughter Ruby was taking on 3/4 VCE biology in year 11 and feeling pretty overwhelmed at the start of the year . Elena has visited weekly to our home and thoroughly supported Ruby who is now heading into exams super confident and thoroughly prepared . Elena is always punctual , happy for a chat and just an all round lovely person. Elly has a lovely way of tackling biology and really engages in empowering her students to not just rote learn but provides the skills for analysing questions and applying critical thinking . I cannot recommend her services highly enough ! Elena also offers a Masterclass and invites all her students from different schools to a workshop to ensure that all aspects of the curriculum are being addressed and having that inter school and learning content coverage was invaluable. Thank you Elly !!
Meredith De Iure on 26th October 2023
I looked forward to all my tutoring classes with Elena, who is exceptionally talented and really lent all of her students a helping hand. Elena gives us extra guidance and that confidence when it comes to understanding content. She takes her time to provide her students with an outstanding amount of resources that are easily accessed which is a benefit to me and others when wanting to later independently study on the content we had learnt. With Elena, not only were we able to thrive but we also were able to have fun and she made me and others smile during the challenge of a 3/4 subject. Although I won’t be missing the wonderful challenges of bio next year, I will definitely feel sad when I realise I am not in her tutor class anymore. Thank you Elena!
isla r on 26th October 2023
Elena is an exceptional biology teacher who has truly made a remarkable impact on my learning experience. Having tried various biology tutors in the past, Elena stands out as the one who has not only demonstrated exceptional skill and knowledge in the subject but has also created an environment where I feel completely at ease asking questions and seeking clarification. Elena's expertise in biology is evident in her ability to explain complex concepts with clarity and precision. Her deep understanding of the subject matter is truly impressive, and it is clear that she is well-versed in all aspects of biology. Her knowledge and skills in teaching are unparalleled. What sets Elena apart is not just her knowledge, but her warm and friendly nature. She makes biology an engaging and fascinating subject. Her approachability and willingness to help have created a comfortable atmosphere that encourages questions and active participation in the learning process. It's a rare combination of expertise and approachability that makes learning biology with Elena both effective and enjoyable. In short, Elena is the biology teacher I had been searching for. Her combination of skill, knowledge, and a friendly teaching style has not only improved my understanding of biology but has also made the subject genuinely interesting. I am grateful to have found such an outstanding teacher in Elena.
Ananya Sinha on 23rd October 2023
Elena is an exceptional biology teacher who has truly made a remarkable impact on my learning experience. Having tried various biology tutors in the past, Elena stands out as the one who has not only demonstrated exceptional skill and knowledge in the subject but has also created an environment where I feel completely at ease asking questions and seeking clarification. Elena's expertise in biology is evident in her ability to explain complex concepts with clarity and precision. Her deep understanding of the subject matter is truly impressive, and it is clear that she is well-versed in all aspects of biology. Her knowledge and skills in teaching are unparalleled. What sets Elena apart is not just her knowledge, but her warm and friendly nature. She makes biology an engaging and fascinating subject. Her approachability and willingness to help have created a comfortable atmosphere that encourages questions and active participation in the learning process. It's a rare combination of expertise and approachability that makes learning biology with Elena both effective and enjoyable. In short, Elena is the biology teacher I had been searching for. Her combination of skill, knowledge, and a friendly teaching style has not only improved my understanding of biology but has also made the subject genuinely interesting.
Ananya Sinha on 23rd October 2023
Elena is an absolutely wonderful tutor, I genuinely could not recommend her enough. She teaches in such a kind and respectful way, explaining concepts multiple times if you do not understand something. She has an abundance of resources, from past exams to her own questions that she has made (which are my favorite), all of which have been immensely helpful. Elena speaks in a very clear and engaging manner which is what has been able to keep me ahead in learning content, so I am able to focus on my SAC preparation. She is always available to answer any questions I have, and I know that has saved me multiple times when I am stressing out the night before a SAC. I can confidently say that Elena's class has not only been extremely insightful and helpful in helping me grow my biology skills but so much fun as well. Her adorable cat's constant hunger (even though he has been fed) has been absolutely hilarious to watch and also helps alleviate the stress of an ultimately difficult subject. Overall, Elena is full of funny jokes and kind words and I will miss my classes with her so much :(
Nesha on 9th October 2023
