CELTA-qualified teacher of English as a foreign language with 12 years of experience, including exam prep for Cambridge and IELTS

I'm 35 and I've been working as a teacher of English as a foreign language for 12 years. I've taught in schools in Lisbon, Seville, Cagliari and my hometown of Edinburgh. I became a teacher because I wanted a job that allowed me to travel the world and meet lots of different people. I love the fact that even by simply conversing with my students I can help them achieve their goals in English. I'm very patient and understanding; I want my students to feel they can approach me when they have any questions or issues in a lesson. I have enjoyed teaching students of all levels and the vast majority of my students have gone on to achieve positive results in their Cambridge / IELTS exams. I have taught lessons on a wide variety of topics in my time as an English teacher but I always try to find a balance between productive and receptive skills; I want my students to have the opportunity to practise reading, listening, writing and especially speaking in English. I aim to use a wide range of materials in my lessons, so students feel they are not simply following a book like they would alone. I use several websites in my online lessons for flashcards, news articles and videos. I also prepare vocabulary and grammar games online for my students regularly; I believe learning a language should be fun as well as enlightening. In recent years I have been teaching business English, general English, conversational English and exam preparation to online students from across the world.