Johnny

My name is Johnny, ‘Joannie’ en Français and Ivan in Russian. Join me on the adventure to learn the French and Russian languages. Learning languages can be as fun as you want to make it. It is sometimes easy to think of languages as being learnt mechanically: learning the translation of words or grammatical structures... zzzzzzz… I hear you snoring! While it is necessary to learn vocabulary and grammar it is also necessary to enjoy learning languages and learn them according to your interests in life. Are you a foodie who wants to learn about French cuisine? Let us learn French by exploring French cuisine! Are you a cinephile? Let us learn French or Russian by discussing French and Russian film! Perhaps, you need French and/or Russian for your profession, in which case let us learn about professions in France and/or Russia! Or for your studies at GCSE, A-level or university level - let`s obtain an A* in Russian and/or French for you! Whichever your level in French or Russian, I will be delighted to help you realise your potential.

Tell me your interests and I will ensure you enjoy learning either language and achieve results. I hope that after a few lessons with me your interest in the French and/or Russian language and their cultures – be it their literature, politics, economy, history – is stoked.

I am a Bachelor of Arts in the Joint School of Modern Languages (French and Russian), Second Class Honours (First Division), University of Bristol, 2016-2020.

CV, Degree Transcri pt, References and all and any other information on request. First tutorial free of charge.
[contact detail removed]

Availability: According to your preference.

Willing to travel: 20 miles

Experience: Experience teaching French and Russian comprises two years teaching English to Russian friend, three weeks teaching Russian children English, and several months helping Russians learn English in Russia.

From 2017 to 2019 I helped my Russian friend Masha with her English over Skype. We struck a friendship to the extent that I stayed with her and her family in Moscow for two weeks in 2019. We remain friends and in contact to this day. Masha and I used to call twice a week, speaking in Russian in one call and English in the other. We taught each other our own languages by discussing our lives and the happenings in Russia and the United Kingdom. We explained to each other our cultural differences. We recommended each other books, films, music artists, and so much more. As we spoke we corrected each other’s pronunciation and grammar while suggesting idioms or more native translations.


In the summer of 2017 I spent three weeks teaching English to the granddaughters of Andrei Zorina and Irina Zorina who teach Russian at Oxford University. Nota Bene: Zorin and Zorina are the same surname with different endings to satisfy the male and female gender of Andrei and Irina.
I helped the three girls learn English. I helped them with speaking, reading and listening. I gave each girl a book I had read at their age, which we then read together. I kept note of words they found difficult to pronounce and at the end of each session I would ask them to pronounce these words. Sometimes, on coming to the end of a paragraph I asked for and helped them to give a brief summary in English. I often read a paragraph and asked for and helped them to give an explanation. My teaching methods had three foundations: a comfortable environment, teaching variation and independent learning. A comfortable environment was important so that the girls felt confident to answer questions without the anxiety of making a mistake. Teaching variation maintained the girls’ concentration. Independent learning was important: rather than give them the answers when they did not know, I encouraged the girls, sometimes with prompts, to independently find the answers.

As part of the year abroad – the third year at university - I spent time in France and Russia. I was an exchange student at the Kuban State University, Krasnodar, Russia for four and a half months. I volunteered weekly at an English language club for Russian university students. At the club we shared methods for learning languages.