Information About Chris - Rushden teacher - (11 reviews)
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This is how 4 referees rated Chris:
Reliability
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Languages Taught
Chris offers a discount of 50% on their first / introductory lesson!
Dutch |
Price Guide |
| Beginner | £32.00 |
| Intermediate | £32.00 |
| Advanced | £32.00 |
| Expert | £32.00 |
Personal Description:
I am Chris and, as a native English speaker, I specialise in teaching Dutch to other native English speakers. I learned Dutch from scratch myself and I find that my students have the exactly the same challenges I had.
I lived and worked in The Netherlands from 1989 to 2006. I work in IT support now, providing services to clients in the U.K, The Netherlands and Belgium.
I do *not* have an English accent when I speak Dutch.
Teaching Experience:
I learned Dutch from scratch myself and have been teaching via this site and privately since 2015. My knowledge is hands-on, real-world and up-to-date.
My "Dutch Reference Guides" can be found online. You'll get them for free.
Teaching Approach:
You, as the student, are central and the pace is up to you. I only ever have 2 students due to my full-time job.
There are quite a few accents in Dutch. I teach "ABN" Dutch - a bit like BBC English. Anyone in Flanders or The Netherlands can understand this.
I think pronunciation and repetition are very important, so I'll concentrate on that at first. You will need to work at this and my lessons are interactive from the start.
I try to keep things varied and will do my best to tailor lessons to your interests - and accommodate your learning style.
You'll be speaking Dutch in the first lesson. As things develop, we'll be covering grammar as well of course but I use only 5 or 6 grammatical terms, which I will explain to you.
Most Dutch books and lessons are provided by native Dutch speakers. What I can offer you, as a native English speaker, are the discoveries I made along the way. The English language has some real gems and some great expressions which we can use to learn Dutch and gain real insight into the language. Despite what they say, English also has almost all of the sounds of Dutch - but you need to be a native English speaker to know where to find them and how to notice them. I can show you what many native Dutch speakers do not know.
Tutor Resources: (free to download)
Please login or register to download tutor resources.
Native Language: English (British)
Additional Languages: English (British)
Availability: Weekends / Weekdays (evenings)
References Available: Yes (✔ On File)
Additional Languages: English (British)
Availability: Weekends / Weekdays (evenings)
References Available: Yes (✔ On File)
Qualifications:
- University of life (1989) - Living and working in Holland (Other) (✘ Not On File)
- University of Leeds (1988) - Food Science (Bachelors) (✘ Not On File)
Chris's Feedback
| Total Amount Of Feedback: | 11 |
| Total Positive Feedback: |
ChrisFrom Tom (5/5): Chris is an excellent, friendly tutor. Having made the journey himself, it's reassuring when he can relate to the struggles of learning Dutch, not just in being able to frame concepts from the perspective of a native English speaker, but even the smaller things like feeling confident just speaking out loud in another language. The sessions are relaxed and enjoyable, and he's always willing to help outside of sessions if I have an odd question or struggling with a rule. Looking forward to working more with Chris, and would highly recommend.
Reply from: Chris: Bedankt Tom! Ik vind onze sessies ook leuk!
From Tom (/5): This has been the first time I have learnt a new language and the first time I have had a tutor as well. Chris has been absolutely amazing with me and I have really appreciated all the time, effort and the materials he has sent me and made with me.
The classes we have done online have been brilliant and I feel like I have progressed lots since first approaching him back at the end of September '22. I have even been asked if I was half Dutch/ half English by a native, which just shows how much the teaching has helped!
I would highly recommend Chris to anyone who is thinking about learning Dutch, he has been excellent with me so far, always providing excellent materials and answering any questions I have and his lessons are always excellent.
The classes we have done online have been brilliant and I feel like I have progressed lots since first approaching him back at the end of September '22. I have even been asked if I was half Dutch/ half English by a native, which just shows how much the teaching has helped!
I would highly recommend Chris to anyone who is thinking about learning Dutch, he has been excellent with me so far, always providing excellent materials and answering any questions I have and his lessons are always excellent.
Reply from: Chris: Thank you very much, Tom!
From Jake (/5): Chris is a terrific teacher. I've been learning with him for just over two months now and already I feel as though my Dutch has come on a great deal and I always look forward to our weekly lesson.
The lessons are always really enjoyable, and Chris always comes prepared with material to and speaking exercises that are challenging and enjoyable and applicable to every situation. If you're stuck on something, he offers learning material for everything.
Chris learnt Dutch himself and has also written books on the Dutch language, so he's incredibly knowledgable about what trips up beginners like myself and has a range of mnemonics to aid learning and is great at giving examples that recontextualise the English phrases as Dutch ones.
Most importantly, the lessons are always fun. Learning the harder grammar concepts doesn't ever feel like a slog. Chris is a great guy. If you're looking to pick up Dutch then I couldn't recommend learning with him highly enough.
The lessons are always really enjoyable, and Chris always comes prepared with material to and speaking exercises that are challenging and enjoyable and applicable to every situation. If you're stuck on something, he offers learning material for everything.
Chris learnt Dutch himself and has also written books on the Dutch language, so he's incredibly knowledgable about what trips up beginners like myself and has a range of mnemonics to aid learning and is great at giving examples that recontextualise the English phrases as Dutch ones.
