Hi there!

My name is Nic, I am a 33 year old **2nd STATE BOARD EXAMINED** (2. Staatsexamen Lehramt für das Gymnasium) English and Geography teacher as well as **GOETHE-INSTITUTE - certified** German teacher.

I hold a 2nd State Board Examination in teaching English and Geography (= highest degree of teaching at German high schools). I finished my Master's degree in teaching English and Geography before that (completed at the University of Freiburg, Germany, with 2 semesters at the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK) and completed my certificate for teaching German at the acclaimed Goethe Institute in 2022.

I have been tutoring and teaching German, English, Geography as well as Latin and basic Maths for more than 15 years.

Over the course of my teaching education and teaching career I have not only learned how important it is to have a good lesson structure but also how to explain certain grammatical topics in the most efficient way. I have also realised that my most important and characteristic teaching resource is my motivated, patient and joyful nature! Over the years, this has enabled me to establish many cheerful professional relationships with my students and make language learning fun and entertaining for them. I insist that we learn best when we have a positive relationship with our teacher (as well as the content of learning) and I have observed that I could establish that frequently in my lessons.

Being a positive and outgoing person I enjoy all sorts of things social, be it in the form of sports or recreational. I enjoy playing volleyball, squash, juggling and DIY. Whenever I can, I travel to other countries and learn about their culture and, if possible, language (I am currently learning Spanish). I have spent quite a lot of time abroad and have enjoyed every minute of it!

Qualifications:

- *** 2nd State Board Examination in Teaching English and Geography at German High Schools - completed in January 2025 ***

Highest degree in teaching at German high schools

- *** Teaching German as a Foreign Language CERTIFICATE - obtained 01/2022 ***

"DLL (Deutsch Lehren Lernen) Standard" course of the acclaimed Goethe Institute (internationally recognized certificate of teaching German as a foreign language)

- Master's Degree in Teaching English and Geography up to A-Levels (grades 5 - 13 in Germany) (completed 05/2018)

Work experience:

> 02/25 - 07/25: Teaching post at German high school

> 08/23 - 01/25: Referendariat (2nd State Board Examination) at a German Grammar School

> 06/20 - 08/23: Teaching German and English online in 1:1 and group settings

> 09/18 - 06/20: German assistant teacher at prestigious boarding school in Bristol, UK

> 05/10 - 06/18: Tutoring students in English, German, Maths and Latin

Languages open the door to another world.

I want to help you open that door! I believe that this is best possible by learning a language naturally. This means that language learning needs to be put into context in order to be fun and effective. By working largely with real sources (texts, video and audio) and structuring exercises alongside these in a step-by-step manner ("scaffolding"), I make the content accessible to my students. Nevertheless one needs to be aware that we always need to learn things by heart when we learn a language, be it vocabulary or grammar rules. By focusing on the basis of the language structure and recapitulating basic rules and vocabulary frequently, I make sure that my students really understand what the language is made of. As mentioned above, I insist that a positive relationship between student and teacher is key to learning efficiently and having a positive feeling while doing so. My positive and energetic character has proven to motivate students and make language learning fun and entertaining for them.

In terms of teaching material, I use not only PDF and Word documents but also Google Docs and Google Miro (a whiteboard application). That way my students and I can edit and share worksheets in real time.

I am looking forward to hearing from you!