Information About Pascale - Gisborne tutor -

(5 reviews)

Personal Description:

I moved to Aotearoa NZ at the end of 2003, from Paris where I was working for a Fashion & Textile magazine as an information researcher for their journalists… and I loved my job!
Since then, following a few migrant jobs and a good go at a career in food & hospitality, I decided to play my jokers, French and Information/Education.
I worked over twelve years as an Auckland Council librarian (equivalent to 5 years full time) and 2 1/2 years in Facilities/Administration for a government agency. I’ve been living in Gisborne, Tairāwhiti for 6 years.
My qualifications:
BA (Licence, France) in English, Université des Tanneurs, Tours, France
Tourism Professional Diploma (a two-year full time study with CNED in France)
Master in Records/Knowledge management (a 6-month full time study with BEPS in France)

Tutoring Experience:

I’ve been teaching English and French both in my home country France and in New Zealand. 1-on-1 and in community classes (in Auckland: Euroasia in Parnell (1 year) and Mt Roskill Grammar School (3 terms)).
I have studied towards a "Teach French as a Second Language" degree (Licence, France, unfinished) and obviously English is my second language. I also learnt/studied Spanish, Italian, and German. This provides me with a sound insight of what learning a language in a different country is about… an exciting challenge !
In Auckland, I taught group classes at EuroAsia in Parnell, and community adult night classes at Mt Roskill Grammar School. I created a weekly conversation class at Central Library, which lasted two years.

Tutoring Approach:

Whether you're a beginner, are revamping your school French, wish to enjoy meaningful Conversational French, are studying towards the International Baccalaureate, or else… do contact me and we'll see from there.
We can either follow and deepen your school curriculum, or use my material.
I have developed a method, based on active interaction, sliding between all aspects of learning a language: reading, writing, listening, talking… translating when necessary. I add as much grammar as needed. I use Internet, books, images, material of mine, etc… We can meet at your place, at the library, or online.
I spent 3 months travelling in France in 2017, a trip that has refreshed my knowledge of my home country; a culture I love to share!

I can also help with your English language needs: either with grammar, conversation, or specific needs.

In 2022 - I created a weekly French Conversation Practice at our local Gisborne library, went on for a year.
In 2023, I created a young people French class (beginners, primary school level); it went on for over 4 months, until Christmas.

Comments from some students:

Priscilla, 16 Jun 2012
I would definitely recommend Pascale, she is a very accommodating tutor. I have been meeting Pascale for several months now to practise my speech and listening skills in french. I have found my confidence in speaking has greatly improved and Pascale has taught me a lot about french culture! Pascale is very attentive and puts a lot of effort into making sure I understand every lesson she is teaching. Every lesson is interactive and practical.

Jen, 1 Aug 2012
My daughter Emma has been studying French with Pascale for several months now and we have been delighted with her progress and increased confidence in French. Pascale has a lovely friendly nature and immediately put Emma at ease, meaning she was able to feel comfortable asking questions no matter how silly she thought they might be. Pascale is always bubbly and fun. I often hear them laughing together and enjoying themselves, but not at the expense of getting the work done. She always comes prepared with things to do but is also flexible enough to allow Emma to choose the content of the session if she has something specific she needs to revise or prepare for.
We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Pascale to anyone wishing to learn French - she's great!

Carolyn, 14 Aug 2012
Pascale has been tutoring me in conversational French, in preparation for a holiday in France. I have thoroughly enjoyed our lessons, and have gained so much confidence. To work with a native speaker makes a huge difference in learning. I cannot praise Pascale enough. She has been generous with her time, and flexible to fit lessons around my shift work. Lesson material has been relevant to my needs, and we have used a variety of different mediums to achieve this. I am heading off on holiday knowing that I can make myself understood, and make basic conversation. I am looking forward to putting into practice all I have learnt.

Heather, 27 Jan 2013
Bonjour Pascale,
Thank you for all the valuable lessons so far on Skype. They have been very useful to me in improving my spoken and written French and I have enjoyed some laughs too! I have also appreciated the extra time you have given to help me with tricky questions. The only diffculties I have encountered have been with the reception on Skype sometimes, which has made it difficult to hear. Maybe I should try and work out a way to have face-to-face tutorials sometimes.
Merci beaucoup et a bientôt, Heather

Michael, 27 May 2013
I took a series of lessons with Pascale in May 2013. It was mostly revision at intermedia**Contact Detail Removed**vel. She is highly professional and  clearly a skilled language tutor. She has an expert understanding of grammar, accent and idiomatic usage. She was prepared to give the lessons at my home and was open to suggestions for special exercises in conversational French.
I unhesitatingly recommend Pascale as a very friendly, practical and talented tutor.

Natalie, 11 Sep 2013
I have been having lessons with Pascale for almost 2 terms. I had previously studied french in a class situation but find 1:1 better for me as at times in the class I felt like we were progressing too fast for me because we had a schedule or too slowly because others did not grasp what we were working on. Pascale is more like a friend now as we have had more lessons and it is always lovely to catch up for our lesson. She is always happy to try and accommodate you whether it be coming to you or meeting at a place suitable for the both of you.

