Birgit

My husband and I have been living in the UK since 2004. German is my native language. I grew up in Namibia speaking Afrikaans, English, German and later on French. I have lived as au pair in France for a year which allowed me to become fluent in French. Following that, I worked for Air France based in Namibia with frequent visits to Paris. I completed my post graduate degree (PGCE) at University of York and qualified as a German and French teacher. I have taught full time in an independent school as well as in mainstream secondary schools in North Yorkshire and Shropshire. I ventured into supply teaching where I have taught various subjects, however specialising in German, French and English. Currently I am working as Pastoral support at a local school where I deal with students' behaviour in a mentoring capacity.

Tutoring Experience

My experience as a qualified teacher includes teaching French (and German) at key stage 3 and 4 (and A-Level). This involves preparing Year 10s and 11s for their final GCSE exams in Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing. I have successfully tutored GCSE students from Idsall School which allowed them to significantly improve their knowledge and skills in French. As a result, they were able to achieve much higher grades.

Tutoring Approach

My focus is to start with teaching basic concepts of Grammar, along with the different topic areas covered at GCSE level. This allows students to gain an understanding of the structure of the language and recognise emerging patterns. My priority is to develop students' ability to work more independently and gain confidence in the four different skills areas i.e. Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing through practice and tips on how to best approach their exam papers.