About

English teaching

I have worked as a Teacher of English to Speakers of Other/Foreign Languages for 16 years. In England I worked for various colleges and institutions providing group lessons for foreign students wishing to take the internationally recognized Cambridge English Examinations. I gave lessons at all levels, from beginners to Proficiency (native speaker) level. In addition to these courses, I also provided tailor-made individual and small group lessons for foreign business men and women working in international companies in England, such as Hitachi and Sarah Lee.

Since arriving in the Netherlands in 2003, I have continued to work as a free-lance English Trainer, teaching individual and group courses, both in my own private practice and for various language institutes. Most of my work is with business people, academics or diplomats who need to be able to perform in English at a high professional level. However, I also enjoy providing conversation classes for people who want to freshen up their holiday English and extra English lessons for secondary school students.

Although all courses are given entirely in English, I am a fluent, but by no means perfect, Dutch speaker. This means that I empathise fully with the confidence issues faced by clients when communicating in a foreign language.

History

My first study after leaving school was at the Royal Academy of Music from where I graduated with the qualification LRAM (teacher) in double bass studies. After working for a number of years as an orchestral musician with many different orchestras, I became interested in music teaching and particularly music education projects, as a means of developing an individual’s self-confidence and performance skills. These projects were designed for musicians and for people working in other fields and often used for team-building. This led on to an interest in the needs of foreigners working in England not only to develop their language skills but also to be able to use them confidently, for example for presentations and in meetings. In 1999 I qualified as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language to aid my professional development in this work.

In order to further enhance my competencies in the field of English language teaching and linguistics, in 2014, I completed a degree (BA hons) in English Language and Music, through the Open University in Britain.

In my free time I continue to enjoy music making, studying linguistics and (foreign) languages; with my partner and family I enjoy travelling, walking, skiing, film and theatre trips – in fact, anything cultural.