Laura

I'm a writer and educator with 15 years experience teaching in the UK, Japan and Spain. I've worked with students from all over the world, of various ages, and all with different requirements, most recently designing and teaching Psychology and Intercultural Communication classes as part of an immersive language course at a university in Tokyo. My area of expertise is in preparing students for high-stakes exams and developing academic skills for university life, but I also have extensive experience in other areas of language learning.

In addition to teaching I've also worked as a magazine editor, yoga teacher, voice actor, acted as a board on two NGOs, and run my own award-winning photography studio. I love travelling, literature, music and movies, and a good stroll somewhere wild.

I am now back in the UK to pursue a Master's degree and have just opened my new tuition service - Idiom English: https://bit.ly/idiomenglish

Tutoring Experience

I started my teaching career in London in 2005 before moving to Japan for 13 years, where I taught in a variety of locations. Over the course of my time there I taught English in settings ranging from elementary schools to university classrooms, army barracks, boards of education, and Olympic training centres. I even worked on a cruise ship sailing around the world! After finishing my time in Japan as a lecturer at two universities teaching medical English, psychology and intercultural communication, I moved temporarily to Spain before heading back to the UK.

In addition to my main work, I have privately tutored students for over a decade, covering various needs such as support for Master's theses, proofreading academic articles, reading for pleasure and discussion, and exam preparation.

My main area of interest is English for Academic Purposes, preparing students for exams (IELTS, FCE, CAE) and university life with a focus on skills and knowledge-building.

Tutoring Approach

After consulting with my students I offer a negotiated curriculum to meet their individual requirements. I tend towards a task-based, subject-focused approach to learning, offering activities both before and after tuition sessions to complement and build-on the areas covered. I provide an engaging and supportive learning environment to help students meet their goals.

All tutoring sessions are conducted online using Skype or Zoom with current availability from mid-September.