Matilde

Hello! I`m currently an undergraduate student at University College London (UCL), completing the BA Comparative Literature. My mother tongue is Portuguese, but I`m also fluent in English and Spanish, as I lived and studied in Spain for 7 years before moving to London.

Availability: Time-wise I`m really flexible, and could adapt my schedule to fit our classes at whatever time is most convenient to you.

Willing to travel: Home Only

Experience: Portuguese and Spanish:

I have extensive experience teaching both Portuguese and Spanish to students of all language proficiency levels, nationalities, age groups and educational backgrounds. Depending on each student`s individual focus, some of the key areas I may help with include pronunciation and accent reduction, oral and written expression, grammar, and vocabulary. I have also helped several of my students prepare to take language level examinations, such as the DELE, official Spanish proficiency test, or the DUPLE, the official Portuguese C2 level test, in which they achieved top scores.

English as a Foreign Language:

If you are interested in learning English as a foreign language or are preparing to take an English proficiency test, I can also be of help. In addition to studying at a UK university, I have taken the TOEFL, IELTS Academic, and Cambridge English tests (FCE, CAE, CPE) in the past, all of which I achieved a top score in. Because of this, I am familiar with the format and expectations of these examinations, and am able to share useful tips and preparation resources with my students.

Academic Reading and Writing Skills:

I also have experience in helping students across various education levels and disciplines (such as Architecture, Economics, or Business Management) to improve their formal reading and writing skills. Depending on your goals, we may focus on developing critical and analytical skills, proofreading and editing techniques, reading comprehension, forming arguments, essential grammar rules, etc. In this case support outside of scheduled lesson times will include proofreading and making well-thought-out suggestions on any writing you produce, as well as putting together relevant extra resource materials that will supplement our sessions together and which you may use as reference in the future.

UCAS Application Support:

I have experience supporting UK, EU, and International students with writing their Personal Statement and working through the UCAS application process in general. I count with my own experience successfully applying for a humanities degree at UCL, and have also helped students applying for courses across different areas such as History, Economics, or Business Management. Most recently, one of my students got offers from all 5 universities she applied to for Economics, including her first university of choice.
I take time outside of sessions to proofread writing drafts, and really strive to make well-thought-out editing suggestions as needed. With past students I helped them through the process of recognising their various achievements and skills, and bringing them together to form a cohesive whole.

Methodology:

My main goal is for our classes to be engaging, productive, and useful to you in achieving your goals. A central factor in accomplishing this is that we take the time to discuss these goals together during our initial session, after which I will tailor the lessons to your specific needs. You might be completely new to the language and need a solid base to start from, or you might already be an advanced speaker who`s looking to reach fluency. Whatever it is, it will determine how we structure and run the class, to ensure that we cover content you are actually interested in.

In addition, I provide my students with ongoing support outside of lesson times, from putting together succinct grammar and vocab learning resources and reference sheets, to reading and offering in-depth feedback on any writing you produce.