Teresa

COVID-19 UPDATE: ONLINE TUITION ONLY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

University College London BA graduate in French and Spanish with a distinction in French.
I started tutoring as an undergraduate and moved to Japan after graduating to work in an international pre-school. This was a fulfilling experience, watching little children start with no English to conversing, even telling jokes, in a matter of months!

As a multilingual forever learning a new language, I wholly believe, contrary to popular belief, that a new language can be picked up at any age. The key is having a driving reason, a defined goal and a learning format that involves active participation in speaking based activities.

Over the years, I have taught pupils from multilingual households/households where English is not the primary language. Don't be afraid to get in touch, even if communication in English is very limited to start! I've seen progress from struggles in writing a self-descriptive paragraph in coherent English to studying Shakespeare for GCSE!

I now specialise in the tuition for:
- the 7 plus, 8 plus, 9 plus, 10 plus, 11 plus and 13 plus of Independent and Grammar school Entrance Exams
- the ISEB 11 plus and 13 plus Pre-Test
- SATS
- GCSE French and Spanish

During the day, I teach English as a second language to expats based in London whilst working on the launch of a website that will provide study material and practice papers to students under the British education system. It is a collaborative project between myself, educators and students - tutees have told us of the lack of relevant exam practice material and age-friendly study resources (beyond what tutors provide) so we are working together to produce tried, tested and student-approved material!

Tutoring Experience

12+ years experience in tuition of:
- Independent and Grammar school entrance exams
- SATS
- GCSE English, French and Spanish
- A-Level/International Baccalaureate French and Spanish
- University entrance Personal Statement
- English as a Foreign Language

Previous experiences include:
-Organiser and instructor of English language training for staff at Hilton Hotel Barcelona
-French-English translation of legal documents and online articles for a French law firm
-Teacher and private tutor of English as a second language in St Barths, France, Spain and Japan

Tutoring Approach

My tuition approach for school students is to provide the key skills and knowledge needed to succeed in exams and to encourage independent thinking that will take them further in their academic path and beyond.

Foreign Languages:
Schools endlessly handout worksheets and focus on Reading and Writing skills - it is no wonder that students feel most nervous in Speaking and Listening exams. I have therefore vowed to steer away from the heavily written-based study format and instead focus on spending most of the tuition time SPEAKING in the target language, leaving lengthier Reading and Writing tasks for homework and self-study. Results prove that speaking and listening to the target language produces a remarked progress in all 4 skills.

Entrance Exams:
Traditionally, the preparation for these exams are intense, repetitive and laborious. We often forget that such exams are really rather demanding and high-pressure on such young minds, and it is not unheard of that young applicants become overwhelmed by the stress and pressure and experience "brain freeze" on the day of the exam. I therefore have learnt over the years to place importance on the strength and health of the mind and apply a very particular, mindful approach to the tuition for entrance exams.

Whether it is the preparation for school entrance exams or general academic support, at the core of it all, my philosophy is that learning should be fun; where there is fun, there is interest and where there is interest, there is progress. With every new tutee comes an entirely new and unique individual who I too can learn from, ensuring that I am constantly updating my pedagogical approaches for the delivery of an engaging and deeply educational experience.