When booking a trial lesson, please let me know about your background learning English, your current level and learning goals. This way I can find you an appropriate exercise to try out and we can use the short time more effectively. :)

➡️ A course that can be tailored to your level of familiarity with Shakespeare. Reading the Bard will no longer be 'double, double toil and trouble'!
➡️ Perfect preparation for exams like GCSE.
➡️ Close reading of 'the Scottish play' combined with discussion of the key elements of the play, characters, themes, language and historical background.
➡️ Essays can be set, with proofreading and feedback where required.
➡️ This course can be adapted for other Shakespearean plays (particularly the tragedies, e.g. Hamlet, Othello) - please contact me beforehand to discuss.

✅ Shakespeare: Macbeth: '"Screw your courage to the sticking-place, And [you'll] not fail."

➡️ Aimed at ESL students, academics, actors who wish to develop a British accent, public speakers, international businessmen and executives, diplomats, skilled professionals, call centre employees, people who work in service and hospitality industries, etc. 
➡️ Aimed at anyone who wishes to reduce their accent for communication purposes. 
➡️ Aimed at actors who wish to acquire a (southern) British accent.
➡️ Useful for children/teenagers learning English at school whose teacher may not be a native speaker. 
➡️ Students are recommended to purchase the books 'Get Rid of Your Accent: The English Pronunciation and Speech Training Manual' (Parts 1 and 2)  by Linda James and Olga Smith - please see me for details. There is also an app to accompany the series.
➡️ For students who have completed this series, or have studied pronunciation in depth already, we will follow the coursebook 'Pronunciation in Use' by Martin Hewings, published by Cambridge University Press, along with other materials.

Please note that there are very many accents in the UK, and this course focuses on just one of them (received pronunciation). My own accent is standard southern English.

✅ Master a British Accent (Premium)

Please message me before booking, to agree on the delivery of your lesson.
➡️Editing / proofreading: 500 words  max.
➡️Recording / video transcription: 5 minutes max.
➡️Essay / composition feedback and guidance: 1000 words max.
➡️Other requirements in accordance with your learning needs, e.g. editing / feedback for letters of application for university, personal statements, etc

Please be upfront about any use of AI technology in your writing. I will be able to tell ;)

✅ Editing / Proofreading / Creative Writing / Essay Feedback  (not a live lesson: please read the description)

Whether you are already familiar with the classics from the Golden Age of Crime in your own language, or new to them altogether, let's meet our best-known sleuths as they unravel some of the most famous mysteries in the genre. Rather than the novels (which may seem onerous to complete), we will focus on short stories by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, Ngaio Marsh and many, many more.
The course involves a mixture of private reading outside the lesson time with reading out loud, discussion of language and plot analysis within the lesson itself. We will use illustrated presentations in the classes and fun quizzes at the end of each short story to consolidate vocabulary  and enhance understanding. Essays can be set if required.
Please contact me to discuss your requirements.
I am also open to other texts and authors of your suggestion, including modern, as I'm always looking for the next Queen of Crime!
The literature course can also be adapted to other genres and texts, for instance The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Heart of Darkness, The Time Machine, The Importance of Being Earnest, An Inspector Calls and many others.

✅ English Literature: Language, Style and Plot in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction

➡️ Idiomatic expressions have long played an important role in the English
language and are so widespread that an understanding of them is essential to successful communication, in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
➡️ Without a working knowledge of such idioms, even the best student's speech can remain lacklustre, despite a good grounding in grammar and an extensive vocabulary.
➡️ Particularly useful for those who wish to live or work in an English-speaking country, where idioms and phrasal verbs may be used frequently in speech and so form part of everyday conversations.

✅  Let's 'Give You an Edge' in English: Idioms, Phrasal Verbs and Proverbs

Are you ready to build a strong foundation in English and take your skills to the next level? My English Essentials course is designed for learners from A2 to C1, helping you develop your grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities with structured, engaging lessons.

Using, among other resources, the renowned OUP Headway and Cambridge In Use series, this course provides a clear, practical, and progressive approach to learning English. You will:

✅ Strengthen your grammar with clear explanations and practical exercises
✅ Expand your vocabulary to express yourself more fluently and naturally
✅ Improve your reading and listening comprehension with real-life topics
✅ Boost your speaking and writing confidence through guided practice

Whether you're brushing up on the basics or aiming for advanced fluency, this course offers the perfect balance of structured learning and interactive activities. Join me and take a confident step toward mastering English!

✅  English Essentials: Grammar, Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening

I gained experience of working in a number of libraries, both computerised and non-computerised, within the Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells groups. At first this work was part-time, but became full-time and ended with promotion to Senior Library Assistant at Edenbridge library, which was also a secondment. This work gave me experience of stock ordering, merchandise sales, training and supervision of staff, banking and manning the enquiry desk, as well as day-to-day library duties.

My work for this expanding company involved many aspects of academic and school-book production, undertaken for several major publishers. This included page make-up using QuarkXpress 6.52, copyediting and proofreading. I project-managed up to twenty titles at any time, liaising with authors, publishers and artists and co-ordinating members of our team, training where necessary.
I worked on a variety of publications, from full-colour GCSE-level schoolbooks to multi-author academic works.

Utilising the ten years’ experience I gained at GreenGate, I now work in a freelance capacity as an editor and proofreader on a range of publications, from academic and educational textbooks to online learning materials for the NHS. 
Clients include Routledge, the House of Lords, Line Communications, Florence Production, Macmillan, GreenGate Publishing Services, Search Press, City & Guilds, Dark Moon, John Blake Publishing, Ebury Press, Integra, HarperCollins and e-LfH.