To put it simply, Elena is not only exceptionally organised and skilled as a tutor but also incredibly supportive and always available to lend a helping hand. One of the standout aspects of her tutoring is the wealth of resources she provides to her students, which has been an invaluable asset in my learning and preparing for every SAC and, of course, the exam. What sets Elena apart is her kind and thoughtful demeanour. Learning from her is genuinely enjoyable. Time flies when I'm in her class, and I consistently leave each session with a sense of accomplishment, knowing that I've expanded my knowledge and improved my abilities. I want to emphasise that Elena is an experienced tutor who is wholeheartedly dedicated to helping her students excel. Her commitment to our success is evident in every interaction and every resource she shares. She has played an instrumental role in demystifying the complexities of Biology 3/4 for me and instilling in me the confidence to tackle even the most challenging concepts of the new Study Design. Thank you, Elena, for being an outstanding tutor and mentor! :)
Nikoo on 8th October 2023
Elena has been such a great help with VCE biology, her dedication and flexibility is unmatched and ability to make the classes enjoyable. She put so much time into making sure my understanding of each topic was sound and the knowledge could be applied to every style of question. She is always responsive even out of set class times to answer any question and give crucial feedback, which so helpful before an assesment . It has been a fun year studying biology with Elena as my tutor !
Ky Kleeven on 29th October 2022
I would definitely recommend Elena as a tutor if you are studying biology as she is extremely knowledgeable in the content she teaches, and also provides extra knowledge that is not always taught in school, that has come in handy numerous times. She also has great knowledge of how VCAA has assessed exams in the past and what type of questions they have asked, and also keeps her students updated on important changes to content or requirements. Her resources are very useful and extensive, and overall she is a very enthusiastic person and makes biology sessions fun and entertaining.
sophie on 27th October 2022
10000% recommend Elena, she's highly knowledgable and great at explaining the content. she has a large variety of resources to help extend your knowledge and practice content. not only that, but she's one of the kindest people you'll meet and cares so much about each of her students
tayla on 25th October 2022
Elena is so much more then just a knowledgable biology tutor, i cannot recommend her enough! She is such a lovely person who not only cares about how well her students perform in biology but she cares about them as individuals! Starting biology in VCE i was so overwhelmed and confused, but having Elena as my tutor gave me the knowledge and confidence to perform to the best of my ability during sacs and now the exam. With the help of Elena i have been able to achieve the results i have been aiming for and had fun while doing it. I cant say i will miss biology but ill definitely miss the weekly classes with her :)
Ashleigh Jackson on 25th October 2022
I love Elena! She’s so sweet and very good at teaching vce biology. She works really hard providing us with as many resources as we need. She’s always available to answer our questions even outside of the tutor sessions in ways that we can understand. She has really good energy in class and goes into great detail into topics that are sometimes not covered by schools. It is obvious how passionate she is about the topic and teaching. I would highly recommend Elena as a great tutor able to cater for everyone!
Prisha on 22nd October 2022
Elena is a fantastic tutor who is incredibly enthusiastic about what she does and extremely dedicated. She puts so much time and work into her tutoring. She provides absolutely amazing resources for her students, such as documents of specific questions that she has developed for every section of each study design - this was especially my saving grace when learning the content and studying for my SACs. She is exponentially knowledgeable and always happy to answer any questions, even outside of lessons. I do group lessons through zoom which she will always record, and if you find something difficult it is incredibly easy to set up a private session with her. In each lesson she will focus on a set section of the study design - working through the content throughout the year in line with the schools' progression -, actually teaching you the content and in great detail, with definitions, clear explanations and diagrams. This is super helpful and allows you to strongly understand the content, and extend your knowledge. Then near the end of the lesson, she will work with you to apply the content you have learnt to relevant questions, allowing you to practice the application of your knowledge. I absolutely love her method of tutoring and it has helped me greatly. She is by far the best tutor I have ever had and I would highly recommend her to anyone who asks. Without her, I definitely would not have been able to survive in VCE biology, let alone thrive!
India Mair on 19th October 2022
