· · · · ·
All Ages  ·  All Levels

Private Latin Tutorials

One instructor. One student. The full attention of an experienced classical mind — directed entirely toward your formation.

Schedule a Placement Consultation

Beginners  ·  School Students  ·  Advanced Learners

Format Live Online · Zoom
Ages All Ages Welcome
Levels Beginner to Advanced
Instruction Fully Individualized
Examinations AP · IB · IGCSE · A-Level
Language Conducted in English
Who Tutorials Are For

Every Student, Served on Their Own Terms

The tutorial exists for one reason: to place the right instruction in front of the right student, without concession to anyone else's pace or purpose.

I

The Beginner

Those embarking on Latin for the first time will be guided through the foundations with patience and without haste — by an instructor who understands precisely how the language should be introduced, and which method suits each student's particular mind. Programs range from the Oxford method to the grammar-translation tradition to the natural approach.

II

The School Student

Those already enrolled in a Latin program — whether at a boarding school, an independent school, or in a home education — may seek targeted support: grammar consolidated, vocabulary secured, prose explained, and the demands of the AP, IB, or IGCSE examination met with the kind of precision that classroom instruction rarely has time to offer.

III

The Advanced Learner

Those who have moved beyond school-level Latin and wish to pursue the authors directly — whether in support of graduate work, professional requirements in theology, medicine, law, or history, or from the simple conviction that the Roman writers merit careful reading — will find a tutorial designed to meet them where they are.

Open to all ages. All tutorials conducted in English. Emerson Latin's tutorials serve students from the middle school years through university and beyond. A first-time learner of fifty and a high school student preparing for the AP examination in spring are equally welcome — the tutorial is shaped, in each case, by the person in front of it.

"Nusquam est qui ubique est."

He who is everywhere is nowhere. — Seneca
For Those Beginning Latin

Four Paths Into the Language

Not every student begins Latin in the same way, and not every approach suits every mind. The choice between programs is not a matter of difficulty — it is a matter of disposition.

I

Oxford

Reading Method · Narrative Grammar

Latin encountered through story and continuous reading — combining narrative, grammar, and the humanist tradition in a single sequence. For students who learn most naturally through encounter with a living language.

II

Grammar

Grammar-Translation Method · Analytical

A systematic and analytical introduction, moving through the morphology and syntax of the language in a deliberate, structured order. For students who prefer explicit command of the grammar before they read.

III

ASAP

Hybrid Method · University Pace

A hybrid of the nature method and grammar-translation — like the Oxford program, but at a considerably faster pace originally designed for American university students. Three years of Latin grammar covered in a single intensive sequence.

IV

Natural

Natural Method · Immersive

Latin encountered as a living language — through immersive reading, oral practice, and contextual acquisition. For students drawn to fluency through encounter rather than formal analysis.

The choice of program is determined at the placement consultation, where the instructor will advise on which approach is most suited to the student's background, learning style, and objectives.

The Nature of Private Instruction

What a Tutorial Makes Possible

The tutorial is not a smaller classroom. It is a fundamentally different kind of instruction.

In a classroom, instruction is calibrated to the center. Questions are deferred. Gaps accumulate. The student who has understood half a declension sits beside the student who has understood it fully, and the teacher moves on. In a tutorial, there is nowhere for confusion to hide — and no reason to leave it in place. Every uncertainty is addressed at the moment it arises. Every strength is extended, not merely acknowledged.

Pacing Set by the Student

The tutorial proceeds at the rate of genuine understanding, not the rate of a syllabus. When a concept requires more time, it receives it. When a student is ready to advance, there is nothing to wait for.

Instruction That Knows You

A single instructor follows the student's progress across every session — knowing which errors recur, which grammar has been secured, and which texts have already been read. Nothing is explained twice without purpose; nothing is assumed that has not been established.

The Method, Chosen for You

No single approach serves every student equally. The tutorial allows the instructor to select, combine, and adjust methods across the course of instruction — moving between grammar-translation and reading approaches as the student's needs require.

Preparation Without Gaps

For students preparing for examinations, the tutorial works with precision: identifying the specific competencies required by AP, IB, or IGCSE standards, and addressing the student's particular weaknesses directly, rather than reviewing what is already known.

Upper-Division & Specialized Studies

Beyond the School Syllabus

For those whose Latin has carried them past the standard examinations and into the authors themselves.

Emerson Latin's advanced tutorials are available for students and adult learners pursuing upper-division college-level work, graduate preparation, or professional requirements in fields that continue to rely upon Latin texts — theology, canon law, medicine, classical scholarship, history, and literature among them. These sessions are tailored to the specific texts and requirements of each student's purpose.

Literature

Latin Authors & Texts

Sustained reading in the major prose and poetry authors of classical antiquity, at the pace and depth appropriate to the student's level. Close reading, translation, and literary analysis — oriented toward genuine engagement with the texts rather than preparation for any single examination.

