Barbara

Hi, I am Barbara and am native German. In 2013 I started German Conversation sessions and it highlighted to me just how quickly you can improve a language and the confidence of the speaker by getting the pronunciation near correct. This is especially important now with the new GCSE's curriculum.
I have lived in the UK with my English husband for the past 20 years. Our two children were raised bilingual by me and my eldest has passed the German GCSE with an A grade in year 9.
In addition to being a German tutor I am also a professional pet photographer where my flexibility and patience comes in handy.

Tutoring Experience

Previous clients included adults/children/teens with pre-existing knowledge of German as well children with no existing German.

When I started German Conversation in 2013 my sessions were with private school primary school children whose parents relocated to England after spending some time in Germany/German speaking countries. Some of these children have now moved on to private schools such as Eastbourne College and Tonbridge School, where they can continue to use their fantastic German pronunciation skills that they kept alive since their move to England.

Since then I have taught primary school children with no prior knowledge to German whose parents were relocation to a German speaking country. The emphasis here was not to go by the book but rather to impart knowledge of key phrases and customs to them to ease their transition to a new life in a different country.

Other clients include adults who want to extend their business German or brush up their knowledge of German prior to going on holiday or tutoring alongside the Goethe Institute courses.

Below is some feedback from recent years:

"I highly recommend Barbara as a tutor for German."

“As a native German speaker Barbara has helped my sons develop excellent spoken German, a skill they are often complimented on and which has helped them gain excellent results in their exams.”

"As well as being an excellent technical tutor, Barbara is also friendly, accommodating, and encouraging, and my sons are always happy to see her.”

"A quick note to say that we heard from Brighton College today that our son has won a scholarship?! His grades were fantastic including a number of A*s, one of which was for German! So thank you very much for your efforts with him. I'm sure he'll have more to tell you next week."

"Barbara was in tune with the boys behaviour so as not to overwhelm them at any time. They both enjoyed their lessons. We would not hesitate to recommend her."

Tutoring Approach

I tutor on a one to one basis, which is tailored to my clients individual needs. These could be to freshen up 'rusty' German prior to going on holiday in a German speaking country, or to get pronunciation closer to native German for the GCSE German oral exams or to learn the language via play and songs with smaller children.

I offer tutoring for casual use or preparation towards German GCSE.

During the pandemic I switched to online tutoring via Zoom. This worked surprising well, especially because it is more flexible when it comes to answering questions.

I am able to offer face to face sessions within 5 miles A.T.C.F., however please note that this is then reflected in the tutoring price of £60p/hr.

I currently hold Enhanced DBS checks for Holmewood House School, Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys and St. Peter's CEP TWells