Stephen Miles
@stephen_fm
1 Followers
Language Skills
- English (UK): Native
- French: Intermediate
- Spanish (Iberian): Intermediate
Interests
Price (25 min):
0.00 Coins
Rating & Experience:
Introduction:
I teach general English to students of all ages, and I also teach business English.
Hello,
I'm a friendly, experienced teacher of English as a foreign language.
I’m a native speaker, from London in England, with a university degree in English, and a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults).
I've been teaching English for 10 years, both in person, and online.
I love to meet new students and hear about their lives and their cultures and their English learning goals.
Having lived in Spain for four years, and having learnt intermediate Spanish, I realise how difficult and
challenging it is to learn a foreign language.
I can help you to improve your English and reach your goals.
Whether you would like to improve your general English, or your business English, I can help you.
Perhaps your pronunciation or intonation or stress needs improving, or you have difficulty with your comprehension, or with a special area of grammar which you don’t understand, such as modal auxiliary verbs (could/would/should etc), or conditional sentences (eg. “If it was cheaper, I’d buy it”).
Concerning business English, perhaps you’d like help composing emails and letters, or help in conducting a negotiation, or making a presentation, or making your point confidently but politely at a business meeting.
My speciality is grammar, and I also think that intonation and stress are very important when speaking, not just pronunciation.
I also have a lot of experience preparing students for their IELTS exams.
We can look at questions from past papers, and discuss exactly how best to answer the questions within the given time.
Well, I look forward to meeting you!
Teaching Specialty:
We discuss the type of job and the level of the position the student is interviewing for. Then we perform a role-play which is appropriate to the specific interview. We discuss important questions which the interviewee will be asked, and how to answer them, and we discuss the questions which the interviewee should ask. We focus on formal, rather than informal language. We watch videos of interview situations, and we comment on the videos, and evaluate them.
I have a general conversation with the student, talking about our lives and jobs and cultures, etc. If my student just wants to have a general conversation, that’s fine! Or we’ll have a role-play, or read a short article or watch a short video which focusses on a special area of language, or a special situation. The student answers comprehension questions, and we discuss the new words and phrases, or the grammatical point or structure. We do language exercises, such as “fill in the blanks” and “choose the correct word/phrase” to test the student’s understanding. We might do a further roleplay so that the student can try to apply the new language or grammar spontaneously.
The student and I study past IELTS examination papers. We discuss how best to answer the questions, with regard to accuracy and time limits. I produce similar tasks and language exercises for the student to do, in order to be prepared as much as possible for the new and different questions in the next exam.
I ask the student which areas of grammar they’re having problems with, but I also test their grammar through general conversation, or by asking them to write a short passage about a simple everyday situation. I use examples to explain how the grammar point works, focussing on one grammatical point at a time. Then the student does language exercises, such as “fill in the blanks”, “choose the correct word/phrase”, or “put the sentences in the correct order”. I might ask the student to read a short article or letter etc, which includes examples of the relevant grammar, and elicit how well he understands it by asking comprehension questions. Or we might watch a short video, using the same method. I don’t correct every single grammatical mistake, because this could affect the student’s confidence. Rather, I highlight the serious mistakes which will cause confusion or incomprehension for the listener or reader.
I have a general conversation with the student. This helps me to identify the student’s areas for improvement. I also ask the student which areas they think they need to improve. Then we’ll have a role-play, or read a short article or watch a short video which focusses on this area of language, or this situation. The student answers comprehension questions, and we discuss the new words and phrases, or the grammatical point or structure. We do language exercises, such as “fill in the blanks” and “choose the correct word/phrase” to test the student’s understanding. We might do a further roleplay so that the student can try to apply the new language or grammar spontaneously.
We discuss the nature of the student’s job or business, and identify the areas which a student needs to improve. Perhaps we’ll begin with a basic role-play in order to elicit the vocabulary, phrases and knowledge which the student already has. Then we’ll watch a short video or read a short dialogue in which the situation is represented, such as a negotiation, a presentation, or a business meeting. We discuss the material and I ask comprehension questions. Perhaps the student will complete a language exercise, such as “fill in the blanks”, or “choose the correct phrase”. Then we’ll conduct another role-play so that the student can try to remember and use the new words, phrases and knowledge spontaneously.
Résumé:
Education:
English / English Literature › English Language (Bachelor)
Work Experience:
Other Professional
I worked as an Insurance Underwriter in Ipswich, England.
Teaching Professional
I taught English as a foreign language as a private tutor in the U.K, both online and in-person. I also taught English literature.
Teaching Professional
I taught English as a foreign language for an online platform called EF (Education First). I taught adults, young adults, and children from all over the world. I taught them general English and business English, at all levels, from Elementary (A2) to Advanced (C2).
