20+ years teaching. Adults, Kids, IELTS. Canada government-certified. UBC graduate. Vancouver local.
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
Chinese (Mandarin)
Chinese (Cantonese)
French
Specialties
Test Preparation
Kids
20+ years teaching. Adults, Kids, IELTS. Canada government-certified. UBC graduate. Vancouver local.
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
Resume & Certificates
From CanadaLiving in Vancouver, Canada (23:05 UTC-08:00)
About Me
italki teacher since May 24, 2019
InterestsTravelWritingBusiness & Finance
My highest scoring group of IELTS students have received 8.0 to 8.5. I have specialized in IELTS (Academic and General) since 2016. In addition, I have taught kids and business English lessons since 2005. I have years of teaching experience in Canadian school-curriculum classrooms, IELTS classrooms, corporate offices (for business English), and on italki. I graduated from the University of British Columbia in my hometown Vancouver and am Government of Canada certified.
I also enjoy watching news from the BBC and CBC, drinking red wine and going to scenic, natural locations. And when I can, I ski at winter resorts, hike mountain trails, and sunbathe and eat at beautiful beaches.
Me as a Teacher
I have worked as an IELTS expert since 2016 teaching in-person IELTS in Canadian classrooms to students aged 15 to 50+. I also teach TOEFL, TOEIC, and CELPIP on rare occasions. I have been teaching adults and kids since 2005.
Since 2006, I have been teaching full time as a certified professional teacher. In physical classrooms, I have taught students from 40 to 50 countries as well as 15 to 20 countries in online classes. My students include Canadian and international students aged 5 to 18 enrolled in public and private schools in British Columbia, Canada and I have 10 years of experience in teaching business English to corporate employees at an international school.
My lessons & teaching style
Before each class, I encourage students to prepare questions that they wish to ask so I may customize a lesson plan for each student. This is particularly useful as students have different strengths and weaknesses. What are significant challenges for some students are not for other students.
My teaching material
PDF file
Text Documents
Audio files
Image files
Video files
Articles and news
Quizzes
Test templates and examples
Graphs and charts
Homework Assignments
Certificates
IELTS experience - resume - 2016Resume detailing IELTS work experience
Certificate verified
Advanced TESOL Certificate - Global TESOL College - 2006
Certificate verified
TESOL Specialization - Teaching Children English - Global TESOL College - 2005
Certificate verified
Education
2005 - 2006
Bachelor’s - EnglishGlobal TESOL CollegeThe above is a Professional TESOL Certificate (certified by the Government of Canada) corresponding to Graduate ID#: A 33175
1988 - 1992
Bachelor’s - Political ScienceUniversity of British Columbia
Work Experience
2016 - Current
English Teacher -Sylvan Learning - Vancouver, CanadaI teach English programs to pre-university aged Canadian students enrolled in public and private schools. This enables me to keep up-to-date with developments in the British Columbia school program which continues to evolve every year.
5.0
Rating
769
Students
4,218
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
5.0
Rating
769
Students
4218
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
English Lessons
Trial Lesson
364 lessons completed
USD 5.00+
IELTS Writing (rubric-enhanced)
A1 - C2Test Preparation1,320 lessons completed
USD 26.00+
Package with 20% off
IELTS Speaking
A1 - C2Test Preparation697 lessons completed
USD 26.00+
Package with 31% off
General Conversation & Grammar/Pronunciation Corrections with Vocabulary / Presentations / Interview Questions
A1 - C2Language Essentials1,623 lessons completed
USD 10.00+
Package with 43% off
Kids Comprehensive Class (ages 7 - 17)
A1 - C2Kids106 lessons completed
USD 38.00+
Package with 18% off
Kids Grammar Class (ages 9 - 15)
A1 - B2Kids25 lessons completed
USD 32.00+
Package with 15% off
All ages: Fluency Improvement
A2 - C2Conversation70 lessons completed
USD 10.00
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
180 Reviews
Artem Mykhailov
2 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Thank you for the great lesson! It was a pleasure to learn more about the writing task and its requirements. The insights you provided will definitely be helpful.
Dec 7, 2024
Vitaly Makarkin
26 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Sammy is the best IELTS preparation teacher. All blocks are explained in detail.
Aug 25, 2023
Jianyi Li
1 English lesson
Nice lesson!
Dec 10, 2025
Estelle R
3 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Sammy helped me with my writing to prepare for the IELTS test. It was exactly what I needed to understand where I can improve my band score and how. Perfect! I highly recommend!