Information About Cassie - Teignmouth teacher -

(1 review)

Personal Description:

Hello! My name's Cassie and I am a huge fanatic of the Spanish language. I'm a native Brit, but I am fluent in Spanish. I have lived in Spain for 2 years, and Cuba for 3+ years. My husband is Cuban and does not speak fluent English, so I am talking in Spanish all day long.

I have a degree in Spanish and English Language from the University of Westminster. I have a TEFL qualification. I have years of teaching experience, as well as personable skills which are imperative for teaching languages.

I am living in Bristol and looking for some extra part-time work. I prefer teaching total beginners, or students with a small amount of knowledge. I LOVE grammar (believe it or not) am genuinely so passionate about sharing my favourite language with others.

Teaching Experience:

I began teaching English as a second language to Spanish students in Spain about 5 years ago. I spent one year living in Seville (in the south), and soon became team leader. I taught one-to-one classes, conversation classes, small groups, total beginners and intermediate speakers. I also worked as a part-time translator/interpreter.

The last three years I have been living in Cuba. There I regularly teach the locals English, one-to-one.

I run a tourism business in Cuba and offer Spanish speaking lessons to our visitors. We include it in their package: 5 days in Cuba with intensive Spanish speaking classes. I taught the grammar/vocabulary/techniques during the morning class, and then paired the student with a local Cuban to practice what they learned.

Teaching Approach:

Many people think it's more beneficial to learn a foreign language with a native speaker. Controversially, I don't think that's always the case. I studied Spanish vigorously, as well as studying my own language in depth, which gives me a much firmer grasp of grammar. Whilst native speakers have the 'innate' advantage, often they're not fully aware of the technicalities behind their own language, and therefore aren't qualified to teach it successfully.

Anyway, I'm very calm and understanding. I think it's so important that the student feels comfortable to make mistakes and try. I was a very shy student when I started learning Spanish, so I totally understand the nerves that one can have. I want to totally get rid of this, and make learning Spanish fun and enjoyable, with no pressure or unnecessary stresses.

I also think it's important to understand the students personal way of learning. Some people like to study in books, others to practice verbally. Whilst, of course, it's imperative to have a background in all areas, it's important to understand each student's preference and tailor my classes to them. This ensures they get the most of of their time and money.

I also love putting my classes into practices. So we might learn the grammar / technicalities, and then visit an event/film/museum about the same topic. This helps to establish what we learned in the class, and helps the memory to retain the information and engage in it too.