Rachael

Academic History

2009, Roehampton University, PGCE French and German

2004-2008, Roehampton University, BA French and Education Studies (1^st)

2002-2004, Bexhill College, A Levels French (B), Psychology (B), Human Biology (D)

About Me

I am a qualified teacher, and specialise in teaching French and Spanish.

I adapt my approach to tutoring depending on the tutee and their style of learning. It’s essential to develop a high level of trust with tutees which I do with my patience and encouragement whilst building my tutees’ self-confidence in the subject, which is often lacking but incredibly important in language learning. I understand the great need for a solid understanding of the language’s grammar as a foundation to build on and I have perfected my approach to teaching this difficult aspect of language learning. I endeavour to make my lessons fun, focused and interactive and I use a variety of teaching methods and revision techniques in order to fulfil potential and achieve the highest possible results. I have a number of resources that I use to support my teaching. My students have consistently made progress through my tuition as it effectively compliments their school-based learning.

Being a trained teacher with ten years experience in a classroom I understand the need to have very focused tutoring sessions, where progress in made not only over time but in each session. I am personable, mild-mannered and understand the challenges of learning a foreign language as well as the stresses of upcoming examinations. I ensure that we recap previous learning on a regular basis so that students build strong foundations upon which they can develop and flourish.

Recent Tuition

I have tutored for over ten years, and have over 1000 hours of tutoring experience. Please find a snap shot of my tutoring experience below.

GCSE French (AQA)

This student was set to take his GCSE and was predicted a 3. Initially he was reluctant to do anything French related as he didn’t believe he was capable. We started with the basics to build his confidence with what he did know, developing his grammar and his skills. I set him vocab learning homework each week. He was set to take the Foundation paper but after a couple of months of tutoring, his teacher decided to enter him for the higher. He achieved a 4 in his GCSE this summer which he and his parents were delighted with.

IGCSE French (Edexcel)

This student wanted to take French for GCSE but was unable to fit it into her school timetable so I tutored her through the course over a year. We followed the syllabus set out by the exam board and worked systematically through the content and exam technique. She was an A/B borderline student and passed her GCSE with a high B grade.

IGCSE French and Spanish

This student was a capable linguist in need of exam technique and speaking practice throughout year 11. I worked with her on her French and supported her Spanish revision where necessary. We worked in detail on her speaking skills, ensuring that she ticked the boxes for getting top marks. Her writing skills also developed hugely through increasing accuracy and again, ensuring she included everything an examiner wanted to see. She achieved a 9 in both Spanish (96%) and French (94%) 

GCSE French (AQA)

This student’s confidence in French was lacking, particularly with her written and speaking skills. Over the seven months that I worked with her, we focused on developing this confidence and her exam skills. I taught her exam technique to ensure she wasn’t losing marks unnecessarily. It was wonderful to see how much her confidence grew, enabling her to enter into her exams positively. She was very pleased with her 7 in French.

KS3/GCSE French

I started tutoring this student when he was in year 9. There were large gaps in his knowledge of French due to inconsistent teaching at school. I worked with him to cover everything that should have been covered in the year 9 syllabus at school to ensure that he was fully-equipped with the knowledge he needed for his end of year exams. He successfully passed these exams and we will continue working together as he enters his GCSE years.

Hobbies and Interests

Outside of tutoring, I enjoy fitness, am a keen badminton player and runner. I enjoy going to the theatre and doing craft activities.

Client Testimonials

“Rachael is an excellent tutor. She is friendly and reliable, and her calm approach has greatly improved my daughter’s confidence in French. She’s very encouraging and tailors lessons to specific needs. I’d highly recommend her.”

“Our son got a A* for French in GCSE. Rachael did a fantastic job in the last few weeks before the exams to help me be confident especially in his oral. We are very pleased with her. I would highly recommend Rachael.” 

“Rachael has been working with my daughter since September to help in the run up to IGCSE exams. Absolutely a pleasure, her happy an upbeat personality circumvents even the grumpiest teen on a Sunday morning! Lessons are well planned and structured with excellent resource materials. Rachael, having a thorough knowledge of the curriculum has helped improve both oral and written French as well as Spanish, so that my daughter is now on track for grade 9s in both subjects The additional input, enthusiasm and confidence which Rachael brings has further encouraged my daughter to take both subjects at A level. Based on our experience I would have no hesitation in recommending Rachael.”