Visited 16 hours ago
Tess W.
Professional TeacherTeaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
German
Specialties
Test PreparationNEW STUDENTS' WELCOME OFFER. Experienced, friendly teacher. CELTA, BA, Master's.
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
German
Specialties
Test PreparationNEW STUDENTS' WELCOME OFFER. Experienced, friendly teacher. CELTA, BA, Master's.
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
Resume & Certificates
From United KingdomLiving in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom (14:45 UTC+00:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Oct 25, 2018InterestsArtWritingReadingTravelFilms & TV Series
I’m a friendly, professional teacher with years of classroom experience and over 4,000 lessons taught online. I tailor each lesson to be enjoyable, effective, and focused on your progress.
A native English speaker with a CELTA, a BA in English, and an MA in Creative Writing, I’ve taught at international schools in Hong Kong and England, and online with italki and Hujiang Ed. Tech. I recently completed Cambridge’s IELTS teacher training and now offer focused IELTS Writing and Speaking lessons — creative, structured, and designed to boost both your band score and your confidence.Me as a Teacher
I’m an encouraging, organised teacher who helps students build confidence and accuracy in a relaxed, professional atmosphere. Before we start, I can provide an evaluation test to identify your level and goals so that we can focus on exactly what you need. In our lessons, I’ll guide you to improve your speaking, writing, grammar and overall communication skills through clear explanations, useful practice, and constructive feedback. My aim is for every student to feel supported and to see real, measurable progress. My lessons & teaching style
My lessons are structured yet flexible, combining discussion, skill-building and feedback. I use Off2Class to create a personalised study plan from hundreds of engaging lessons, and I’ll give targeted homework to consolidate your learning. For variety, I include materials from Fluentize, ESL Brains, and authentic news sources to strengthen listening and spark conversation on topics you are interested in - from books and culture to technology and the environment. I use Zoom exclusively because I value its reliability and the ease of sharing materials, which provides a better experience for students.My teaching material
- PDF file
- Text Documents
- Presentation slides/PPT
- Audio files
- Image files
- Video files
- Articles and news
- Homework Assignments
Certificates
Teaching IELTS Academic Writing - Cambridge - 2025I completed the official Cambridge Teaching IELTS Academic Writing Course with a score of 98%. We thoroughly covered the assessment criteria - Task Achievement or Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range and Accuracy. The course augmented my existing classroom skills and practice, focusing on specific exercises to help IELTS candidates achieve the band they need.
Certificate verified
TKT YL - Cambridge Assessment English - 2018I passed the TKT for Young Learners and Children at the highest grade (Band 4) and this has helped me with my online K12 teaching.
Certificate verified
CELTA - Cambridge Assessment English - 2018I achieved an A pass in the CELTA. It was a four-week intensive course with practical assessed classroom teaching to actual students of English as a Foreign Language. It qualifies me to teach EFL/ESL to adults throughout the world.
Certificate verified
Teaching experience
2018 - Current
Professional TeacherI have worked on italki since 2018, teaching mainly adults but also children and teenagers.
Education
1985 - 1988
Bachelor’s - EnglishI studied English and Related Literature at one of the best universities in the country, looking at English and American Literature, and also Anglo-Saxon writings.
2022 - 2024
Master's - Creative WritingI studied part-time for my Master's Degree while teaching and gained a Distinction. I also won the Academic Prize for Best Overall Performance in my year.
Work Experience
2018 - 2021
English TeacherI taught English to adults and young learners from all over the world. This included grammar, reading comprehension, pronunciation, listening, speaking and writing. I worked in a classroom environment and also in one-to-one study periods.
2018 - 2019
Specialist online teacherI delivered hundreds of online lessons, using a webcam and a modern interactive learning platform. Online teaching demands different skills from more traditional classroom teaching, engaging students and building rapport remotely. I'm pleased to be able to transfer this experience to you here on italki.
1988 - 1990
TEFL TeacherI worked in a private international school teaching young learners from throughout South East Asia. This gave me a good understanding of the particular problems that students from different cultures encounter when learning English.
1990 - 2018
Editor and proofreaderI have worked for many years as an editor and proofreader, both of financial research for blue chip companies and of fiction. I am also a writer and blogger. I can help you here on italki with your writing and editing skills, taking your use of English to a higher level.
5.0
Rating
80
Students
3,384
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
English Lessons
Trial Lesson
38 lessons completed
USD 12.00+
Improve your general English skills and speak with confidence
A1 - C2Language Essentials1,245 lessons completed
USD 22.00+
Package with 5% off
Grammar & 4 skills (reading, writing, speaking, listening). Structured course
A1 - C1Language Essentials253 lessons completed
USD 23.00+
Package with 4% off
Editing & proofreading for professional, academic & creative writing purposes
A2 - C2Language Essentials9 lessons completed
USD 35.00+
NEW STUDENTS' Welcome Offer - General English, Speaking and Grammar
A1 - C2Language Essentials8 lessons completed
USD 13.00+
NEW online - IELTS Academic Writing Tasks 1 and 2
B1 - C2Test Preparation0 lessons completed
USD 18.00+
NEW Online - IELTS Speaking exam preparation
B1 - C2Test Preparation3 lessons completed
USD 18.00+
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
149 Reviews
Isabella Fernandes
6 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
I absolutely love having classes with, Tess! She’s incredibly kind, always polite and genuinely sweet. Our lessons are so fun and relaxed that time just flies by I don’t even notice the hour passing. I’ve been enjoying every minute and I truly appreciate how she makes learning feel easy and enjoyable.
Nov 19, 2025
giacomo ambrosi
252 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
My English was rather rusty, but thanks to Tess, I am now fluent again. She is a truly excellent teacher, thoughtful, attentive, always ready to prepare materials and personalise your lessons. Her schedule is also very flexible, which is convenient for those who, like me, work. I would also add her personal qualities: Tess is an intelligent, sensitive person (she writes!) and also has a wonderful sense of humour. In short: highly recommended.
Oct 28, 2025
Caterina Petrini
4 English lessons
Today i did my first real lesson with Tess and it was really helpful. She prepared many exercises for the lesson based on the goals that i want to reach. It was a well spent hour!
Dec 8, 2025
Chiara
100 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
I’ve been taking online lessons with Tess for several years now, and I couldn’t be happier. Her classes are always varied, interactive, and engaging. Tess is very knowledgeable and attentive, and thanks to her I’ve regained my fluency in English. I highly recommend her lessons!
Nov 7, 2025
Caterina Petrini
4 English lessons
I love taking lessons with Tess, she is always very kind and polite also while she highlights my mistakes!
Dec 17, 2025
Caterina Petrini
4 English lessons
I have just met Tess and it was a pleasure. She is very kind, patient and supportive. I enjoyed the time spent talking with her. I think that she is the right teacher for me!
Dec 5, 2025
Trial Lesson
USD 12.00
Your final payment will be made in USD