A bit about Niki

Hello, I'm Niki, and I'm a qualified English teacher with over 23 years of teaching experience. I work with learners of all ages and abilities. I am Enhanced DBS checked and adopt a student-centred approach, meaning I empower learners with the confidence, study skills and resources they need in order to achieve their academic goals. I cover all exam boards, and have extensive experience in English GSCEs, A Levels SATs, ESL and IELTS, among other exam boards, as well as English for Academic and English for Business Purposes. I have an MA in Media and Gender Studies, and offer tutoring for both these subject at secondary, college and university level. I have extensive experience in English GSCEs, A Levels SATs, ESL and IELTS, among other exam boards, as well as English for Academic and English for Business Purposes. I also edit and proof various manuscripts, such as Docotoral Theses, research ethics applications and company AGM reports. 10 mins - I usually spend the first 10 minutes going over homework and any questions students may have. 5 - 10 mins - then I present the topic we will be covering in this lesson, followed by questions to elicit student's prior knowledge of the topic 10 mins - students then practise on their own with activities provided 5 mins - feedback and questions of the above 10 mins - level 2 - more challenging exercises of the topic practised above 5 mins - feedback and questions of the above 10 mins - wrap up with level 3 practise if time and energy levels permit, or further practise and questions of levels 1 and 2. In 2000, when I started teaching English in Japan. I worked for a language centre, but found many university students and professionals wanting extra tuition, so began to offer private tuition. I have continued to do so ever since. I enjoy empowering learners with the confidence, skills and knowledge they need in order to achieve their learning goals. I like providing opportunities for learners to access their desired objectives, whether that is achieving a certain grade, being offered a place at university, or defending a Doctoral Thesis. I adopt a student-centred approach, meaning I empower learners with the confidence, study skills and resources they need in order to achieve their academic goals. I personalise my lessons to suit the learner's objectives and goals, and seek constant feedback from my students as to whether the lessons are challenging enough. I believe teaching environments offer a two-way learning process, where the teacher offers an area of specialisation to the students, but the student also brings elements of their own subjectivity and application of the topics presented. I have learnt so much from my students over the years! I really enjoy the one-on-one focus that tutoring provides for the student, and the opportunities for students to really challenge and ask questions, without fear of being mocked or judged, as is sometimes the case in a classroom environment. I also like tailoring my lessons to the precise needs and objectives of the student. I am patient and provide a safe space that encourages my students to take risks and to make mistakes. Without this, learning can not take place. My students love the fact I am able to adapt lessons quickly to their needs, and to completely change direction, should the lesson not be going towards their desired learning objectives. I gain a huge sense of satisfaction when students tell me that they achieved their goals after having spent some time with me as their tutor. This makes my work all the more meaningful. I enjoy empowering learners with the confidence, skills and knowledge they need in order to achieve their goals, and when this is confirmed by students, I consider this my greatest success as a teacher. I am CELTA qualified, which is the teaching qualification from the University of Cambridge for English Language teaching. I also have a BA and MA in Media and Cultural Studies, which can be helpful for any media, cultural studies or film studies students. I think the main inspiration came from an unkind chemistry teacher in secondary school, who made me feel really bad for not understanding a concept in chemistry. I wanted to never make a student feel that way for asking a question. In later life I realised that she was unable to answer the questions I was asking, and I was right to be asking them. I enjoy art and painting, travel and architecture - particularly old buildings - and love fashion, history, storytelling in all its forms, but especially books and film. And people. I really enjoy meeting new people, getting to know them and learning about their lives, their backstories and what motivates them. I also love learning new things and am slightly addicted to this. I have taught the following exam boards: IELTS, A LEVEL English language and literature, GSCE English language and literature, SATs, and 11 PLUS. I work with students of all ages and abilities, and my students range from post-graduate and undergraduate University levels, all the way to primary school.