Douglas

I love to travel. l have a passion for foreign cultures and languages, and have always been studying. I speak French and Spanish, and have studied Japanese, Italian and Portuguese, having enough to get by when travelling. I have taught English in Japan to children and adults, both individually and in groups, in conversation classes, to those studying for TOEFL exams, and assisting scientists and business people to improve their levels. I have taught classes (Cambridge English academy and bilingual high school in Spain) and individuals (private lessons) both in-person and by video conference. I am adaptable, and customise according to individual needs and preferences, all levels, from small children to business professionals. I have helped many people with their goals: to prepare for job interviews, examination, presentations or to speak comfortably for travelling. I have worked with physicians, lawyers, teachers, translators, sales people, artists, business people, civil servants and Army and Air Force personnel. I assess the student's current level of English in terms of grammar, speaking and writing, and take this into account along with their individual goal. From there we decide whether we work with a book or supplement where needed. I encourage my students to speak comfortably - getting over the barrier of being embarrassed about one's language ability is essential in order to make progress. During the class I keep notes of errors and make corrections, whether grammar or pronunciation. I keep a list of new vocabulary with synonyms. This helps to identify grammar points that need to be reviewed in the next class. Following the class I send audio recordings of the pronunciation issues. During my career in market research in London I hired and trained people from around the world, and worked on projects in over 80 countries. I have gained an innate sensitivity to working with people who speak English as a foreign language.