Most importantly, the lessons are always fun. Learning the harder grammar concepts doesn't ever feel like a slog. Chris is a great guy. If you're looking to pick up Dutch then I couldn't recommend learning with him highly enough.
Reply from: Chris: Many thanks, Jake. I think you neglected to mention that you have a natural gift for learning languages! I have been astounded at your efforts and your progress.
From Peter (/5): I would highly recommend Chris for any level of Dutch learning. He is a non native who has thoroughly learned the language and has many years of lived experience, and is thus perfectly placed to understand and assist the struggles and challenges found in coming from English to Dutch. He is thorough, friendly and helpful and his supplementary materials are excellent, thorough and eminently useful. Many thanks for your help, Chris!
Reply from: Chris: Thanks for the kind words, Peter, and thanks for choosing me to help out with the last few things you felt you needed. Best wishes for the future!
From Gareth (/5): I am a very satisfied customer. After starting to learn Dutch online during 2020, I decided that I needed a Tutor to move things forward and started weekly sessions with Chris in January 2021. I am really pleased with the progress made since then. Chris is an English speaker who learned Dutch fluently through living and working in the Netherlands for many years - I feel this helps as he understands the challenges faced by English speakers learning Dutch. The sessions are friendly and relaxed and obviously thoroughly planned. Chris was flexible in rearranging sessions when my work schedule forced me to postpone. Through our Dutch discussions i have been able to gain more of an insight into the Netherlands and Dutch culture, which I have found really interesting. Thanks again Chris!
Reply from: Chris: Many thanks for the feedback, Gareth! I enjoy our meetings and am also learning from your own insights. Your impressive knowledge of other languages is, of course, also helping you learn Dutch - at a rapid rate I might add! Thanks again.
From Peter (/5): Chris is a fantastic tutor, his knowledge of Dutch and Dutch life goes way beyond any text book. Importantly, Chris was once like all of us, he learnt Dutch himself and so fully understands the pitfalls and challenges we face in learning a new language. I genuinely look forward to my lessons with him and find his passion and dedication infectious. After months of struggling on my own, nearly giving up at one stage, the best decision I made was to book that first trial lesson. I warmly recommend Chris to anyone with a genuine desire to learn real Dutch, you won't regret it.
Reply from: Chris: Very kind comments, Peter. Thank you! I'm so glad you are enjoying the lessons. I'm sure you've noticed that I enjoy our lessons as well!
From David (/5): Sorted out what I needed, very quickly.
Reply from: Chris: Thanks for the feedback, David. Much appreciated!
From Elliott (/5): I started learning Dutch with Chris in November as an absolute beginner. I was due to visit some dutch friends in December and wanted to surprise them by being able to talk a bit of the language. Ive never been the fastest learner but Chris is an amazing teacher and has a genuine passion for the language! In one month Chris managed to get my dutch to a stage where i could actually make and understand basic conversation! My friends loved it and found it equally hillarious when i made the odd slip up! Chris makes the lessons fun and turns them into something i look forward to every week! Ill definitely be carrying on with them in future. Top teacher and great bloke!
From Martin (/5): Chris was very supportive with a group of our students, who were due to visit a Dutch speaking area of Belgium on a two week placement. Putting together a fun but challenging session, our students gained a basic understanding of the language to help them during their travels and all commented on how they enjoyed the session.
From Francesca (/5): What can I say? Chris is an absolutely wonderful tutor! When I first started lessons, I had an intermediate grasp of the Dutch language, but needed a little encouragement to help me out of my shell when it came to conversational Dutch.
Through Chris' help, I have gained so much confidence in speaking the language in conversation and am not as self conscious when speaking to Dutch people I have never met.
The range of materials used to enhance language learning ranged from dvds, Dutch morning chat shows, to short stories and novels to more physically 'going round the room and labelling items'. All homework set is based on activities covered in the lesson prior and tailored to bits that may have been challenging.
Chris is 100% invested in your personal progress, and sometimes I forget that I'm at a lesson and rather having a chat with a friend--his teaching style is so relaxed! He's also been very understanding regarding my irratic work schedule; which has been an absolute blessing!
Through Chris' help, I have gained so much confidence in speaking the language in conversation and am not as self conscious when speaking to Dutch people I have never met.
The range of materials used to enhance language learning ranged from dvds, Dutch morning chat shows, to short stories and novels to more physically 'going round the room and labelling items'. All homework set is based on activities covered in the lesson prior and tailored to bits that may have been challenging.
Chris is 100% invested in your personal progress, and sometimes I forget that I'm at a lesson and rather having a chat with a friend--his teaching style is so relaxed! He's also been very understanding regarding my irratic work schedule; which has been an absolute blessing!
Reply from: Chris: Thanks Francesca!
From David (/5): Chris is a fantastic tutor (docent) very patient and understanding with me… I am not your average student i have a very busy life and i struggle to understand certain aspects and he understands this and works with me… Sometimes i think he thinks i understand things more than i do but if i ask if we can go over something or a particular topic again its never a problem! He is always coming up with different ways for me to learn and remember he puts a lot of effort and enthusiasm in to his teaching… I wish i could pick it up quicker than i do and do his teaching justice…