Tag Archives: German

Sophia English and German Tutor in Greater London

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My teaching experience covers both one to one private tuition (primarily in English, though also in German) and group classes. I have given private tuition in English since 2011, whilst also working for an English language college (in Sydney, Australia) for a year. As part of my work, I prepared individualised programmes of study for each student and prepared my three hour lessons, each of which involved teaching up to 5 students together. During this time I gained invaluable experience teaching English as a second language, as most of my students came from Asian backgrounds. My experience varies from teaching adults, to children as young as 5. Moreover, I have a year’s experience offering German language tutoring. Having studied German at university (both in Australia and in Germany) and having spent two years living, studying and working in Germany, my language proficiency is at the level of C2. I believe my experience of learning German as a second language assists me in being able to clearly explain aspects of Grammar and Syntax, and in offering helpful strategies to overcome difficulties in memorising vocabulary.

I have a communicative and patient teaching style, emphasising conversation skills and building the confidence to speak. I relish developing a fun and productive relationship with my students and finding creative pathways for each student’s progress. I use a combination of written, visual and audio material whilst teaching, which I try to cater to the personal interests of my students. For grammar and vocabulary exercises when teaching German for example, I have found the series ‘Em- Neu’ from Hueber to be particularly effective when teaching adult learners.

I graduated with High Distinction from the University of Sydney, having completed a Bachelor of International and Global Studies (Majors: German and Politics). I have recently moved to London, and am eager to continue my language teaching here. Thank you!

Daniel Experienced English, Spanish German Tutor in West London

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After working in the airline business as a senior international/corporate reservations agent in a trilingual capacity for five years, I took the decision to focus on teaching languages and never looked back.

I have taught the English, Spanish and German GCSE and A Level (all exam boards) curriculum to pupils at Top Tutors Ltd. for the past 4 years every afternoon/evening during the week and on Saturdays as well. It is a fantastic job and my dedication to students – and their parents – takes a very central role in my life. My lessons are dynamic and cover the entire spectrum of AQA, Edexcel, OCR and JWEC from foundation to higher GCSE, Cambridge IGCSE, and A Level. I have a cornucopia of student essays, projects, creative writing and engage large groups just as well as one-to-one or small groups.

I’m currently working at various secondary schools in the borough of Ealing – a resident of nearly a decade – which has afforded me much practice in classroom management and a holistic approach to education. However, I am looking for extra hours from Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m to 15:30 p.m and am considering roles that may become more permanent than that of a Teaching Assistant.

 

 

 

 

German Tutor in City of London or East London

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Name of the teacher: Diane 

After graduating in English literature I started out as a replacement teacher in my home country Luxembourg, teaching German and French (fluent in both). Now I have moved back to London I would love to expand my teaching experience.
I have to admit that I am a bit of an idealist and my main attitude is that everyone can learn regardless of the student’s prior education, experience and circumstances. Even though it is eventually the student who has to do the studying, the teacher plays a key role by offering them the best possible learning experience as well as a sense of compassion, meaning that it is crucial to show my students that I want them to improve and succeed. Therefore it is important for me to build a positive relationship with my students, demonstrating my enthusiasm.
I also tend to strongly involve students in the lesson as far as the situation allows it. I give them the opportunity to express their own ideas and am open to suggestions as I not only want to teach them but I also want to improve myself and make the lessons more relevant to them. Therefore I always try my best to design my lessons according to their individual needs, if possible. Appropriately I take notes during each lesson to become aware of issues, which then allows me to go back to them and improve them.
Likewise I prefer to be organized, planning my lessons, although flexibility is a necessity in the job as you cannot really foresee the outcome of the lesson. Nevertheless I plan my lessons in order to have clear objectives that are also evident to the students.

 

As a teacher I like to share my enthusiasm as it makes the teaching climate more enjoyable for both teacher and students. You cannot expect the students to be motivated if the teacher does not seem genuinely interested in their success. Having encounters some difficulties in my early school years I can empathize with students when they are encountering problems and I do not judge them but try to improve their learning experience accordingly. However I strictly want them to improve themselves and refuse to do something for them which they can do themselves, I am only there to teach them not to their work for them. To conclude I also think that as a teacher it is essential to have a good sense of humor, for mistakes, interruptions, misunderstandings and other unplanned situations are inevitable, therefore it is important to have a good laugh together instead of judging and building up unnecessary pressure.

European Framework for languages – our levels explained

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There are three basic divisions in the European Framework for Languages

A Basic Speaker

B Independent Speaker

C Proficient Speaker

These are subdivided into six levels

 A1 Beginner

A2 Elementary

B1 Intermediate

B2 Upper Intermediate

C1 Advanced

C2 Master

 

The European Framework for Languages describes what each level entails in detail. According to these guidelines, there are the following reading, writing, listening, and speaking guidelines for each level

 

A1 Beginner speakers can use and understand commonly used expressions and basic phrases that are related to satisfying particular needs. Speakers in this level can also introduce themselves and answer very basic questions about themselves. Beginner speakers can interact in a limited manner if the other person helps them and speaks slowly.

A2 Elementary speakers can follow sentences and phrases about common subjects, such as directions, employment, restaurants, and shopping. Speakers in this level can communicate simply and directly and can describe their environment, basic needs, and basic aspects of their background in very simple terms.

