Hello!

My name is Samantha. I am originally from the USA. I am a proactive, results-driven and professional teacher with a great sense of humour. I grew up in Montana, a quiet state near Canada, but spent most of my adult/ professional life living between Chicago and Moscow. Now I live in Zwickau Germany! In my free time, you can find me at the gym, listening to business radio or classical music, attempting to cook world cuisine, shopping, studying German, trading stocks, creating something (I am always making or inventing something) or travelling.

Things I love: cats, coffee, rain, the spa, Bavaria, Russian classical music and literature, mint ice cream, making jokes, ice skating and the ocean.

I've been teaching English as a foreign language for about 11 years, specializing in business and general English to adults, as well as exam preparation courses for CAE, IELTS and TOEFL. I've got a CELTA qualification, as well as a BA in political science and Russian language. I studied for a MA in foreign language pedagogy with specialisations in Russian and English language teaching.

I follow an organized and personalized system and methodology to ensure quality and results for my students.

STEP 1 (initial consultation/ first lesson): I thoroughly assess your skills in grammar and speaking. This step consists of a detailed and targeted speaking assessment. If you need to enhance your writing, I also review a writing sample from you.

STEP 2: I provide you with a detailed report of where your strengths and weaknesses are and create a program proposal that targets your baseline weakness and sets you on a clear path that progresses towards your goal.

Step 3: We agree on the program and terms and begin your lessons.

Your lessons are customised based on your needs and the agreed program. If you are in a particular academic program or working in a specific professional industry, I use relevant articles, short videos (TED Talks, etc.) and/or dialogues from which you have reading comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar exercises, as well as a series of discussion questions. This keeps your lessons meaningful and in-context. In each lesson, we work to simultaneously improve your grammar and vocabulary while you speak. While you are speaking, I keep notes of 'problem words' and we focus on practicing these words to improve your pronunciations both on the spot, and at the end of the lesson to reinforce what you learned. I also pay special attention to grammar and vocabulary usage, providing detailed explanations and examples in various forms (past/ present, noun/verb forms, etc.). After I demonstrate the proper form and usage, I ask that you also create a couple examples to be sure you've grasped the concept.

I strive to keep my speaking to a minimum, only guiding and providing details when necessary, and keeping your speaking to a maximum.

When necessary, I supplement the customised materials with appropriate grammar books for your homework. Homework can also include written exercises.