Agatha

I am a qualified English teacher with a PhD in English Literature from Durham University, an MA degree in English Philology from the Jagiellonian University of Krakow (Poland) and Qualified Teacher Status (English) awarded by the General Teaching Council for England. Language has always fascinated me and imparting my knowledge to others has been a pleasure and a reward. I am interested in Modernist as well as contemporary literature as much as in British culture and geography. I wish to share my passion with my students in order to help them realize that learning a language is not only useful but great fun if taught and approached in the right way.

Tutoring Experience

I am currently working as an online English tutor at the Cracow University of Technology. From 2011 till 2020, I taught various modules in English Literature at Durham University (including Introduction to the Novel, Introduction to Drama, Introduction to Poetry, The English Language and Its History at Level 1, Critical Theory and Practice at Level 2 and Post-War Fiction and Poetry at Level 3). I am happy to provide university tuition for English Literature/English Studies.

My English as a Foreign Language teaching experience covers working for a variety of language schools both in the UK and abroad. I have worked with Studio Cambridge, EAC and Anglophiles Academic at their summer camps for students of various nationalities in Cambridge, York, Bath, Bishop's Stortford and Skegness. I have also taught at three language schools in Poland. I have been teaching English on a one-to-one basis for sixteen years. I have ten years' experience of teaching online. I have prepared four students for their A-level examinations, which they passed with flying colours. I have also taught English to children and adults of all levels and with various difficulties (e.g. dyslexia).

A significant part of my language teaching experience is now also occupied by teaching Polish, which is very close to my heart. I have been teaching Polish to speakers of other languages (both adults and children) for the past ten years and I greatly enjoy teaching both online and face-to-face.

As well as a private tutor and university lecturer, I am a translator who is happy to provide interpreting and translation services.

I believe the teacher's method and approach are crucial to the success of every student. Language can be taught in a variety of ways, but the key is to choose the method that is most fruitful in an individual case. The focus should be on oral communication unless the student specifically requests for the focus to be on another macro-skill, such as writing. The tutor needs a depth of knowledge on the subject, as well as plenty of energy and a sense of humour to make the lessons both effective and fun :)

Tutoring Approach

I believe the teacher's method and approach are crucial to the success of every student. Language can be taught in a variety of ways, but the key is to choose the method that is most fruitful in an individual case. The focus should be on oral communication unless the student specifically requests for the focus to be on another macro-skill, such as writing. The tutor needs a depth of knowledge on the subject, as well as plenty of energy and a sense of humour to make the lessons both effective and fun :)