Dr Duncan James
About Me
Lessons
Availability
Reviews
Online
Dr Duncan James
Professional Teacher![]()
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
Spanish
French
Thai
Specialties
Business+25yrs Exp✔️ Beginner✔️ Intermediate✔️ Advanced✔️ Science✔️ Writing✔️ Grammar✔️ Conversation✔️
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
Spanish
French
Thai
Specialties
Business+25yrs Exp✔️ Beginner✔️ Intermediate✔️ Advanced✔️ Science✔️ Writing✔️ Grammar✔️ Conversation✔️
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
Resume & Certificates
From United KingdomLiving in Other, United Kingdom (15:21 UTC+01:00)
About Me
italki teacher since May 31, 2021InterestsScienceEnvironment & NatureTechBusiness & FinanceWriting
My name is Duncan and I am from England. I have over 25 years experience as a tutor. I aim to be friendly, helpful, calming and organised during your lessons.
Scientific English is my speciality. We can learn English together whilst covering interesting topics such as physics, chemistry and biology.
I studied physics at university and gained a PhD. I became a scientist, then a teacher and then a writer. I now split my time between the three careers.
And so, as a best-selling writer I can also help with writing.
And (in case you need it) I have a structured A1-A2 syllabus (also B1-B2 and C1-C2).Me as a Teacher
I offer "goal oriented" learning, particularly scientific (and engineering) English for school students, university students and professionals. I also offer writing classes (fiction and non-fiction). And we can also just do fun conversation (with the potential for advanced topics such as science and logic if you wish).
I speak a relatively formal English which provides a good model for pronunciation and grammar.
I will always look for the simplest and clearest ways to help you to improve. I can lift you all the way to top C2-level performance.
I prepare before a lesson.
After a lesson I provide clear feedback.
We can make you a personalised learning plan.My lessons & teaching style
I have science workbooks that we can use in class. I have custom science activities and prompts. I also have a subscription to a service with 10,000s of English books to read, custom grammar exercises and hundreds of conversation prompts.
Regarding my conversational lessons, I find few students actually want a "pure conversational" lesson. Therefore I have complementary grammar, collocation and pronunciation exercises that we can mix in as we chat. Also note that in a conversation lesson I will let you do most of the speaking unless you request otherwise.My teaching material
- PDF file
- Text Documents
- Presentation slides/PPT
- Audio files
- Image files
- Video files
- Flashcards
- Articles and news
- Quizzes
- Test templates and examples
- Graphs and charts
- Homework Assignments
Certificates
CELTA - University of Cambridge - 2008I did evening classes that included the technicalities of how to teach English and then had to teach classes of actual students.
Certificate verified
Doctorate - University of East Anglia - 2001I have a PhD in Environmental Sciences. This was partially lab-based and partially analysis-based. This prepared me for work as a scientist and engineer in an academic and business context.
Certificate verified
Education
1992 - 1995
Bachelor’s - PhysicsThis gives me the knowledge and experience to offer specialised scientific and maths lessons.
1995 - 2001
Doctorate - Environmental ScienceThis was an "applied science" PhD. It gives me the knowledge and experience to train people in academic English (an in demand skill with professional scientists and academics as English is one of the key international languages of academia).
5.0
Rating
56
Students
782
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
English Lessons
Trial Lesson
18 lessons completed
USD 22.50+
Scientific English 🔬🧬🪐 (Physics and Mathematics)
B1 - C2Business303 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Package with 20% off
Engineering English 🏭📈🏆 (Applied Science)
B1 - C2Business42 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Package with 20% off
Conversational English 😃💬😂 (Relaxing Learning Environment, Build Confidence)
B1 - C2Conversation65 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Package with 20% off
Writing ✍️ 📖 📚 (Outlining, Style, Editing, Publishing)
B1 - C2Language Essentials74 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Package with 20% off
A1-A2 Beginner English 😀👍📜 (Full 40-Week Syllabus Available)
A1 - A2Language Essentials49 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Package with 56% off
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
36 Reviews
Hugo Zelada
1 English lesson
Teacher’s pick
I practised with Duncan for a PhD interview, and it was a very good experience! He did the role I asked him to do and gave me very good advice. Highly recommended!
Feb 28, 2024
Catherine SAVARY
8 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
After 5 hours of class, Duncan was a great help in giving me confidence in English.
He was also very involved in helping me approach my future job interview.
I highly recommend it.
Again, thank you very much.
Jul 5, 2021
Leo / Lion
14 English lessons
讲化学物理知识 很有趣
Mar 22, 2025
Marija
32 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Duncan is a passionate and dedicated teacher. I highly recommend him! It was an extremely useful and pleasant learning process. The conversations were enjoyable and thought provoking. His guidance is really helpful. He will provide you with a learning document with explicit explanations and will give you lots of advice on how to improve your language skills. I love our lessons! Thank you, Duncan !
Nov 19, 2021
JasperF
1 English lesson
I had an excellent first lesson with Dr. Duncan. He listened patiently to my requirements and questions. His assistance in preparing for the interview has been incredibly helpful. Thanks to his kind support, I feel more confident and motivated in my English conversation skills.
May 8, 2025
Beatriz Zegarra
76 English lessons
Duncan is the best teacher you can find
Oct 12, 2024
Trial Lesson
USD 22.50
Your final payment will be made in USD