I am currently based in Spain and provide one-to-one tuition via Skype. As well as offering general English courses, I specialise in business English and exam preparation – including Cambridge (FCE, CAE), TOEIC, Trinity and IELTS.
Before becoming a teacher, I spent 20 years as a Management Consultant and Trainer. I also hold an MBA and understand the requirements of higher business courses and degrees. My lessons always focus on the individual level and study goals of the student, in order to ensure content is relevant and classes remain engaging. In my spare time, I enjoy writing books, listening to music and playing electric guitar.
For those who are overseas or new to life in the UK, this can be a genuine challenge. Our English for Nurses course is taught one-to-one via Skype with a native British English tutor and aims to enhance your worked-based language skills, specifically for employment within the NHS or private UK healthcare organisations.
English Language Requirement for Overseas Nurses in Britain
Before you can practise as a nurse in the UK, you must meet the criteria to register with the Nursing & Midwifery Council. For nurses from outside the EU, this means passing the Academic version of IELTS with an overall score of 7.0 (intermediate+ level). In January 2016, new rules were introduced requiring nurses and midwives from EU countries to provide “evidence of their ability to communicate safely and effectively in English” prior to NMC registration. Where such evidence cannot be provided, the applicant will be asked to sit the Academic IELTS exam. Following Brexit, it is likely that UK legislation regarding English for nurses will change again and that IELTS will become a prerequisite for all overseas staff.
At OTUK, we offer intensive and longer-term courses to assist medical professions with their preparation for the Academic IELTS examination.
Find out more about how to register as a nurse or midwife in the UK via the NMC.
Natural British English for Communication with Local Patients
Current statistics show that around 11-15% of NHS staff in the UK are recruited from overseas. Many of these doctors and nurses pass IELTS prior to registration, but do not have British English as a mother tongue. This leaves them at a disadvantage compared with their UK-born counterparts as they need to develop an understanding of local accents and colloquialisms, intercultural communication issues and standard hospital dialogue. This requires additional study and training of a specific type.
At OTUK, our English for Nurses course focuses not only on medical terminology, but also on typical communication between patients and hospital staff. This type of interaction can sometimes be informal in nature and intended to put the patient at ease or resolve situations involving emotional stress or conflict. A common criticism of overseas nurses is that they are often “too direct” (or may appear rude) when communicating in English with local patients. Misunderstandings of this kind can be avoided with the right language training and practice.
English for Nurses: How to Improve your Fluency Online
The secret to fluency in English is regular practice, whether this be through self-study or with a qualified tutor. While textbooks like Cambridge Medical English in Use provide a solid foundation for any English for nursing course, there are plenty of additional resources available online and free of charge. These include lists of medical vocabulary and even dedicated Youtube channels for nurses. For those wishing to improve their spoken fluency for nursing, Skype English lessons provide valuable practice and error correction with a native tutor, while also offering greater flexibility and access.
I offer formal classes on vocabulary topics, grammar, and areas of exam preparation, as well as conversational English lessons. I also have experience of preparing students for FCE, CAE, CPE and IELTS exams. I use a variety of teaching styles to suit each of my students, including the Callan Method.
I like to encourage self-study through homework between lessons and am happy to help you with any areas of your English that you would like to improve. All of my lessons are tailored to suit your individual level and study needs so the course is always relevant and interesting. I look forward to helping you with your English!
English conversation lessons for kids can provide a great way of ensuring frequent speaking practice with a native English teacher online. At OTUK, we specialise in British English courses for kids and cater for young international learners from the age of 5 years+.
Communication is the Key to Fluency
For kids to speak English well, they need to SPEAK English as often as possible! If they have limited opportunities to do so at home with the family or at school with teachers and friends, there is an immediate barrier to your child gaining conversational fluency in English. While the vast majority of schools tend to focus on reading, writing and grammar, English conversation for kids is seldom considered a priority. As a result, most children who grow up outside English speaking countries fail to acquire good spoken English. This then causes further difficulties later in life when it affects higher education choices and job prospects.
Conversational English classes for kids offer you the chance to give your child a head start and can be conducted with a native English teacher online from home, regardless of your family’s location and time zone. The flexibility of these e-courses helps you to organise regular “English contact sessions” for your son or daughter at a convenient time and without the need to travel.
A Positive Learning Experience at an Early Age
Many adult learners fail to achieve fluency in English due to negative learning experiences gained during childhood – often at school. Boring lessons, uninspiring teachers and disruptive behaviour from other pupils can all prevent a young learner from developing a passion for English and the fluency that comes with it. At OTUK, we believe that English conversation for kids should be engaging and directly connected with the learner’s existing hobbies and interests. Our British teachers ensure that each lesson is both educational and fun for your child. A positive learning experience at an early age often leads to fluency in later life so our aim is to help make English one of your child’s favourite subjects.
Investing in Your Child’s Future
Just like with private music tuition or sports coaching, English conversation lessons for kids represent a worthwhile investment in the personal development of your child. In an increasingly globalised and interconnected world, fluency in the international lingua franca of English has the potential to offer your child a brighter future in terms of their higher education, job prospects and travel opportunities. Our lessons are competitively priced and each course is specifically tailored to the individual level, study needs and personal interests of your child.
If you are interested in helping your son or daughter improve their English with a qualified native British teacher, contact us today to arrange a trial consultation via Skype!
Although I specialise in Business English, I am also passionate about creating unique and engaging lessons to really focus on improving the fluency and confidence needed to develop your English to the highest standard.
I always strive to provide individually tailored lessons and love students who are as involved in the learning process as I am! Whether you want to focus on delivering that key presentation, passing your IELTS exam or just improving your general conversation skills, I am here to help you every step of the way. Whatever your goals may be, I look forward to assisting you with your English.
I enjoy all aspects of teaching and love to see students achieve their goals, especially with IELTS exams, where many of my students have obtained scores of 8.5 (9.0 being the maximum). I have written 3 books and thousands of news articles, and run businesses for myself and others.
No two students are the same, so I adapt my teaching style to take this into account. I like my students to enjoy their lessons, so you will find they contain some humour, which I believe makes them more fun and the learning process much easier. I will provide all the material you need and much of this will contain easy to follow examples. I also use a different method to help with pronunciation, and this technique automatically helps to apply the correct stress for the word and to deliver it with an English accent.
I look forward to speaking with you soon and helping you with your English.
I currently live in Bulgaria, but have lived in Turkey, Russia, England and various countries in the Middle East.
I’m currently finishing off my MA in Applied Linguistics and English Teaching at Portsmouth University. I find linguistics, teaching and learning fascinating and love tutoring and learning languages. Having learned a foreign language myself, I know what it’s like to try and stay motivated and to strive towards your learning goals, so I empathise with my students as we work together to achieve your targets.
