Tutor Biography

Bonjour !

My name is Sarah and I’m a French native speaker. I like pastry and cake design, walks and hikes, to play the flute and the piano, to study ancient Greek and ancient Hebrew texts, and of course to teach French and share French culture ! I grew up in Strasbourg (a European capital) in the Alsatian region, so a few minutes from Germany. There, I understood from the age of 12 that I would become a French teacher, but I didn’t yet know that it would be with learners from all over the world…! Currently, I live in the south of France, near the French Riviera.

At the University, I first focused on French literature, then I turned to philosophy, and only after that I finally discovered a deep interest in French linguistics. Consequently, I completed a bachelor’s degree in language sciences at the University of Strasbourg, and this is when I discovered the amount of mechanisms we implement just by speaking, without even being aware of it. To speak fluently, we need to acquire more and more of these linguistic automatisms, in order to concentrate fully on the communication situation and on the meaning of what we want to say. I like helping others achieve this fluidity,  this is why I graduated with a Master 2 in teaching French as a Foreign Language at the University of Aix-Marseille. Besides, I obtained the BAFA (certification as a children’s animator) and I have been leading activities with children for several years.

I taught to African unaccompanied minors migrating to France and needing to speak French in order to find vocational training. Then, I taught to immigrants of various nationalities (Brazilian, Russian, Thai, Afghan, Moroccan,…) who were, for the most part, settling in France with their French spouse for several years and wanted to improve their language proficiency. During these experiences, I taught from level A1 to level B2. I adapted to the needs and wishes of my learners in order to help them achieve their goals. I like to do authentic activities (talk about real and current subjects, exchange real opinions and experiences, work on real French documents) and to approach language points very gradually. I like to introduce games and I make sure to create a very pleasant atmosphere during the language courses.

See you soon maybe on Skype or Zoom so that we can speak French together !