Marguerite

I am a native French speaker with a masters degree in French and Latin from a French university. I also qualified as a translator and interpreter with the Institute of Linguists when I moved to London to be with my husband. I did my teacher's training in France and was given Qualified Teacher Status later on in the UK.
I used to work for a prestigious private school in London but I decided a few years ago to spend more time with my family and started working from home.
I take my work seriously and take personal pride in my students' achievements. I like to keep in touch with them and some of them recommend friends and family.

Tutoring Experience

I have worked in education all my life. First I qualified as a teacher in France and taught in Secondary Schools for 5 years before moving to the UK. Here I have worked in Secondary schools, my last job being in a boys independent school but also in Adult Education both in French and Spanish. For the last twelve years I have worked as a private tutor mostly with young people doing their GCSEs or their A levels but also with the occasional adult. When it comes to exams, I work in a very efficient way and many students who were predicted a D have ended up with As and Bs after coming to my classes.

Tutoring Approach

My teaching is totally different according to the type of student(s) I have in front of me.

Most of my students are from year 10 to 13 and come to me after being predicted bad grades. In this case, efficiency is the key: I go through grammar basics and vocabulary to learn every week and they have a 5 minute written test at the beginning of each lesson. From February onwards they have a past paper to do at home every week (reading and listening alternatively) and we go through the mistakes together. Except for the short test, I don't believe in wasting time in writing during lessons, they do it at home. I speak in the target language ( I am a native speaker in both) except when I explain grammar and we do interactive activities and exercises together. I also work on their confidence as very often it is a big part of the problem. Once they think they can, they just do it.
With beginners of all ages and adults who come for pleasure, the approach is obviously very different. I have devised my own method for beginners with resources that I have gathered over the years. Here the emphasis is on speaking. I listen to my students and choose topics that interest them. These classes are more difficult to prepare but give me a break from past papers that can be a bit tedious.
I also offer intensive revision courses for GCSEs and A Levels over the Easter holidays. Contact me for further details.