Jane Rose, 14 Nov 2013
Thanks to your tutoring, Catherine got an Excellence in her last NCEA French exam. She just needed a little extra confidence which you were able to give to her.

Irabella Lin, 10 Aug 2014
Madame is a delightful teacher to have and I enjoyed my lessons with her very much. During those several months of one-on-one tutorial sessions with Madame , Madame has not only helped me to develop my oral interaction skills, she has also helped me with improving my French writing techniques. Madame has an engaging, flexible style of teaching and is excellent at developing her students' confidence in speaking French. I really enjoyed my lessons with Madame .

‘I am an intermedia**Contact Detail Removed**vel French student and I have been having classes with Pascale for several months before a trip to France. I found Pascale to be friendly and knowledgable and I enjoyed our classes very much. Thanks Pascale’
Deborah, 25 Sept 2013

“I highly recommend Pascale for french classes. I attended private classes with Pascale weekly over a 6 month period. Her lessons were tailored to suit my needs which were a complete beginner moving to France. She organized material that was relevant and practical and used different methods both written and oral. Her French education also extended to cultural and fundamentals of french life which helped me when I first arrived in France. Pascale has a kind, nurturing manner and I really enjoyed my lessons with her. She equipped me with the sound basics to embark on my french adventures. I appreciated her good humor and straight forward approach to helping me achieve my French language goals.”
Krisanya, 6 January 2018

‘Pascale is an excellent French tutor who I have known and grown to become good friends with over the last 6 years. She started tutoring me for year 9 french school work but she ended up extending me beyond what the school would have ever hoped to achieve. She has helped build a strong grammar foundation for me but also places emphasis on using this knowledge for spoken french. Her dynamic personality helps to spice up lessons and she always tailors the work according to individual interest. With Pascale's ongoing support, I can confidentally say that I am able to converse and understand everyday french as well as more nuanced subjects such as politics. Would highly recommend!’
Anisha (Years 10, 11, 12 & 13 tuition, 2013-2016) Auckland, 2018

From Karen, Gisborne
May 27th, 2021 - I have just finished (my exam)… he asked me the standard questions and then I chose his topic. His parting words were "very good" think I smashed it. Thanks so much for your support, you have given me confidence, couldn't have done this without you.
June 2nd, 2021 - 75% for my Oral last week Ya!!!! So I'm at 55% for the entire paper which means I have passed the paper before the final exam. This is what I wanted to achieve, you have been such a huge part of this. Thanks so much Pascale.
June 30th, 2021 - Hi Pascale, hope all is well. Just got my final results - OMG got overall 92% which is an A+.  And actually got 92.5%  for my final online exam.
I am thrilled with the result, couldn’t have done that without you.  Thank you so much for your teaching, patience and kindness. Karen

From Jan, Gisborne
Feb 2023 - I have been learning French with Pascale for some months in her weekly conversation class and during this time my language skills have improved greatly. I have built on my written French from long ago; and can now hold a conversation, ask questions and make connections in French.
Pascale is both skilled and experienced at teaching; and her enthusiasm and ability to establish relationships has meant that I have become more confident and comfortable at speaking, while making the inevitable mistakes. My vocabulary is increasing and I am able to use this in increasingly correct grammatical ways. Pascale challenges my thinking in realistic ways and waits patiently as I work at putting together words and sentences.
Pascale plans carefully for class, is well-prepared for lessons and uses a variety of creative activities to help keep the class stimulated and enthusiastic in their learning. I have learned a great deal about French culture as well as improving my language skills.
Pascale est une excellente enseignante et je la recommends a tous ceux qui souhaitent dēvelopper a la fois leur reflextion et leurs competencies en francais.

From Tui, Gisborne
June 2023 - “Hi, I’m Tui, and I started learning French with Pascale a few months ago in preparation for a student exchange to France! I was a total beginner to start with, and by the time I leave for France in a few months, I’ll have a lot more linguistic knowledge under my belt that I would have without her!
We do weekly lessons where we have chats in French, complete activities, and learn grammar and vocabulary. It’s very helpful, and a great preparation for my exchange. I enjoy the lessons, and would recommend her.”

Ashwin, Auckland (in person and online)
Feb 2024
Pascale was my tutor for 5 years! She is not only just a tutor but also family to me. She is an exceptionally talented tutor and is a native speaker. I improved my French speaking skills a lot from her which has carried on, even today whenever I have to speak French publicly. Her teaching style is fantastic and she provides innovative exercises to improve your French skills. Highly recommend Pascale and she is indeed trustworthy!

Malcolm, online
Feb 2024
Pascale is an enthusiastic and skilled tutor, able to quickly adapt to her student's needs, flexibly deliver learning and enhance language skills. She is also very au fait with contemporary idiom in both English and French.