Learn English and feel more confident with a professional and fully qualified native tutor based in North London. Eighteen years' experience teaching at London's top language schools and universities.

Find out more about Carla

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  I've always loved languages - I started learning French in primary school and soon became teacher's pet as I think I was the only pupil who genuinely enjoyed this class and made an effort! I continued learning French until my A-levels. English literature and creative writing were also two of my favourite subjects at school, and growing up, aside from drawing and reading, one of my favourite pastimes was writing short stories. After university (I studied Illustration, as my other passion is art) I decided to learn Italian via evening classes in a small group - I was so impressed with the communicative approach to teaching and how quickly I was picking up the language that it inspired me to train to teach English as a foreign language. I haven't looked back since!

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I have worked for so many years with such a wonderful variety of students of different ages and backgrounds that I don't think there's a topic we haven't covered, or at least touched on. I believe I'm an open-minded individual and enjoy critical thinking and encouraging the same in my students. I always remind my students that we don't need to agree on everything - in fact, very interesting discussions take place when we disagree! - and that as long as we remain respectful of other people's opinions and are able to maintain interest in one another, then all communication is valuable. We have had some very interesting debates with regard to AI (artificial intelligence) in recent years as this is a technology which is developing exponentially and raises important ethical and societal questions. I do also, of course, like to talk about more light-hearted topics, including art and design and food and drink, as I love creativity and am a real foodie! I also enjoy discussing themes that I may be unfamiliar with, but that my students are interested in, as this encourages them to open up and express themselves more confidently - it also means I learn something new from them!

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  A primary school teacher I will never forget is Andrew Wallace - he taught us English and he was always really full of energy and was someone we could trust and relate to. He injected so much fun and creativity into our lessons that I still remember some of them vividly, even after all these years. One of my favourite lessons was when he asked us to imagine it was the year 2000 (at the time it seemed light years away!) and who we would be and the kind of work we would be applying for. We had to create a CV and be interviewed by him in front of the whole class. We were only about twelve years old at the time, so it was really funny! This was one of many positive experiences I had with Mr Wallace, which I'm sure played a big part in inspiring me to be as creative as possible in my lessons and to ensure that my students feel comfortable and engaged at all times. I truly believe we learn better when we have fun.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  Patience, empathy and the ability to break things down into digestible chunks, are all very important. When I was at school, languages and art were subjects I sailed through, whereas mathematics, for example, was a constant struggle. My maths teachers seemed to lack the ability to put themselves in my shoes - I think they assumed that because an understanding of maths came so naturally to them it would be the same for everyone else, but that clearly was not the case! This experience has taught me the importance of being sympathetic to the challenges students often face when learning English and encourages me to try to find ways to simplify things as much as possible for them.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  A question I get asked A LOT by students is: "How long will it take me to get really good at English?" My response is always the same: It depends on you!
  I've met students who had been living in an English-speaking country for over ten years and were still struggling to communicate at a basic level despite going to language schools and hiring private tutors. Perhaps they thought that they would learn English almost magically, despite not making a concerted effort to practise it every day!
  However, I have also met students who reached an advanced level of English within months. One student who sticks in my mind was a young Japanese man called Jo who was virtually a beginner when he started taking English lessons with me. But within the space of only six months, he had reached near-proficiency. Was it a miracle? No, it was thanks to his genuine passion for the English language and huge levels of motivation. He took steps to ensure that he would be fully immersed in the culture of the language itself. For example, he chose to live with English-speaking housemates, socialised with native speakers on a regular basis, and every day he made a conscious effort to put into practice the grammar and vocabulary he was learning in his lessons. The result was resounding success!
  I believe that if Jo was able to do it, anybody can, by adopting a similar approach.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or still facing in your subject?

  One of the biggest challenges I have to deal with as a tutor is psychology. What I mean by this is that some of the students I work with struggle with low levels of confidence. Perhaps they've had negative learning experiences, or perhaps they are facing a lot of pressure to learn to speak English in a short space of time, and this makes them very anxious and therefore less likely to progress as quickly as they would like. That is why I believe that part of being a good tutor involves being a good psychologist! In other words, as I mentioned before, we need to understand where the student is coming from and be able to put ourselves in their shoes. So one of my roles as a tutor is helping students overcome their confidence issues and their fear of English, and showing them that it can be a really enjoyable and rewarding experience, which will completely change their perception of language learning for the better.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I feel incredibly blessed to be as passionate about my job today as I was when I first trained to become a teacher back in 2007. I love interacting with people of different cultures and backgrounds, I enjoy learning from them as well as teaching them, and it means a lot to me to know that I have been able to help someone with their school or university studies, with their business or with getting a job, or simply in helping them believe in themselves and their abilities. My other passion, as I mentioned before, is art, and I love how I am able to incorporate my creativity into my lessons to make teaching even more rewarding for me and engaging and stimulating for my students.

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions :-P)?

  In a nutshell: My genuine passion for teaching English and the fact I really care about my students.