Irina

I was born in the east of Ukraine. Russian is my native language, although I speak Ukrainian, French and English. I have been teaching online for more than 15 years. Experience in travelling (more than 20 countries), living in different countries (Ukraine, Austria, India) and communicating with people of different cultures allow me to quickly find a common language with students and establish good contact with different people. Sport experience participating in bike tours in different countries (The Carpathians, Crimea, Sri Lanka, Israel) helped me develop patience and endurance, so I know that I can patiently and steadily go with my students to their goals. One of my hobbies now is dancing, and I know that in order for muscle memory to kick in, you need to repeat the movement many times, the same thing in learning a language, we will repeat many times so that the body, tongue, head get used to new sounds, pronunciation and speaking in a new language.

Tutoring Experience

5000 individual sessions for more than 10 years with children and adults of different nationalities and cultures I graduated from Donetsk National University with a degree in English Language and Literature, and also completed the course “Teaching Russian as a Foreign Language.” at Moscow State University. I have helped students to successfully prepare for exams and interviews (25 people) and I also passed the CAE, DELF (French A2) language exams, in addition to exams at the university. Over the years of work, I have realised how important it is to have a structured lesson and a variety of oral exercises to achieve fluency. I have organised 10 intensive programmes with excursions in Kiev, Odessa and Lviv for foreigners, so I know what difficulties they face. I always follow the structure of the lesson - a brief warm-up, revising new vocabulary, explaining some new rules and practising dialogues. I have experience working in a kindergarten with small children. It was always important to make lessons fun, to select different activities so that it is not boring and to teach through play (“Odd one out”, “Missing object”, “Marcian”, etc.) I am kind and understanding towards students. I understand that they are very busy, and I do not require homework for each lesson, but, of course, I recommend it. If you have not worked on something on your own, we will do it together in the lesson and move on. Experience in travelling (more than 20 countries), living in different countries (Ukraine, Austria, India) and communicating with people of different cultures allow me to quickly find a common language with students and establish good contact with different people. Sport experience participating in bike tours in different countries (The Carpathians, Crimea, Sri Lanka, Israel) helped me develop patience and endurance, so I know that I can patiently and steadily go with my students to their goals. One of my hobbies now is dancing, and I know that in order for muscle memory to kick in, you need to repeat the movement many times, the same thing in learning a language, we will repeat many times so that the body, tongue, head get used to new sounds, pronunciation and speaking in a new language.

Tutoring Approach

Russian Immersion Weekend - A Hands-on, Heart-led Language Experience

After organizing more than 10 successful homestay and intensive language trips in Ukraine, I’m excited to invite you to a Russian Immersion Weekend in York.

I believe the most powerful learning happens through engaging, real-world experiences—the kind that connect language to life. That’s how I learned French while roasting coffee and dancing Sega on Réunion Island, picked up Hindi through practicing Kathak in northern India, and improved my German by chatting daily with flatmates in Vienna.

Language comes alive when it’s lived, not just studied.

During our immersive weekend together, you’ll experience:
Plenty of speaking practice in a safe, supportive environment
A personalized Russian roadmap to guide your learning
Practical tools to overcome speaking blocks and boost confidence
Language acquisition through cooking, movement, and film
And even acting out dialogues from beloved Russian movies!

In our fast-paced and fragmented world, the most effective way to learn is to slow down, connect, and fully immerse yourself in the language and culture. Join us in York for a weekend that goes beyond lessons—it’s a full-sensory dive into the beauty of Russian.