About
Between 1995-2016 I worked as an EFL/ESOL tutor in five different countries – England, South Korea, Japan, Spain, and the Czech Republic. I prepared many students for internationally recognised Cambridge English exams at all levels – KET, PET, FCE, CAE, CPE, and IELTS, all of which comprised the four skills and three language areas required. I also prepared students for US Academic exams in TOEFL. Combined, these were included in the preparation for entrance into British and US colleges and universities. Together these comprised group lessons and one-to-one teaching. In all of these my understanding and preparation of activities to meet different learning styles and multiple intelligences has been extremely important, as these have shown the predominant strengths and motivation of students. I conducted both one-on-one and group tutoring lessons preparing students for reading, speaking and listening, and writing Cambridge ESOL exams. I use my knowledge of British culture and the other countries I have lived and worked in, with my experience of language learning and teaching to assist my students on an every day basis. I believe that motivation is the key factor in language learning and all students will learn as long as they are motivated, guided, brought to their interests and encouraged according to their needs. I am convinced that the ability to learn a foreign language can be acheived by many people, no matter what their age.
Work Experience
Translator of texts from Japanese into English, private and teacher training, 1995-present
TOEFL Exam Tutor & Cambridge Exam Tutor for KET, PET, FCE, CAE, CPE, IELTS in Japan, Spain, Czech Republic and UK in group sessions and one-to-one situations in personal meetings and by Skype, 1995-present
ESOL Tutor, South Korea, Czech Republic, Japan, Spain, UK, various schools and academies, September 1995-2016
TEFL/ESOL Teacher Trainer, Czech Republic, Spain, 2001-2015
Guitar Teacher, Czech Republic, 2009-2015
- ESP and all ESOL/EFL levels
- IT for active language teaching
- Interviews, presentations and spoken exam preparation
- Translation & Proofreading
- Written Exam Preparation
- Conversation with emphasis on phonological aspects
- Learners at all ages and levels.
- Recognition of Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences
- All aspects of skills in lessons – reading, writing, listening, speaking
- All aspects of language areas in lessons – lexical, phonological, grammatical
- Recognition of register within language – formal, informal, polite, medical, legal, etc.
- The use of music for grammatical, lexical and phonological aspects
Education
1991 – 1995, Sheffield University, Sheffield, UK
BA Honours degree in Japanese Studies. This included language study at Hosei University, Tokyo and Senri Chuo Language College, Osaka, and living with families in those areas in Japan.
1999 – 2003, ITC TEFL Teacher Training School, Prague
Diploma-level course to meet Cambridge and Trinity standards to become a TEFL/ESOL Teacher Trainer.
2016-2017, Developing Your Potential Agency, Leicester, UK
Essential Key Stage Teaching course to meet UK standards within the education system. This included the National Curriculum, Safeguarding & Child Protection, Assessment, and students with learning difficulties.
Other
I am an ex-professional musician and played all around the UK and Europe. I later became a guitar teacher. My interests not only include music, but film and cinema also. I have a great interest in foreign language films and I have a large collection of these from many different countries. These have been important for visual and audio learners in teaching and have engaged learners to work outside the classroom environment. I also enjoy cooking, sport, and language learning. I participate in many quizzes because of my interest in learning and education.
