Some of our team members tell us about themselves and what they love about teaching at The Marlow Language Centre. Meet…
- Dan, English
- Fiona, English
- Lucy, English
- Sophie, French
- Tobias, German
- Paola, Italian
- Masae, Japanese
- Andreia, Portuguese
- Hannah, Spanish
- Rocio, Spanish
Dan
Teacher of English
As a teacher, I aim to put your unique learning style at the heart of your lesson. Tailored to your needs and requirements, my lessons are fun, informative and always delivered with you in mind. Life’s full of little adventures and I’ve been lucky enough to have had my fair share. Travelling for work and pleasure, meeting new people, and expanding my horizons in ways I never imagined possible have all been enhanced by my passion for learning languages. Having studied Chinese since 2012 and Swedish since 2021, I know exactly how it feels to be in your position! Seeking to reinvent myself after 5 years working in customer services for the car industry, I finally took the step of learning a language and completed a degree in Chinese and International Relations in 2017. This ultimately led to a role in a British subsidiary of a Chinese e-commerce company as part of its senior management team. Regularly asked to teach English to colleagues and collaborate with them on marketing and product development projects, I realised that teaching full-time was my one and true passion in life. So whether it's business English, English for use in your everyday life or help preparing for your IELTS exam then I’m ready to start when you are!
Fiona
Teacher of English
Following a career teaching business and finance in both schools and the adult education sector, I spent some time in marketing for a major British computer company. I joined the MLC in 2012, having previously been a student there, studying Spanish. My daughter lives in Paris so I’m brushing up my French skills these days. In my free time, I have a love/hate relationship with golf but my very favourite thing is going on a Parisian carousel.
Lucy
Teacher of English
I have always loved studying English and pondered the idea of teaching many times. It was during a year abroad in 2019 that I thought more seriously about it, especially after meeting so many people from different countries – some of whom often asked me for help with their English!
Every student has a different reason for learning. I have so enjoyed helping students develop their skills in English, whether it be for work, travel, studies, or simply an interest in learning a new language – and I look forward to helping you too!
I love countryside views, going for walks, baking cakes, having dinner with family and friends, travelling, and Spain! I love Spain, particularly the region of Andalucia, and I hope – one day – to be a confident Spanish speaker too.
I joined the Marlow Language Centre in autumn 2023 after being a teacher for two years and the decision to teach English is one of the best I’ve ever made!
Sophie
Teacher of French
I have over 10 years of experience as a French teacher and joined the MLC in 2013. Previously I worked as a teaching assistant in Peru and helped children at primary and secondary levels to learn English and French. I have always had a passion for languages and for discovering different cultures. I speak fluent English, Spanish and learned Arabic for 5 years. I studied Ibero-American civilisation at the Sorbonne university in Paris where I obtained a degree. I teach French to all levels, in the private and corporate sectors. I love teaching, there is nothing more fulfilling than seeing how fast your students progress and achieve excellent results. Teaching and personal interaction in one-to-one or small groups are of great value to me! I am very enthusiastic, passionate, funny, creative and sociable. I am a nature lover and love photography in my spare time. I am looking forward to pursuing this amazing experience with you if you are willing to immerse yourself in a French journey with me.
Tobias
Teacher of German
I am German but have lived in the UK since 1992 and have been teaching German at the Marlow Language Centre for over ten years. My belief is that no two students are the same and therefore, all teaching has to be student-centred and address the preferred learning style of every student. I am fully flexible and teach students:
- Whatever they need, from GCSE, A level, business German to conversational German
- Whenever they want to be taught, seven days a week from the crack of dawn to sunset and beyond
- Wherever they wish to be taught: at the Language Centre, at work or at home
- However they wish to learn: face to face, in a group, or on Zoom
It fills me with great satisfaction when students improve their linguistic skills and gain confidence. So, if you want to progress from 2 Bier bitte to standing your ground in a fully fledged academic discussion in German, you know what to do.