B1 Intermediate speakers can follow the basics of a conversation dealing with familiar, everyday matters. Speakers in this level can handle common situations that may be encountered if traveling to the area where the language is used. Intermediate level users are also expected to be able to write basic texts with simple grammar on topics in which they are interested or knowledgeable. They can also describe events and explain their opinions and ambitions.

B2 Upper intermediate speakers can glean the main idea from a complicated text, especially technical text related to their particular expertise. Speakers in this level should be able to interact with a native speaker without noticeable strain. Their writing should be detailed and with the capacity to explain their opinion and to clearly state their reasoning and different possible options.

C1 Advanced speakers can understand most texts and can make connections related to aspects implicit in the text they are reading. When speaking, users in this level should be able to talk fluently without having to search for words or expressions repeatedly or obviously. Their language should be flexible and with the capacity to provide text that is not only detailed and correct but also with a use of different linguistic devices such as connectors or organizers.

C2 Mastery is achieved when the speaker can understand anything that is listened to or read and can draw effective paraphrases from complex sources as well as being able to construct a coherent text or presentation from various sources. Speakers in this level should be able to use their language in complex situations spontaneously, flexibly, and understanding subtle changes in meaning.

Post GCSE and A Levels how to retain your language abilities in London

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Say that you have put in the considerable effort necessary in getting your GCSE, a University Degree, or an A level in a particular language. However, actually learning a language is only the beginning, it is often just as difficult to keep your language skills from getting rusty. That’s because languages require immersion and constant use. Otherwise, you are apt to forget a lot of your vocabulary and also have problems retaining your fluency. That is where language conversation classes come in! Even if you live in a country where you cannot practice your second language, language conversation classes can help you practice your skills and make sure that they are not forgotten due to lack of use.

 

Language conversation classes are also great for intermediate and advanced speakers looking for a less structured course. Often, at the advanced levels there are little alternatives but official courses designed to prepare students for some kind of accreditation, exam, or diploma. However, many people do not want that, they may simply want to practice their second language in a relaxed environment without the pressure of an examination. While you can do a lot of things to practice your skills on your own (for example, watching TV in a foreign language, watching foreign films, travelling frequently, and reading the news in a second language,) these kinds of activities are only effective up to a point. Eventually you are going to want to have real live speakers to interact with.

 

While regular language conversation classes are often hard to find, speakers in London have access to a great service within easy reach. These kinds of courses will usually be quite open ended and will typically last from two to three months with one or two weekly sessions. They do not need to be too often as the whole point of language conversation classes is simply to practice an already acquired skill, rather than learning a whole new language. Because of this, they are often also considerably more accessible than traditional language courses. Best of all, language conversation classes tend to be a lot of fun, more of a guided social gathering where you will meet interesting people, learn new things, and practice fun activities while at the same time keeping your second language skills from stagnating. Remember constant practice is the best way to keep your acquired language skills polished. Do not let your years of hard work go to waste because of lack of practice, look for a language conversation class today!

Common mistakes that new students do when learning Spanish in London.

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If you are learning Spanish as second language and if you are attending an evening course you should read this brief guide to avoid the most common mistakes that student do.

Missing classes.

This can be the main problem for many students. Someone a lot of enthusiasm and then it comes a time that it is not possible to attend the class. In this case the students feel that if they missed something important and  they will not be able to continue the course. This is not aways the case as the Spanish tutors at our school are very well prepared to deal with this sort of  situations. They will do whatever in their hands to help you to catch up with extra home work, email support.Our classes are always of a very manageable size so the teacher can customise the lesson to your needs. Our suggestion is that if you missed some classes you should contact your teacher immediatly and keep attending as much as you can, you will see that even if you missed one lessons but you keep up with the rest of classes you will soon catch up with the rest of the group.

Arriving late at your classes.

Time keeping is important for everyone, and arriving constantly  late to the lessons wil lead to frustration, yours and that of the other people in class. So it is well worth to make an effort and arrive on time. This will enable you to cacth th lessons from the beginning without missing anything important. We understand that everyone is London is very busy however with some planning you will see that lateness can be easily corrected.

First impact and shock.

Some students find hard to find themselves in class where they find hard to follow what it is being said in a foreign language. This happen if you never had any contact with the Spanish culture or Spanish language sound. Our classes are based on the communicative method and our aim it is to deliver them in the target language, of course the difficulty is gradual and the teacher is trained to give you instructions in Spanish and he or she  will make sure that you understand with drawings, mimes, and pictures. In short the student should not be afraid of letting the teacher know about any issue related to comprehension.

Spanish it is too different and many rules do not make sense.

Some students think the above and just stop learning as they see dealing with a different culture too difficult. Learning a language will require you to leave some concepts that you accept for granted behind, it is about being open to other cultures.  Spanish words will have feminine and masculine ending, and they will change if they singular or plural. It might take time to grasp these abstract concepts but it is not that difficult after all.

Lack of confidence.

Sometimes, we see students in the Spanish course who think that they are worse off than the other student in the class, If this is the case they will be shy and they will not try to speak in the class. However you should compare your achievement only with yourself. Only your progress matter, since everyone is learning at a different pace.