Professional

Theology & Canon Law

Ecclesiastical Latin, patristic texts, the Vulgate, and the documents of the Church — for students in seminary formation, graduate theological study, or those reading the tradition on their own terms.

Professional

Medical & Scientific Latin

The Latin of medicine, natural history, and early modern science — for medical students, historians of science, or those whose professional vocabulary draws from the classical tradition.

Scholarship

Graduate & Research Support

For graduate students in history, philosophy, classics, or related disciplines who require reading competency in Latin sources — whether for archival research, dissertation work, or language proficiency requirements.

Examination Preparation

International Examinations Supported

AP Latin IB Latin SL & HL IGCSE Latin Cambridge A-Level
The Process

How a Tutorial Begins

Enrollment in private tutorials begins with a conversation, not a transaction.

I

Placement Consultation

Every tutorial relationship begins with a brief consultation — a conversation between the prospective student and the instructor. The purpose is candid: to establish where the student is, what they need, and whether a private tutorial is the right instrument for it. Honest counsel is offered, including when another Emerson Latin program would serve better.

II

A Program Designed for You

Following the consultation, a tutorial program is proposed: the method to be used, the materials, the pace, and the frequency of sessions. For beginners, this includes the choice among Emerson Latin's four Latin language programs. For school students, it incorporates the specific demands of the curriculum or examination. For advanced learners, it identifies the texts and objectives that will govern the work.

III

Live Instruction, Online

Sessions are conducted live via Zoom. Each session is focused on real reading, real grammar, and real engagement with the language — not presentations or passive review. The student translates, questions, and is questioned. Understanding is verified before the session moves forward.

IV

Ongoing Feedback & Adjustment

The tutorial is a living arrangement. As the student's progress is observed across sessions, the program is adjusted — the pace amended, the method refined, the texts advanced or reconsidered. The instructor's attention extends beyond the session itself: assignments are reviewed with care, and feedback is given with the specificity that private instruction makes possible.

The tutorial has been, for most of Western history, the ordinary mode of serious education. The classroom is the modern convenience. The private lesson is the older and more demanding form — and for those who take it seriously, the more rewarding one.

— The Emerson Latin Tutorial
Common Questions

Frequently Asked

What Latin background is required to begin a tutorial?
None whatsoever, if you are a beginner. Tutorials are open to all levels — from those who have never encountered Latin to those who have studied it for years and wish to go further. The placement consultation establishes precisely where the student stands, and the program is designed accordingly.
How does a private tutorial differ from one of Emerson Latin's group courses?
In a group course, instruction proceeds at the pace of the cohort. The curriculum is fixed and the method consistent. In a tutorial, both the pace and the method belong entirely to the student. There is no cohort to keep up with, and no obligation to cover material the student has already secured. The tutorial is by nature more demanding and more personal — and for the right student, considerably more effective.
Can a tutorial be used alongside a school Latin course?
Yes. Students enrolled in a school Latin program may use tutorials to consolidate grammar that the classroom moved through too quickly, prepare for upcoming examinations, or read authors not covered in the school syllabus. The instructor works in coordination with the student's existing curriculum, not against it.
Are tutorials available for adult learners?
Emerson Latin's tutorials serve students from the middle school years through adulthood. Adults beginning Latin for the first time, or returning to it after many years, are welcome. The tutorial is particularly well suited to the adult learner, who typically brings more motivation and context than a school student — and who benefits greatly from instruction that does not need to proceed at the pace of a younger student's curriculum.
Are homeschooled students welcome?
A significant portion of Emerson Latin's students are homeschooled. The tutorial is in many respects the natural form of homeschool instruction in a classical language — rigorous, individualized, and conducted without the structural constraints of a school timetable. Homeschooled students bring to the tutorial an attentiveness and autonomy that the work rewards.
Which examinations can tutorials prepare for?
Tutorials may be oriented toward the AP Latin Examination, the IB Latin Standard Level and Higher Level, the IGCSE Latin examination, and the Cambridge A-Level. For examination preparation, the tutorial is designed around the specific competencies and texts required by the relevant examination board, with the student's particular gaps addressed directly.
What is the typical frequency and duration of tutorial sessions?
Students typically meet with the instructor once per week for two hours per session. This rhythm allows time for sustained, focused instruction and for meaningful independent work between meetings. Adjustments may be discussed at the placement consultation based on the student's purpose and schedule.
How do I secure a place?
Private tutorials are offered subject to the instructor's availability and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Prospective students are encouraged to request a placement consultation as early as possible. Once availability has been confirmed, a program will be proposed and enrollment may proceed.
Begin the Conversation

Schedule a Placement Consultation

A tutorial relationship begins with a frank conversation. Emerson Latin will advise honestly on whether private instruction is the right instrument for your purpose — and if so, how it should be structured. There is no obligation, and no standard program to be fitted into.

Private tutorials are offered subject to the instructor's availability and filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Request a Placement Consultation

All Ages  ·  All Levels  ·  Live Online via Zoom