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Information About Rachel:

Personal Description:

I am a graduate in Medieval and Modern Languages (French and Spanish) from Oxford University, I am fluent in both languages, and I love teaching. In addition to offering tuition in French and Spanish at all levels, I also have considerable experience in teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to foreign students. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any enquiries. I look forward to meeting you, and hopefully to teaching you!

Teaching Experience:

I spent about 6 months of my Gap Year teaching English as a Foreign Language in Argentina. I taught children (ages 11-18) in both primary and secondary schools, and adults in private education institutions, where I gave evening classes. I found the work immensely rewarding, particularly since all my pupils seemed to have a different motivation for attending classes: acquisition of key business language skills, university entrance exams, a love of literature or just a new hobby.

Just as importantly as having had one-to-one tutoring experience, is the fact that I myself have received tutoring over the years. At school, I was tutored in French because I was bored, and Maths because I was struggling. Most recently at Oxford University, I have been lucky enough to receive many hours of one-to-one tutoring from some of the best minds in the world on literary and linguistic work in both French and Spanish. This was a practice I kept up on my year abroad, where I again sought daily language tutoring to fast track my language skills and improve my fluency.

Tutoring Approach:

As I hope my record of both having given and received tutoring throughout my life shows, I am a firm believer in the benefits of tutoring as I will now explain:

Why is extra tuition helpful?

The school classroom is often a difficult place to learn in - particularly as regards Foreign Languages - it goes without saying that aptitudes and abilities range significantly. In addition, more often than not, class numbers make individual teacher-pupil attention impossible, with students increasingly encouraged to keep quiet, rather than to pipe up and make the mistakes they could learn from. This tends to lead to two types of scenario: in the first instance brighter students remain unstimulated, become bored and stop learning. In the second, struggling students are left to flounder - all too quickly jumping to the conclusion that they are not 'linguists.'

Why is having language skills so important?

The world has changed, and we are now more than ever global citizens with global problems. Inter-linguistic/cultural communication is paramount, above all in the business world. In a cut-throat employment market, you cannot afford not to develop your language skills. Many city employers (e.g. banks, law firms etc) will now not consider you as a candidate without additional language skills (applications are done online, leave the 'Additional Languages' box blank -a required field-, and the computer refuses to submit your details). Even the statistics back this up: Spanish is the Western World's fastest growing and therefore most influential language after English. Speaking from personal experience, I have been given several valuable job/life opportunities because I spoke languages my competitors did not.

What is my approach to tutoring?

My approach to tutoring is to dispel this erroneous idea that 'being a linguist' is something that can be obtained or irretrievably lost in a school classroom - it has nothing to do with it. My policy therefore is to adapt to the needs of each individual student, whether this means re-engaging a mind through different learning techniques (studying bite-size pieces of literature is a non-irksome and intellectually stimulating way of developing grammar/vocab/oral proficiency), shoring up any grammatical gaps impeding advancement, or focusing on a particular skill set e.g. oral communication, or target e.g. an examination. I am happy to help children/adults of any age and ability and I look forward to discussing your individual aims/goals.

Qualifications:

• Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Modern Languages (French and Spanish) from Oxford University.
• Advanced Extension Level: French
• A-Levels: English (A) French (A) Spanish (A) History (A) AS Levels: English (A) French (A) Spanish (A) History (A) Chemistry (B)
• GCSEs: English lit. (A*) English lang. (A*) Maths (A*) Double Science Award (A* x 2) French (A*) Spanish (A*) Latin (A*) History (A*) Music (A)

Further Information:

Availability:	Weekends / Weekdays (all times)
Types of Tutoring:	Travels to you / From their home
References Supplied?	Yes
Current DBS/CRB Check?	Yes