I’m a native German speaker…
… not only speaking accent-free High German but am also fluent in English.
Through living in an English-speaking country form many years I know from first hand experience that understanding the words & knowing the grammatical structures is one thing but the nuances of use & what a native speaker would & wouldn’t say are two very different things.
Reading between the lines is where it is at. This goes for work as well as one’s life outside
From my professional experience, I know that a language truly comes alive when you not only use the right words & expressions but also know what is suitable for – ideally – every occassion- because after all language is more than just words!
I grew up on the edge of the Ruhr area, not far from the Dutch border. I spent many years living and working in England – and although I now call Upper Bavaria home, London will always have a piece of my heart.
After several years in Berlin, I now live in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, south of Munich, in the Schliersee region.
Mountains and alpine lakes are just as much a part of my everyday life here as my international outlook. Understanding language. Understanding culture. Communicating with confidence.
My own cross-cultural experiences have repeatedly shown me just how closely language and culture are intertwined. If you want to live or work successfully in another country, you need more than just grammar and vocabulary. You need to understand how people communicate, what they expect, and how seemingly small cultural differences can suddenly make a big difference in everyday life.
It is precisely this combination of language, cultural understanding and practical application that I aim to bring to my teaching.
International experience meets solid professional training. My qualifications include a PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate of Education) in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL), specialising in German & British QTS (Qualified Teacher Status); a qualification as a commercial translator for German and English; and a First-Class Honours LL.B. from Birkbeck, University of London. I also have extensive teaching experience in German as a Foreign & Second Language.
At the same time, I know the demands of the international workplace through first-hand experience. I spent several years working as a Corporate Commercial Paralegal in London and also have several years of experience in IT recruitment. Throughout my career, I have worked in international, cross-border environments, effortlessly switching between German and English. So I know not only how to learn and teach a language, but also have extensive experience in sucessfully navigating life & work in a foreign language day-to-day.
But what do I do for fun?
Learning languages has always been important for me too. Currently, I’m brushing up on my somewhat rusty Spanish with Duolingo. And much to my British husband’s delight, our Smart TV occasionally gets set to Spanish or French – with subtitels to avoid triggering divorce proceedings.
When I’m not teaching or learning languages, I love spending time outdoors. In winter I hit the slopes – the nearest ski resorts are just 15 to 20 minutes away. With an early start, we can reach the Zillertal in around 70 to 90 minutes and Kitzbühel is theoretically also only about 75 minutes away. Theoretically, because that does, of course, depend on nobody having an “accidental” lie in. (For the avoidance of doubt the accidental lie-in would not be me.)
Have I mentioned the fantastic Christmas markets yet?
During the summer I enjoy going for a sim in the local (& not so local) alpine lakes. The water temperatures, however, sometimes leave a little to be desired – much like the North Sea. Alternatively, taking out a small boat is lots of fun too.
And then, of course, there’s Mikey – our black cat and all year “Live-in Halloween Decoration“.
Whether you want to improve your German for everyday life, your career, your studies, your holidays or life in a German-speaking country, I’m here to help you do more than just speak German. I want to help you navigate life in German with confidence and ease.
