Cheryl

I am a Native English speaker, in fact I grew up bilingual, speaking Afrikaans as well. I can also speak conversational Spanish and I am learning to speak Portuguese. I have a great love of different cultures and languages and would love to expand on my experiences of this. I have always been passionate about helping people, from the time when I was giving them financial advice and helping them with their investments and future planning. This was expanded when I could help them find their dream homes and developed further when I started training others on customer service and how to help their own clients. What really cemented this dream for me was when I started training professionals online all over the world. I could see the difference I was making in their professional lives by helping them to gain confidence in speaking English and to develop their skills in order to further their careers. My qualifications include a degree in Financial Wealth Management and a TEFL qualification, as well as certifications in TEYL, Business English, and Online Teaching. I have been a Corporate English Trainer (exclusively online) for the last 2 years, working with individuals and groups of up to six people. Additionally, I have trained adult groups (15-30 students) in Customer Relations, Sales, and Contract Negotiation for the past three years. I have been homeschooling my children since 2016, and they have just completed stage 4 of the Cambridge Curriculum. My one daughter is on the autism spectrum and one has dyslexia. My experience in helping them to overcome such an obstacle on their learning journeys, has taught me a lot, including understanding the challenges involved and the patience required to help them to achieve their goals. I've taught English as a Foreign Language online to children ranging from 6 to 12, using various methodologies and styles, with my own lesson plans that I have setup based on the parent’s and children’s objectives and in line with the ESL guidelines and matrix structure. I give constant feedback to the parents on their progress and make any necessary adjustments. Although this is a completely different experience from teaching adults, you are still enhancing their confidence. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you see the light go on in their eyes when something finally makes sense and they can use what they have learnt with confidence. It is so important to ensure that the environment you create when teaching makes your student feel safe and at ease with you. I have seen that I am able to read people very well and to pick up on cues that indicate if they are struggling or not feeling comfortable. I then do my best to engage with them on their level by casually talking about things of interest to them and relating some personal experiences that can show I relate to them. I avoid asking questions that make them uncomfortable and make sure to respect any requests that they make regarding the lessons or material as well as the teaching environment. Furthermore, speaking to my language skills, I speak South African Sign Language and have spent years assisting the deaf community with educational work. I am a driven and focused person that likes to tackle challenges and tasks assigned to me. I also have a fun and creative side that helps me to relate to others and to put them at ease. I am also intent on making sure that I help the people around me achieve their best and reach their potential. This translates whether I am dealing with clients, colleagues or students. It has always been my passion to help people to achieve their goals and I have discovered through teaching and training; I am able to help children and adults to achieve theirs. Due to my many years of experience in the business world, I am able to coach students to achieve their goals as well.