Penelope
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
European Languages
Graduate
DBS
3About Me
Hi, hallo, salut, ciao, I’m Penelope, and I’m happy glad you’ve stopped by! How about I share some wonderful words from a few of my students and parents:
“Penelope is a professional German tutor; she tailors the teaching material so that it fits the student’s needs. I had German lessons with her for over three months now and I feel my language skills have improved significantly. I also add that She has a nice personality and her classes are really enjoyable. I definitely recommend Penelope to people seeking to improve their language skills in a structured manner!” – Adult learner.
“Miss Penelope is a wonderful teacher. From the very first day she motivated my son to study French more. She is very punctual and professional. Just after one month my son’s French has improved significantly. Exactly what I wanted.” – Parent of a Year 11 student.
***
EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:
– Qualified Modern Languages Teacher; Head of Modern Languages (PGCE with QTS in secondary French & German).
– Over 10 years language teaching/tutoring experience.
– BA in French, German, Italian, including Distinction.
– TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language): Distinction.
– GCSE, Goethe, DELF exams.
– Primary, secondary school, and adult learners.
– Based in Wolverhampton UK, English native, bilingual German (German mother) speaker.
– Excellent track record – you can read more reviews on my website.
***
HOW I CAN HELP:
Are you looking for help with French, German, Italian, or English? Maybe you’re excited about diving into multiple languages at once! I specialise in Beginner to Intermediate/Functional levels, offering 1:1 online lessons personalised to your goals.
Whether you need support with homeschooling, exams, want to improve for travel, moving abroad, personal development or work, with a love for teaching and learning languages, I can relate to the challenges you might be coming across. If any of the following resonate with you, you’re probably in the right place:
– I’m looking for a comfortable learning environment where I’m guided at my own pace.
– I’m struggling with exam questions.
– I need more guidance as I’m homeschooling my child.
– Not really sure where to start with my learning.
– I’ve no-one to practise with.
– Worried about making mistakes and sounding “silly”!
Well, I’ve got your back. I find successful learning is rooted in confidence and enjoyment, and I’m committed to help build language confidence and knowledge through a personalised and student-centred learning experience.
For companies who require their staff to learn German / French / Italian / English, I can provide reports on progress as required.
Reach out to me – I look forward to helping on your language journey to build your confidence and proficiency right away!
My teaching style
My approach is supportive and collaborative, focusing on building your language skills and confidence. You’ll receive comprehensive support in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar as per your goals – whether you prefer a flexible approach or a more structured format.
I help with setting goals, providing feedback to highlight areas for improvement, and adjusting the pace and difficulty to challenge students accordingly. I provide guidance and practice in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, vocabulary and grammar, and also offer support with learning strategies, H/W setting, testing, exam technique, marking and feedback. To gauge progress, I typically assess understanding of what is covered during tutoring sessions/own study via weekly knowledge checks, and exam questions every few weeks/months/more often, as required.
I encourage speaking in and listening to the target language with me in sessions, depending on the student’s level and goals. There will be times where it is more time efficient to speak in English, e.g. for discussing understanding, exam technique, explanations, and comparing language to English. Realistically, as learners at school level may often not know enough of the foreign language to properly express these things, English as well as the target language would be used in sessions.
My past experience
Over 10 years teaching/tutoring experience.
My Proudest Achievements
With my guidance, my students have experienced improvements in their test scores, and that never fails to bring a smile to my face. Seeing a student I’ve tutored from KS3 all the way through GCSE French choose to continue with the language at A-level fills me with immense pride – and is a testament to their dedication and the progress we’ve made together. What’s more, this year every single one of my students has shown increased engagement, sticking with our sessions until they felt confident or until exam time rolled around. My students who made trips to France, Germany or Italy came back with stories of confidently using their language skills. And let’s not forget about critical thinking and study habits; I find it so fulfilling to witness my students’ journey towards becoming confident learners, evident in their improved performance during lessons as well as independent study.
I teach
- French
- German
- Italian
My Results and Achievements
- Head of Languages after 1 year teaching
- Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
- BA in French German Italian with Distinction
- TEFL Distinction