About Birkenhead English

You're in the right place.

Let's explore how your requirements and my services are a perfect fit.

I know that you're a hard working, international professional.

You know that improving your fluency in English will allow you to:

This is where I come in.

Either way, you understand the importance of being able to communicate in clear, natural-sounding English.

This is the kind of English that people use everyday, not the English taught in academic textbooks which is more suitable for formal speeches (although there's a place for that too).

Perhaps you live and work in an English speaking country.

Maybe you have English speaking clients that you need to communicate with regularly.

Or do you work in a multi-lingual environment where English has become the lingua franca?

Continue in the career that you've worked so hard for.

Get the promotions you deserve.

Fulfil your potential.

And follow your dreams.

Language learning has changed enormously over the past few years. Today's English language students have access to a huge variety of online resources providing everything from basic instruction to extensive feedback.

Students nowadays are resourceful, sophisticated and discerning. And they know where to find what they need.

The decision to work with a tutor is not taken lightly. The tutor's role has moved beyond a mere instructor, and it's no longer enough just to teach language rules and comprehension strategies.

Tutors nowadays need to be invested in their students' whole language journeys from the first hesitant steps to interacting in the world beyond lessons.

More than anything, tutors need to be guides.

This is a role that I thrive in.

I'm here to advise and to guide you along every step of your language learning journey.

I've been teaching English, and studying it formally, for the last 20 years.

I earned an MA in applied linguistics, and qualified as a TESL teacher in Ottawa, Canada.

I've taught English language learners of all ages in schools, colleges, workplaces and online.

I have extensive experience of working with mixed groups of native and non-native English speakers.

I've taught business English courses including an accountancy course for international professionals to help them gain relevant job skills.

I've volunteered at interview preparation workshops to help newcomers to Canada prepare for job interviews.

I've tutored in workplaces helping teams improve their English fluency and their ability to work together.

I'm a qualified accountant so I understand financial systems and their specific jargon.

Over the past 10 years, I've helped hundreds of TOEFL and IELTS students achieve their target scores.

This has included intensive instruction in all the main language skills, as well as particular focus on accent softening and speaking clearly.

I've developed many effective study and motivational strategies that my students use every day.

All my students benefit from my exclusive methods for reducing fossilized errors to greatly improve their English fluency and accuracy.

I offer all seriously interested clients a free 30-minute video consultation.  We'll meet in Zoom, chat, and make a plan.

My former student Hilda, a bilingual teacher from Texas, can help you out.

These are Hilda's own words.

"What I love about you, well, I have a list that's never ending…I really like you because you're personable and you worry about your students.  

You are so clear and patient and you thought about my needs.

Not just in the time that we were together but you would keep on thinking. You weren't just, "OK, she paid me for an hour now, that's it, she's on her own." No, you were with me all the way until the very end and you don't find that every day.

You've got to be so proud of yourself, seriously because you help people with their lives. You're not just a tutor.  

I could meet you in a video chat before deciding about lessons.

I love that you take time to get to know your students and understand their needs. That's wonderful!

I love how organized you are, how prepared and how very professional.

I was never anxious thinking, "Oh my gosh, what's it going to happen?" I knew every lesson, at our time, you would be there. And we students need that because we have a lot of stress already going on.  

You helped me to make a study plan.

It made everything a lot clearer for me because I was losing interest. I was down and I didn't want to study anymore but, with my study plan, I had goals that I could accomplish every day.  

You taught me to take breaks.

That was important. Before I sat and studied non-stop maybe for 4 hours without getting up but you taught me that my brain needs a break. So, I started doing that and I realized when I came back, I was fresh again and could focus.

You really helped me with study resources.

I would spend hours trying to find things but you sent me a few links that I was able to go straight to and read all I needed.

That's why it's worth investing in a tutor like you because you have the tools. If I said, "I'm struggling with this", you would have a document with explanations and practice, and I didn't have to go all over the internet to find just one little thing.

So, you have all the resources together for everything."

I offer all seriously interested clients a free 30-minute video consultation.  We'll meet in Zoom, chat, and make a plan.