Ruth

Ruth is an experienced and qualified French and Spanish tutor with a lifelong passion for languages. She has taught across a range of educational settings and now balances her time between tutoring and writing.

Ruth teaches: 13+ French, 13+ Spanish, GCSE French, GCSE Spanish, AS/A Level French, AS/A Level Spanish

''Ruth is a great teacher, successfully developing my son's self-confidence in written and spoken French when preparing for his scholarship exam at 13+. She discovered his best learning style, giving him the freedom to learn to the best of his ability with the needed results. Highly recommended.''

Dragon School Parent

About Ruth:

Experience
Biography
Approach to Tutoring
When not tutoring

Experience

- 13+ French

- 13+ Spanish

- GCSE French

- GCSE Spanish

- A Level French

- A Level Spanish

I started my teaching career as a French and German teacher at the Dragon School in Oxford, where I taught French to Years 5 to 7 and German to Years 7 to 8. I also coached the U11C girls’ netball team and supervised pen pal club. I tutored a student in French, whilst he prepared for his scholarship to Magdalen College School

I went on to work at Wetherby Prep in London, where I taught French to Years 3 to 7. Several parents approached me and asked me to tutor their sons, so I tutored three Year 4s to increase their confidence in French. I was delighted to see their results improve. I also tutored a Year 7 for two years, helping him to prepare for his 13+ Common Entrance exam

Keen to learn more about teaching, I went on to do a PGCE in Secondary Education (French and Spanish) at Roehampton University, where I gained a 2.1 and was rated outstanding for my teaching practice

Ready for a new challenge, I took a job at Nonsuch High School for Girls, where I taught Spanish to GCSE level and French to A level. I was second in department and in charge of GCSE Help Club. As a Year 13 tutor I was responsible for the wellbeing of 15 teenagers and examined their extended project A level. My A level students gained the best results that the school had seen for French

I spent the following summer running seminars on education at the India Montessori Centre in Kolkata and teaching English at the Hope Foundation. I enjoyed looking at education through a different lens

Biography

I was born in London and grew up in Oxford, spending a year at a French school in Grenoble when I was 15. I studied French and Spanish at the University of Oxford, then had a varied career, starting off in Marketing and Events, then studying International Relations in Vienna.

I took what initially started off as a temporary job as a teacher, but so enjoyed it that I went on to take on a permanent position, study for a PGCE then teach in a Secondary School, alongside tutoring. Keen to use my Master's degree, I went on to pursue a career in the Civil Service, however this became more and more of a desk job with less and less human interaction.

My husband is a chef; together we decided to have a lifestyle change and run a pub in rural Shropshire. This turned out to be a huge challenge in a difficult working environment, so after a year we moved to Bristol. On reflection, I realised that teaching was the most rewarding and enjoyable job I have done, so I am excited to be tutoring again.

Approach to Tutoring

I like to begin by getting to know the student and understanding their strengths and weaknesses in my subjects. I appreciate that languages are not for everyone, so am patient with students and take the time to understand what they need to work on and how best to do that. When appropriate I use games and memory techniques to enhance learning. I really love French and Spanish and am keen to share my enthusiasm with my students.

When not tutoring

I am currently writing a book, so I split my time between writing and tutoring. When I am not writing or tutoring I enjoy doing yoga, swimming, playing the ukulele and exploring the Bristol food scene.

What clients say about Ruth:

Dragon School Parent

''Ruth encouraged my son by reading appropriate French children’s books together, which made him develop an interest in the subject. This resulted in him gaining a lot of confidence (both in French and overall) and achieving high marks in French - something we never thought would happen!''

Wetherby Prep School Parent

''Ruth was my son’s French tutor over a period of two years when he was in Year 4 and Year 5. Before she began tutoring him, he found French difficult and the teaching at school too severe for a young mind. Ruth was gentle and made French classes fun, whilst also being firm and methodical.''

Wetherby Prep School Parent

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