Elena was my 2022 VCE Biology tutor. I really loved her style of teaching. She made the content easy to understand and was able go through a lot of information within an hour. I liked how she was flexible in that she could guide us through the new study design (especially because vcaa wanted to throw in new stuff after we had learnt it). She would go into as much depth as she could to ensure that we were prepared for any possible question vcaa could throw at us. She helped me gain a better understanding of how to answer questions and what teachers/examiners are looking for. She gave us so many practice questions that I now know how to achieve full marks in my answers. Elena impressed me with her level of knowledge. I would message her paragraphs at a time asking questions and she’d take the time to answer every one of them individually. Because of her personality, I’m not afraid to ask her questions. She is kind, approachable and easy to get along with. Her lessons made me feel comfortable and motivated to study (you also get very nice interruptions from her cat jerry). My grades have improved dramatically this year because these tutor sessions make it easier to understand the topics allowing me to enjoy the subject too. 10/10 wish I had more classes with you Elena :(
Jane Luu on 18th October 2022
Super helpful, knowledgeable and accommodating. Has helped me so much more than any of my teachers this year. Elena has so much knowledge about the whole study design and how to do well in VCE. Very easy and comfortable to talk to, so glad she has tutored me this year
Ava on 18th October 2022
Highly recommend! My daughter excelled with Elena, she is professional, knows her stuff inside out, can be trusted and will support your child to achieve goal. Thank you Elena for your first class tutoring!
Sue S on 7th January 2022
Elena is an incredibly knowledgeable and intelligent tutor. She doesn't let any misunderstandings slip, she clears them up before moving to the next question. She explains things in a way that makes sense, even if it's a really complicated thing to explain. I've never heard her say "I don't know" and I'm always confident that I'm being told relevant and correct information. She responds to my questions throughout the week, not just in our zooms which is terrifically appreciated before a SAC. My grades and my understanding of class discussions improved dramatically when I began tutoring. My teacher asked what textbook I was reading because I was so bang on with my contributions in class. I wouldn't have done anywhere near as well this year without Elena. I can't recommend her enough!!
Sasha on 8th November 2021
After a particularly difficult first half of the year with a belligerent, and at best, indifferent biology teacher at an expensive private school, our daughter was drowning in a sea of fear, misery and self doubt. Elena pulled her out of this despair, restored her confidence, imparted a solid grounding in the core units, refined her knowledge and understanding to deliver a self assured young lady who walked out of a brutal 2021 VCE exam with a smile on her face. Outstanding work from this tutor, 12 stars out of 10.
Peter on 4th November 2021
Elena is an amazing tutor. She helped me increase my grades and confidence in unit 3/4 biology and not only helped with learning content, but also effective ways of studying. With her help, I felt confident and prepared for the exam. Cannot thank her enough!
Jovana Petrushevska on 3rd November 2021
One of the best decisions I made this year was to have Elena tutor me in 3/4 biology. Last year I really struggled to understand the concepts however with Elenas help my grades have increased massively and so has my enjoyment of the subject. What makes Elena such a good tutor is her ability to explain challenging concepts, if I am struggling with a concept Elena uses different explanations and analogies to make sure that I understand. Aside for her amazing tutoring ability she is also one of the nicest people I know and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to every bio student!
Jessi on 17th August 2021
I have been very impressed with Elena’s knowledge and commitment to my son’s learning in Unit 3 & 4 Biology. Elena is a great teacher, knowledgeable, and very responsive to any questions we have had. Elena has shared a bank of resources and practice questions which have been invaluable to our son’s learning of the Biology curriculum this year. We have seen a big difference in our son’s engagement with the subject and ultimately the results he is achieving. I would highly recommend Elena!
Justine on 16th August 2021
Elena is a really good tutor. I enjoy learning in her class. She explains the complex concepts very clearly and she goes through the concepts again when I don't understand. She also provides students with Practice questions which I personally think they are very helpful. I have actually seen my progress in biology from year 11 to year 12! I am very happy with it and I highly recommend to get tutoring from Elena.
Keerti on 15th August 2021
My experience with Elena's tutoring has been phenomenal, perfect for students who are either struggling or students who want to excel. The lessons include in depth coverage of content, broken down into easy to understand steps. In addition provides an abundance of recourses such as practice questions, and many of her own practice sacs, perfect for applying concepts that have been learned to questions, maximizing marks. She has tons of knowledge about the curriculum, ensuring the targeted practice and knowledge that is required in order to achieve the best results. The amount of effort and care she puts into answering students' questions, helping them apply knowledge to scenarios and, I highly recommend this tutor over many others.
