Verena

Hi, my name is Verena and I'm from the UK.

I'm a born and bred Londoner who was raised by Brazilian parents, so I grew up bilingual speaking both English and Portuguese. I also speak Spanish fluently and basic French.

I love to travel and learn about different cultures. In my spare time I play guitar, paint and go running. Aside from teaching English, I also have 5 years' experience working in marketing within the tech industry, which has been very useful when teaching business English lessons.

I’m a CELTA-qualified English teacher and have been providing private lessons since 2018.

Learning a new language is never easy but with determination and help from a qualified teacher it can be incredibly rewarding. I've had so much fun learning languages and want others to share that experience so I make sure my lessons are as interactive as possible. Whether I’m teaching grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation, I include videos, audio recordings, music and visual aids and a variety of activities, such as listening, reading, written activities and lots of speaking practice. I also like to include idioms and share some British culture during lessons.

I not only teach languages, I also learn languages too! There are many methods to learning a language, which as a teacher I have studied and as a student I have tried and tested. I studied French at an academic level where I had to write essays every week and be tested on my listening, speaking, reading and writing. On a more informal level, I learnt Spanish during my travels to South America through voluntary educational work and personal reading and studying. Many years ago I also did a very interactive and intense 4-month Bulgarian language course that mimicked the way a child learns how to speak. As a teacher, I incorporate the best of these methods, in addition to the training I received at my CELTA course, and through my experience teaching I have seen what works best for my students individually.

Experiencing the challenges of learning a language and living in a foreign land helps me empathise with all of my students. It provides me with added motivation to give my best every lesson to help each of my students individually to progress.

If you want to improve your English and really enjoy the experience, then try out a lesson with me. It would be a pleasure to teach you and help you reach your learning goals. For your first lesson, we'll discuss your individual needs and goals and the rest of the lesson (as well as future lessons) will be adapted accordingly.

I look forward to helping you on your journey to learn English!