Visited 10 hours ago
Karen Cunningham
Professional TeacherTeaches
English
Native
Speaks
Italian
Spanish
Specialties
BusinessDepth of experience in teaching business, academic and conversational English
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
Italian
Spanish
Specialties
BusinessDepth of experience in teaching business, academic and conversational English
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
Resume & Certificates
From United StatesLiving in Rome, Italy (02:35 UTC-05:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Oct 27, 2017InterestsSports & FitnessTravelBusiness & FinanceMarketingMedical & Healthcare
Award: 2023, 2024 Top 1% of English Teachers
(based on ratings, rebooking rate & average lessons per student)
I bring a depth of experience to my teaching:
Degrees in English and Italian (studying Italian on Italki)
Master's Teaching courses: English as a Foreign Language, Business English & more
Business experience: 26 years owner of business .. Marketing, HR & Sales
Two adult children: my son works in marketing and my daughter works in Occupational Therapy
I work from both the USA and Rome.
I had a small farm for 15 years.
I enjoy hiking, yoga, travel and cross-country skiing.
Most importantly, I sincerely enjoy people and, in particular, foreign speakers who are motivated to learn!Me as a Teacher
My students tell me that they selected me from the other English teachers because they appreciate my depth of experience, my authenticity and because they quickly gain confidence and increased fluency from working with me. I am sincerely committed to helping my students achieve their individual goals. My students appreciate that I am not following a curriculum but customizing each lesson, using proven teaching practices, to help them reach their goals whether English for business advancement, travel, interview preparation, testing, proofreading, English for hobby or other.. My lessons & teaching style
My lessons are CUSTOM to each student to help them advance quickly and for how THEY learn best. I begin each lesson with a bit of conversation to strengthen our rapport and to get the English flowing. Then we dig in and work hard for the remainder of the lesson, leaving 3-5 minutes at the end for valuable feedback and planning future lessons. I work with my students to develop a plan for them to reach their goals and I help keep them on target for achieving those goals.My teaching material
- PDF file
- Text Documents
- Audio files
- Image files
- Video files
- Articles and news
- Test templates and examples
- Graphs and charts
- Homework Assignments
Certificates
26 years - Business OWNER - Websticker.com - 2018I was one of three partners in a business started in 1990 and I worked in the business until 2017. I was CEO of the business and have extensive training in the form of seminars, conferences, courses, independent learning, and more in the areas of: sales, marketing, human resources, financial management, project management, and public relations.
Certificate verified
CTEFL - Via Lingua - 2016six-credit, intensive, masters-level certificate course in teaching English as a foreign language. This enables me to teach English worldwide to non-native speakers.
Certificate verified
Teaching experience
2016 - 2024
Private Tutor
Education
1983 - 1987
Bachelor’s - English Language and LiteratureFour-year concentration in English grammar, writing and English literature.
2018 - 2018
Other - An Update for Masters of BusinessAttended a professional seminar with information about best current business practices.
1983 - 1987
Bachelor’s - Italian Language, Literature & CultureStudied the Italian Language and its culture and literature for four years, receiving a second major degree. Engaged all learning methods for mastery of a foreign language.
2017 - 2017
Other - Business English & TOEFL Prep CoursesOnline courses specific to teaching Test Prep and Business English.
2019 - 2019
Other - Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Work Experience
1990 - 2022
English Proofreading and EditingProvide professional proofreading and editing for business presentations, artists, academic interviews and essays, and in many other areas.
2017 - Current
Online English TutorOver 4000 online hours of English instruction in Business English, Academic English, Conversational English, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary building and all aspects of language mastery.
2003 - 2009
Private Tutor for Elementary and Middle School ChildrenTutored children grades 1-12 in several subjects.
2016 - 2019
TeacherOver 1000 hours in-person, one-to-one teaching English to foreigners living in the USA. Focus on increasing English fluency for living in the USA. Prep for the Citizenship Test. Advocate for non-native speakers in a variety of capacities.
1990 - 2017
Owner, Sales & MarketingBefore teaching full-time, I worked in sales and marketing for a few companies including a company I owned with two other partners for 27 years.
5.0
Rating
497
Students
3,745
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
English Lessons
Trial Lesson
291 lessons completed
USD 14.00+
IMPROVE! - Grammar, Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Writing, Reading, Listening, Speaking
B1 - C2Language Essentials841 lessons completed
USD 40.00
Package with 3% off
CONVERSATION ONLY! Improve your skills (organizing thoughts, vocabulary, grammar) while speaking conversationally.
B1 - C2Conversation1,999 lessons completed
USD 30.00
Package with 4% off
BUSINESS ENGLISH & INTERVIEW PREPARATION - Communication, presentations, meetings, business writing, negotiations, small talk, socializing
B1 - C2Business259 lessons completed
USD 40.00
Package with 3% off
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
209 Reviews
Diliara
35 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
I really liked the lesson. It is important that Karen asked me in detail about what I need and conducted the class according to my needs. Thank you, Karen!
Dec 5, 2023
Jesica
10 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Great lesson. Karen knows how to lead the conversation so as to get the best out of her students, depending on their level. I´ll keep on practicing with her!
Mar 9, 2018
Ajimal P M
1 English lesson
The introduction session was excellent — very engaging and well-structured.
Nov 6, 2025
Anna Longiave
131 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
I found the lesson useful , engaging and professional. Karen is kind patient and determined:for me perfect teacher
Mar 12, 2019
Mohammed Abdulaziz
2 English lessons
Teacher Karen is a kind teacher and she knows exactly what’s needed for her students to develop their skills.
Nov 15, 2025
Evelyn
10 English lessons
I really enjoyed the lesson. It was really helpful!
May 23, 2025
Trial Lesson
USD 14.00
Your final payment will be made in USD