Paola
Teacher of Italian
I started teaching artistic disciplines in Italian public high schools, right after my graduation. Always in love with knowledge, with teaching, I had the opportunity to share Italian art and culture through language teaching. I deeply love teaching and I try to instil in my students a love of the Italian language. At the same time, I like to know other languages and cultures and whenever I can, I try to dedicate myself to it… I love to discover their culture and society.
The interest my students have in everything that concerns Italy is music to my ears; it allows me to be able to share my knowledge on the history and current affairs of Italian culture. By teaching I learned that each student is unique so you have to prepare your Italian lessons with love, transmitting passion and not just information. Only in this way, can students be motivated; the musicality of our language and culture are a great help in this because they generate magic and beauties unknown to them.
Masae
Teacher of Japanese
Hello. Konnichiwa. I am a Japanese native speaker and I love teaching Japanese. I was born in Hiroshima, Japan and have lived in the UK since 2006 and I have taught Japanese at The Marlow Language Centre since September 2019. I teach Japanese on a one-to-one basis as well as to small groups of students. I am thrilled to say that all of my students are so passionate about learning Japanese that they are a delight to teach and that’s why I love this job! I especially love teaching beginners, since learning a new language can sometimes change our lives for ever in a very exciting way! I love art, gardening, walking in the countryside, discovering nature. Come and join me and let’s enjoy language learning and Japanese culture together!
Andreia
Teacher of Portuguese
After achieving my bachelor's degree in Languages and Cultures (with a minor in Translation) from the University of Lisbon, I decided to leave the sun behind and move to rainy England. My British experience got loads more colourful when I joined the MLC family in 2021. Here, I started sharing my native tongue and my culture with lovely students who remind me every day why I chose to be a teacher.
Portuguese isn't an easy language to learn (some people even say it sounds like Russian!) but I always make sure my students are comfortable with what we are covering and, most importantly, they are enjoying the ride that is learning a new language! My classes are always full of cultural facts because I truly believe learning the culture is as important as learning the language of a country.
I am a big literature and culture nerd, so reading books and googling facts about different cultures and languages is mostly what I do in my free time. Oh, and sipping a relatively strong coffee, of course!
Hannah
Teacher of Spanish
I got my Bachelor of Arts degree in Madrid, where I have lived for most of my life. My mother tongue is Spanish and it has always been one of my passions, especially when it comes to reading and writing.
In 2000, I had the opportunity of living in São Paulo, Brazil, and this really was an unforgettable experience. It was there that I enrolled in a language teaching course at the Spanish Instituto Cervantes. Since Portuguese citizens have an enormous affection for the Spanish language, I soon had the chance to work as a Spanish teacher at the Montessori School teaching adults.
In 2006, my life and family situation changed yet again, and since my daughters were soon to become teenagers we took the opportunity of moving to England. Since my father is English, the UK has always been a permanent feature in my life and I have been spending summer holidays here from a very early age. I love England, its countryside, its seasonality and its customs even when it rains! I won’t deny, that in the beginning it was hard, especially for my daughters, but now they are so fully integrated into British life that although I have British genes they are certainly a lot more English than I am. They think in English now.
After I first arrived in Marlow I was delighted to be able to work at Great Marlow School, helping kids with their GCSE and A level studies and shortly after that I enrolled as a student at the Marlow Language Centre to help further my English studies. Due to my knowledge of Spanish and my previous teaching background they encouraged me to start teaching Spanish at their school and little by little I started to teach groups of adults, individual adults and lots of wonderful children. I am really thrilled to see all of my students grow in confidence and make continual progress. Being able to help people with their language skills, and also teach them about Spanish culture is wonderfully rewarding and it really fascinates me.
Rocio
Teacher of Spanish
I’ve always enjoyed teaching languages. It is rewarding to see my students progress, especially beginners starting from scratch and ending up speaking the language.
I’ve been teaching Spanish and English for many years, in Argentina, Spain and the UK. I always try my best to use and combine/contextualise all the skills of the languages (grammar, reading, listening and writing) using interesting material. I aim to put the learning contents into practice by creating real-life situations.