Our Tutors - Caspar Beyer

Caspar, Spanish and Linguistics - University of Oxford

Hi, I’m Caspar and I’m a third-year Spanish and Linguistics student at Oriel College, Oxford.

My passion for Linguistics first began at school, sparked by the connections between Romance languages and their ancestor, Latin. Since then, that curiosity has led me to explore at university how languages have evolved, influence one another and reflect the nuances of the societies in which they play such an integral role. My study of Spanish alongside Linguistics has helped me to combine practical language learning and fluency with complex linguistic theory, aiding my understanding of how languages work as systems within society.

Following my first-year examinations at Oxford, in which I achieved a Distinction in Linguistics, I was awarded an academic scholarship at Oriel College. I am currently spending my year abroad in Barcelona, where I am completing an internship at a commercial law firm, which I hope will strengthen my fluency in Spanish as well as my appreciation of the sociological and cultural importance of language. Alongside my studies, I have played international hockey for Ireland and represent the University of Oxford Blues. This year, I will also be competing in the Spanish Premier Hockey Division, an experience that I hope will not only develop me as an athlete but also allow me to immerse myself in Spanish and Catalan language and culture.

Before university, I achieved Grade 9s in all my GCSE subjects (as well as Further Mathematics) and three A*s at A-level in Spanish, Latin and Geography. I also completed an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), receiving an A* for a dissertation exploring how trade, migration and conflict influence and change language.

As a tutor, I support students who are considering an application for linguistics or languages to Oxford and Cambridge. Having gone through the admissions process relatively recently myself, I like to to guide students in their areas of interest and equip them with the right skills to deal with the academic demands of the application process. Genuine intellectual curiosity is something that plays such a key role in applications, and as such my tutorial sessions seek to mirror the discussion-based format of the Oxford tutorial system to encourage students to think critically and explore linguistic ideas in depth.