Richard

I am a UK graduate with a lifelong interest in learning. My first degree is in history, from the University of Bristol, where I also took a PhD. Since leaving University, I have worked in the UK civil service, where careful use of written and spoken English was an essential feature of the job. Since my retirement in 2015, I have trained as a teacher of English as a second or other language, and worked as a volunteer for a charity which teaches English to refugees and migrants.

Tutoring Experience

I have taught classes of 6-15 people, including schoolchildren but also young adults, mainly at lower intermediate or intermediate level. I have also provided one-to-one tuition. The students I have taught have been from a variety of nationalities - East European, French, Middle Eastern. I am a relatively newly-qualified teacher, but I have received positive feedback both from students and observers.

Tutoring Approach

I seek to achieve a good rapport with all my students. At the outset, I undertake an assessment of the student's learning needs, covering the four key skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing), taking into account the student's own views about his/her development needs, and the contexts in which they feel they need to improve their proficiency. I then design a tailored learning programme focused on their needs, with clear goals and objectives around which lessons will be designed. In each lesson, the student is given ample opportunity to practise and produce the language taught in the lesson.