Catherine

I am a native French speaker and have been teaching French for more than 20 years to children and adults alike. I have taught French in a primary school as well as privately at home. I prepare Secondary school pupils for their GCSE, AS, A Level and IB examinations. I hold conversation classes for speakers with basic French and offer help to people who have bought or are buying properties in France or other French-speaking countries.

I have a good understanding of grammar and language due to my own studies of foreign and ancient languages that I pursued to A-level standard (Ancient Greek, Latin, Dutch, English and Spanish) and GCSE standard (Portuguese). I am currently learning Arabic, and have done so for 12 years. I am in my fifth year of learning Italian. I recently taught myself the Cyrillic alphabet with the purpose of learning Russian in the near future.

I am happy to tailor lessons according to each student`s needs and abilities. Your level will be assessed at the first lesson, which is free of charge. Then we will consolidate and expand your knowledge and vocabulary through the use of various media - books, exercise sheets, CDs, DVDs, photos - and, of course, conversation.

I also work as a French translator for, among others, the Serralves Museum, Paris Photo, Dis Voir, the Giacometti Foundation... and I am co-editor of the new publishing venture, Vauxhall & Company for the Cabinet Gallery in London.

In 2018, I did a short course with Lancaster University on Teaching foreign languages to pupils with dyslexia. I am now more able to understand the complexities of the condition and help dyslexic students learning a foreign language.

Availability: Monday to Thursday, holidays, Easter etc...

I teach from home and rarely go to pupils` houses for tuition.

Willing to travel: Home Only

Experience: More than 20 years teaching French at all levels with Secondary school pupils reaching the highest marks at their examinations.

Recent references:

My son had weekly lessons with Catherine for well over a year. His level improved dramatically over time and his French results at school were excellent. Catherine is a very conscientious teacher and shows a lot of care. I would highly recommend her services. (Pascale H)

My passion for languages started from my very first lesson with Catherine at the age of 7 and, without a doubt, her classes led me to pursue French at University. Catherine’s enthusiasm for languages shines through in her lessons, which are always a perfect balance of fun whilst teaching the fundamentals of French. (Dannika O)

Catherine is a wonderful teacher. The lessons are flexible, reasonably priced and conducted in the relaxed and pleasant setting of her home. They are tailored to each student`s needs, ranging from exam preparation and support for school to conversational classes.
Catherine is very friendly and authentic, delivering lessons framed by long conversations in French, with grammar practice, reading texts and writing practice seamlessly woven in. She takes a personal interest in students` lives, and will use topics that are relevant and interesting to them, or to the exam-course in question.
Based on my own experience, and that of my sisters and friends, I can whole-heartedly recommend Catherine as a French tutor. She maintains an extremely high standard of teaching, a native command of French and a solidly proficient command of English, as well as a personal manner which makes the lessons highly pleasurable. My level of French has become much higher, and with all the other positives included, that was only half of the gain! (Adam B)