I am a fully qualified and experienced native English teacher from London. I have been teaching English for over 20 years, ten years in London and ten years in Argentina. As well as teaching face to face, I have also been teaching for the past six years online to Russian speakers.

I have experience teaching all levels and ages from total beginners up to C2. I have prepared students for many different Cambridge exams from YLE to CPE. Besides Cambridge exams, I have also prepared students for the world of work, moving country, TOEFL, IELTS, business English and English for travelling. As well as exams and specific English, I have covered lots of general conversation discussing world news and issues using British newspapers.

In London I taught multi-cultural classes and learnt a lot about the different cultures and languages of my students, who came from all over the world. Since living in Argentina, I have taught the Argentines about the world and the Russians have taught me a lot about their country and their culture. Learning therefore is a two-way system. Both teacher and student learn from each other.

For me, knowing about my student creates a good bonding and understanding. I always encourage my students to ask me questions about my life. I always say, I don't have any secrets, so ask away.

I am a very sociable and outgoing person, enjoy interacting with my students and totally punctual. I have a lot of experience having taught in two countries and online, so feel I have a lot to offer. I enjoy teaching all aspects of English including reading, writing, speaking, listening and grammar. I am an avid reader and spend many hours reading the newspapers online. By knowing what is going on in the world, gives me many topics to discuss with my students, who in turn not only do they practice speaking, they are also learning about the world around them. Individual classes aids learning a language much quicker and seeing my student’s progress gives me great satisfaction

In my free time, I dance tango and go walking. I am very lucky that I live by the sea, so enjoy walking along the beach both in winter and summer. I love animals and have many cats and one very large dog. My Spanish is of a high level and I understand how hard it can be to learn a language as an adult. I have three children, two sons and one daughter. They are now all grown up and independent

Qualifications:

1. Sept 2003-2006 BA (Honours) Applied Linguistics and TESOL (“Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages”) - University of East London.

2. Sept 2002-2003 Certificate in Education for Post-Compulsory Education and Training – Havering College of Further and Higher Education – accredited by Greenwich University, London, UK.

3. Sept 2001-2002 JEB Teacher Trainer Diploma in Information Technology Skills – Havering College of Further and Higher Education, Essex, UK.

4. Sept 2001-2002 City and Guilds Diploma in Computer Applications level 2 – Redbridge College of Further Education, Essex, UK.

5. Sept 1995-1996 Trinity Certificate - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages – Oaklands College campus (St. Albans College of Further and Higher Education), London, UK.

Work Experience:

Feb 2011 – Present

Online English Language Teacher to Russian speakers. Over the last six years, I have taught both adults and children online. As well as general conversation, I have prepared students for Business English and many exams, including IELTS, TOEFL and all Cambridge exams from A1 to C2. I have helped students prepare for job interviews, CVs and specific topics relating to jobs and travel.

Oct 2006 – Present

Private/Group “English as a Foreign Language” in Argentina.

Feb 1998 – Oct 2006

ESOL (“English for Speakers of Other Languages”) and Information Computer Technology - Skills for Life Lecturer at Redbridge College of Further Education - Little Heath, Barley Lane, Romford, Essex RM6 4XT, UK.

Sept 1996 - Jan 1998

Volunteer ESOL teacher at the Refugee Forum, Cranbrook Road, Ilford, Essex, UK.

Generally most of my classes are student centered. I like to allow the student to do most of the talking and to focus on independence and hands-on-learning, I like to facilitate with new vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. As no two students are alike, even if they have the same level, every class is prepared relating to the individual student. Even so, each lesson plan is flexible and not set in stone. Sometimes lessons can take a totally different direction, but as long as the student is motivated and enjoying the class, I feel this is acceptable.

Obviously not all students are comfortable with the above method, so sometimes more supervision is needed from the teacher, especially for lower level students.