About

Clare Catchpole

My Teaching

I have over 15 years of experience teaching English, helping learners to become confident communicators. Over the years I have taught in a variety of organisations and businesses, as well as giving private lessons for adults and children. As well as teaching general conversational English I can also equip learners in more specific areas such as for work or for studies including preparation for exams or interviews.

You can read some feedback from former students on the Testimonials page.

To help students become confident communicators in English it is important to tailor each lesson not just to their language needs but also their interests. I do this by listening carefully and encouraging students to give feedback on lesson content. I try to use a variety of carefully selected materials, rather than one single course book. Sometimes I even write my own tailor-made materials in order to ensure they are both current and relevant to my students.

You can find examples of materials I have written in my blog and on the Resources page.

My Studies & Interests

I have always been fascinated by languages, I started teaching myself Italian aged 8, then at school I learnt Latin and French as well as English, of course. Then when I lived in Prague I studied both Czech and Hungarian, and since moving to Nice I have learnt to speak French.

Learning other languages has helped me become an empathetic teacher, because I understand how it feels to struggle to find the right words and the frustration of misunderstanding what someone is saying. I’ve been able to continue to grow as a teacher through Professional Development courses and research over the past few years.

I am originally from England, and as well as language learning and teaching I’ve always been passionate about music: I studied violin from an early age, and throughout my school years I attended music courses and played in youth orchestras. After graduating with a BA degree in Music from York University I spent a couple of years working as a freelance musician in London. In 1999 I moved to Limerick, Ireland, where I earned my MA in classical viola. From there, I moved to Prague, Czech Republic, which is where I discovered my aptitude for teaching English, while still continuing my musical pursuits.

After returning to London in 2005, I continued to work in education but this time as a Project Manager for arts education at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Barbican Centre. This taught me a lot of skills relating to working across art forms in a world class conservatoire and arts centre, but also about the incredible role that the arts can play in learning, not just encouraging creativity and developing skills, but also building confidence in communication and collaboration.

For the past six years, I have been living in Nice, France, where I teach English as a Foreign Language. I continue to enjoy making music, playing Irish folk music on the violin.