Lisa

I am a PGCE secondary school modern languages trained teacher (French with Spanish) with a French degree from the University of London and an MA in European Studies from the University of Exeter. I also studied Spanish and have an elementary knowledge of German.

Originally from Salisbury, I lived and worked for over 20 years in Belgium working for the European Commission in Brussels and in France working for the Council of Europe in Strasbourg before returning to Salisbury. Both these cities bordered other countries, had bilingual street signs, multilingual citizens and offered education in different languages. I lived therefore in a multilingual environment which I found really inspiring and a great way to practice languages!

When living abroad, I noticed how easily children picked up other languages that they were surrounded by, particularly the language of the host country, and how it became second nature to change from one language to another. I became convinced that the best time to start learning a language is as a young child when we are curious and lack the inhibition to try something new. Therefore, I believe that the earlier we start learning the better although of course there is no age barrier to learning a new language!

I find that knowledge of other languages opens up a new world to people as it links automatically to learning about different cultures and ways of life which can greatly enrich our general knowledge and understanding of the world. Also once you have learnt one foreign language, it is much easier to pick up a second one!

Tutoring Experience

In the UK, I have taught French in secondary schools and to adult learners as well as English as a foreign language at Kaplan language school to mixed nationality classes.

I am currently teaching French at nursery classes and in after-school tuition for primary and secondary school children. I love different languages and cultures and am looking forward to sharing my knowledge and enthusiasm with you, helping you with schoolwork, GCSE tuition, conversation practice and more.

Tutoring Approach

I am happy to structure lessons to suit my pupils' individual needs so they get the most out of their learning. I have a patient and encouraging approach to tutoring pupils and love to see them progress and most importantly enjoy what they are learning. I like to include audio material to encourage listening to the foreign language in different forms to enhance comprehension and pronunciation practice which I think is often missing from traditional learning. I believe that all pupils really need is enthusiasm, willingness to give it a go and a bit of patience!