Alfonso

Hello everybody, (Hola a todos,)
My name is Alfonso, and I am a native speaker of Spanish with:

* a university (BEd) degree in teaching (primary education)
* a university (BA) degree in English (English language and literature)
* a master degree: MA Scientific and Technical Translation
* some training in teaching Spanish as a foreign language
(certificates available upon request)




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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

/// 1. What services do you offer? ///

I offer online tutoring to learners of Spanish, more precisely in the form of conversation lessons, i.e. classes where the main focus is speaking (but see also question 4 below). However, apart from using Skype, I also find it useful to make written notes during the lesson (using some web-based application like Google-Drive, where the student also can write), point out and explain grammar points, use visual material (image or pdf files), and even (if you wish to) take another approach and work on your writing skills (through Google-Drive).


/// 2. Can you travel to the student`s home? ///

No, sorry. Please, kindly note that I only teach online.


/// 3. What are some frequent speaking topics during the Spanish lessons? ///

As the student, it is basically you who chooses the topic we speak about. Here are some suggestions:

* Do you need to practise for a speaking exam that has a specific format, and a specific set of questions?
* Would you like to practise your Spanish as you speak about your job and work-related topics?
* Are you a healthcare professional, nurse, medical student or doctor...? I`m keenly interested in medical Spanish.
* Is there any vocabulary you need to practise in speaking?
* Would you just like to brush up your Spanish by speaking about a variety of everyday topics?
* What about using pictures or photographs as the starting point for our conversation...?
* Any other ideas...?

As for myself, I enjoy being able to talk about Christ and our faith. And even if this is not the main topic of a conversation, I am both glad and grateful to see how He is always present.


/// 4. I need to work on my writing in Spanish, and I also have some grammar and vocabulary doubts. Can you help me? ///

Yes, I can. Writing is something I can help you a lot with. In fact, I have completed an MA in translation and have experience as a translator too, so writing is one of my strengths. (For more details, please see question 1 above.) Besides, as a native Spanish speaker and because of my education, I can indeed help you with grammar and vocabulary as well.


/// 5. How is it you offer such low prices? ///

I offer tutoring services at a low price for several reasons.
One reason is that I think this allows a tutor to be able to work continually, hopefully with a stable group of students – of course, providing that the tutor can offer quality lessons, a trustworthy attitude and the necessary commitment to the students’ progress.

Secondly, tutoring is just a part-time job for me – I don’t mean to make a fortune with it! In fact, I gained a small part of my previous tutoring experience by teaching for free, in a kind of voluntary service. Truly, I’m used to working without thinking about big financial incentives.

Other considerations include the fact that I`m not really targeting a large number of potential `customers.` What`s more, with the financial scene being unstable at present, fewer people are able to afford high tuition rates (just think of those families or individuals in financial straits...). Clearly, being able to offer low prices benefits both my prospective students and myself. So, in any case, thanks for reading these lines!


/// 6. Just to help me decide: how can I find out more about you? ///

I`d encourage you to check out my blog, where you can find more information about me and get a better idea about my services. Please don`t hesitate to contact me if you wish, and I`ll send you my blog address (as you may know, tutors are not allowed to give URLs at this stage). That way, even if you don`t become one of my students in the end, you`ll still have access to some Spanish learning resources, which I offer on my blog for free!


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I look forward to meeting you, and hope you make good progress in your Spanish!

Availability: Monday to Saturday. Time of lesson to be agreed on with student.

Dispuesto a viajar: Home Only

Experiencia:Teaching experience:

* about two and a half years` experience teaching Spanish (approx. 540 hours) and Catalan (approx. 310 hours) in primary education schools, and tutoring groups of pupils
* some experience teaching Spanish to speakers of other languages (one individual so far) (approx. 30 hours)
* experience teaching English (as a foreign language) to teenagers and adults (approx. 240 hours).