English | Native |
---|---|
Swahili | Fluent |
French | Daily conversation |
Spanish | Just a few words |
Hello, my name is Anne. I live here in England where I was born. At present I live on the south coast, near the popular resort of Brighton, only a couple of hours away from London. I also live within walking distance of an iconic view in the South Downs National Park - the Coastguard Cottages at Cuckmere Haven, shown in the photo below.
I have been an English tutor for many years. I started teaching on an informal basis while living overseas and found it so rewarding that later on I took a course and gained my Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults. Since then I have tutored students ranging in age from teenagers to senior citizens. The range of languages of my students is enormous – from Arabic to Zulu and everything in between! I’ve also been a student of languages myself – Swahili, French, Spanish and German - and I’m generally good at making myself understood and understanding others whatever languages we are speaking. My students tell me that I am an understanding and empathetic teacher and I believe my previous work and life experience have helped me a lot in this way. As a young woman, I lived in Tanzania in East Africa for twenty years. I worked in rural development whilst also bringing up my two children. On my return to the UK, I gained a Master’s Degree in Sociology and then worked in overseas development which took me to The Philippines and Thailand.
My interests include writing fiction and memoir (I belong to a creative writing group), reading (I also belong to a book group!), gardening, and rambling through the countryside.
Nowadays, aside from tutoring English, I have an occasional job invigilating exams at our local secondary school. I really enjoy working with learners.
In my English teaching I like to be encouraging and informal in order to boost my students’ confidence and to help them communicate effectively, whether speaking and listening or reading and writing. I have a strong grasp of grammar, structure and punctuation if these are things you want help with . I am also an experienced proof-reader so I can help you with your essays, official correspondence etc. It’s really up to you. If you’d like to know any more about me or my teaching, please do ask.
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