Faraz on 15th August 2021
Very impressed with Elena’s knowledge and commitment to my daughter’s learning. She is friendly, responsive to questions and has a bank of resources to challenge the student further. Highly recommend
Sue S on 15th August 2021
Elena has tutored me in year 12 unit 3 and 4 Biology, She has been amazing always available to help when needed, she is very friendly, makes me feel very comfortable asking questions. Normally I don't particularly look forward to tutoring sessions but I really enjoy learning at my own pace and in ways that I can understand with Elena making tutoring sessions fun! Elena also has a wide range of updated and useful resources that are better then what my school provides me with, I would highly recommend Elena to anyone for biology tutoring! :)
Charlotte Drake on 15th August 2021
Elena is a phenomenal teacher, very down to Earth and practical when explaining concepts. As a Year 12 student studying Biology, her lessons as well as detailed practice questions she provides has been a tremendous help in shaping my understanding. Highly recommend!
Gabrielle on 28th June 2021
Elena is by far one of the best tutors I've ever met. She makes learning easy and has a strong passion for Biology which can be seen in her teaching ways. She's engaging and always makes the effort to make sure everyone understands, even through the toughest parts of Biology. Overall, an amazing teacher, 1000% recommend!
Elizabeth Bobby on 7th November 2020
Elena is highly skilled and very knowledgeable in biology. She has helped a great deal in my learning which has been shown through my greatly improved scores in the subject. I wouldn’t hesitate to highly recommend her.
Jemma Cree on 9th October 2020
Elena S Is a blessing to have as a biology tutor. She really knows her work, and is able to teach in a way that's enjoyable. when teaching she is flexible and can adapt to individuals particular needs. Currently as year 12 student studying biology, She has really helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses, and is a fun and easy person to learn from. : )
pranav pillay on 7th October 2020
Absolutely amazing tutor, she clearly explains every question I ask and can do it in multiple ways too. Also add in a lot of humour too which makes the classes funny. Always knows her stuff and is able to answer any question I have. All in all, amazing teacher and would recommend her to anyone.
Jordy on 12th September 2020
Elena has been absolutely amazing this year- I honestly don't know what I would of done without her. She is so intelligent and the way that she can answer any and every question I had helped me so much. I know I definitely would not of gotten the results I received through the year without all of her help- Elena is the best!!
Tayla Kleeven on 11th September 2020
Elena tutored my daughter in Year 12 biology via Skype. My daughter was not very confident with biology. Immediately Elena put my daughter at ease, was very approachable and made her lessons easy to relate to and understand. My daughters biology teacher noticed a difference in her confidence and knowledge of biology. Her SAC results improved considerably. Elena was very flexible with times and was available for extra tutoring if necessary. We couldn’t believe how lucky we were to find Elena. Thank you Elena,
Lynne Husson on 17th November 2019
Elena tutored my daughter in Year 12 biology via Skype. My daughter was not very confident with biology. Immediately Elena put my daughter at ease, was very approachable and made her lessons easy to relate to and understand. My daughters biology teacher noticed a difference in her confidence and knowledge of biology. Her SAC results improved considerably. Elena was very flexible with times and was available for extra tutoring if necessary. We couldn’t believe how lucky we were to find Elena. Thank you Elena,
Lynne Husson on 17th November 2019
Elena tutored my daughter in Year 12 biology via Skype. My daughter was not very confident with biology. Immediately Elena put my daughter at ease, was very approachable and made her lessons easy to relate to and understand. My daughters biology teacher noticed a difference in her confidence and knowledge of biology. Her SAC results improved considerably. Elena was very flexible with times and was available for extra tutoring if necessary. We couldn’t believe how lucky we were to find Elena. Thank you Elena,
Lynne Husson on 17th November 2019

Character references

We engaged Elena to help motivate our daughter in Year 8 who was finding online learning difficult during this lockdown period and was also very unmotivated to learn. Elena has engaged really well with our daughter and explains the technical side of science in everyday language and uses really good analogies that help the understanding and retention of what she needs to know.
By Heather Rogers on 11th September 2020

Availability

Around Melbourne

Around Keilor East

Sunday
7:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Monday
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Monday
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Tuesday
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Wednesday
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Thursday
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Friday
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Travel policy

Happy to negotiate an additional fee if travel greater than 10 km is required

Elena can be found among