My name is Jake and I'm a native English speaker from the United States! I'm grew up in Kentucky, but have lived in California and Massachusetts. Right now, I'm based in Istanbul, Turkey!
I love to learn about new people and cultures, which is one of the reasons I find travel and learning languages so inspiring. I also love to play tennis, practice yoga and to read about politics and history.
For a long time, I thought I was bad at learning languages. When I studied in school, I didn't have the confidence to speak. I was wrong. I started learning Russian on Italki from scratch and found really incredible teachers. Now I speak Russian every day and I want to help you speak English!
Ich als Lehrkraft
I have my BA from Bellarmine University and hold an Advanced Certificate for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Learning a new language is one of the most incredible ways to learn about people, explore new ways of thinking and challenge yourself to be better. As a teacher, I believe that it's my responsibility to help my students find their motivation and make their English language learning journey fun, engaging and attainable.
I have worked in education for the last six years and have taught English to non-native speakers in Ukraine and online. I have experience teaching advanced speakers and complete beginners. As a teacher, I work to make myself approachable, open and adaptable.
Meine Stunden und mein Unterrichtsstil
I like to create lessons based on my students' interests, but always place an emphasis on speaking, even in grammar lessons. For conversational classes, I prefer preparing topics in advance to help ease any anxiety or nervousness my student may have. You'll feel comfortable from our first lesson forward- speaking with a native speaker doesn't have to be scary.
I often assign homework to build reading and listening skills, but understand that my students are busy and sometimes life may get in the way.
I can have experience teaching courses for children, interview skills, university admissions, test preparation and pronunciation.