Qualifications and Experience
Qualifications
Abitur (A-Level equivalent) in Hannover, Germany, 1970, in the subjects German, Latin, Maths, Physics, Biology, Art and Design, Political and Social Sciences
Designer Grad. (Degree in Graphic Design) in Hannover, 1974
C & G Certificate ‘Caring for Children (0 – 7 years)’ NVQ Level 3, Guildford College of Further and Higher Education, 1993
C & G Certificate 7307 (Teaching Adults), Brooklands College, Weybridge, Surrey, 1998
Teaching experience
1993: Employment to teach German to Years 8 and 9 at Winston Churchill School, Woking, Surrey, where I gained experience in preparing my pupils to pass their end of year exams. I also helped with high-ability classes to prepare for A-level German.
1998 – 2005: Working as German tutor with Multilingua Guildford (language school) teaching business clients on one-to-one intensive courses to prepare for specific tasks and teaching groups of employees basic German communication skills. Tuition for A-Level students to improve particular skills for their forthcoming exams.
Freelance tutor work for Fleet Tutors, Hampshire, to prepare pupils for GCSE or A-Level exams, as well as translation and interpretation work for Surrey-based businesses.
Freelance translation services for Surrey Language Centres, Farnham, Surrey.
After my move to Cambridgeshire in 2007, I continued with tutoring private pupils, as well as translating texts for my graphic design clients. I also prepared a student for the TestDaF examination (covering Levels B2 – C1), a qualification that gains access to German universities.
Teaching in Germany
Whilst living in Bavaria, I was engaged by a private language school in Bamberg to teach adult business clients to achieve the desired proficiency at English. I thus became familiar with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which provides recognised qualifications at six levels (A1 to C2).
I was also teaching small groups of beginners starting with Level A1 who just wanted to learn for fun and mental exercise, and taught business clients who needed an intensive course with daily lessons to prepare for a relocation to the US.