Tess W.
About Me
Lessons
Availability
Reviews
Visited an hour ago
Tess W.
Professional Teacher![]()
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
German
Specialties
KidsCELTA & MA-qualified. italki since 2018. Adults, teens, interactive kids' lessons. Patient, friendly
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
German
Specialties
KidsCELTA & MA-qualified. italki since 2018. Adults, teens, interactive kids' lessons. Patient, friendly
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
Resume & Certificates
From United KingdomLiving in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom (11:31 UTC+01:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Oct 25, 2018InterestsArtWritingReadingTravelFilms & TV Series
I am a friendly and professional teacher with years of classroom and online experience, and lessons with me will be enjoyable and varied because you learn best when you are happy and relaxed.
A native English speaker with a CELTA and a Cambridge Young Learners certificate, as well as a BA in English and a Master's in Creative Writing, I have worked at an international school in Hong Kong, a UK primary school, as an online children's demo teacher with Hujiang Ed. Tech., and at International House in Newcastle.
I also used to be a financial editor in top Hong Kong and London stockbrokers. Now I'm a full-time writer and English teacher, helping people with their language skills.Me as a Teacher
Children and younger teens: I use the first lesson with your child to assess their current level and needs. Then we follow the Abridge Academy curriculum, with supplementary material, to help them improve their skills and confidence in a fun and structured way. I will send a simple link and instructions to Koala Go for fully interactive lessons, but I can use the italki classroom if needed.
Adults: Before your first lesson, I can send you an evaluation test to identify your level and any problem areas. We'll look at your results together and I'll show you how to improve your spoken communication skills, functional language, grammar and writing.My lessons & teaching style
Adults and older teens: I use an online platform called Off2class with hundreds of interesting lessons providing a structured and personalised learning plan. I'll give feedback during the lesson and a homework task to consolidate your learning. Lesson topics range from books and theatre to the environment and politics.
I also use video lessons from Fluentize and ESL Brains to help with your listening comprehension, and news articles from Engoo and other sources to stimulate discussions.
PLEASE NOTE: I prefer Zoom for adult/older teen lessons but can use the italki classroom if required.
For children and younger teens, I use the Koala Go fully interactive platform and Abridge Curriculum.My teaching material
- PDF file
- Text Documents
- Presentation slides/PPT
- Audio files
- Image files
- Video files
- Flashcards
- Articles and news
- Quizzes
- Homework Assignments
Certificates
TKT YL - Cambridge Assessment English - 2018I passed the TKT for Young Learners and Children at the highest grade (Band 4) and this has helped me with my online K12 teaching.
Certificate verified
CELTA - Cambridge Assessment English - 2018I achieved an A pass in the CELTA. It was a four-week intensive course with practical assessed classroom teaching to actual students of English as a Foreign Language. It qualifies me to teach EFL/ESL to adults throughout the world.
Certificate verified
TKT (Teaching Knowledge Test) Young Learners - International House, Newcastle - 2018TKT assessed my knowledge of English language teaching. It included three core modules: language learning theory, lesson planning, and classroom management. Two specialist modules focused on teaching young learners (YL) and using CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning). It enhanced my CELTA knowledge and prepared me for working online as a specialist demo teacher with Hujiang and in-person at International House Newcastle. I also did a safeguarding certificate with the British Council.
Certificate verified
Teaching experience
2018 - Current
Professional TeacherI have worked on italki since 2018, teaching mainly adults but also children and teenagers. A new package for teens and children is available now.
Education
1985 - 1988
Bachelor’s - EnglishI studied English and Related Literature at one of the best universities in the country, looking at English and American Literature, and also Anglo-Saxon writings.
2022 - 2024
Master's - Creative WritingI studied part-time for my Master's Degree while teaching and gained a Distinction. I also won the Academic Prize for Best Overall Performance in my year.
Work Experience
2018 - 2021
English TeacherI taught English to adults and young learners from all over the world. This included grammar, reading comprehension, pronunciation, listening, speaking and writing. I worked in a classroom environment and also in one-to-one study periods.
2018 - 2019
Specialist online teacherI delivered hundreds of online lessons, using a webcam and a modern interactive learning platform. Online teaching demands different skills from more traditional classroom teaching, engaging students and building rapport remotely. I'm pleased to be able to transfer this experience to you here on italki.
1988 - 1990
TEFL TeacherI worked in a private international school teaching young learners from throughout South East Asia. This gave me a good understanding of the particular problems that students from different cultures encounter when learning English.
1990 - 2018
Editor and proofreaderI have worked for many years as an editor and proofreader, both of financial research for blue chip companies and of fiction. I am also a writer and blogger. I can help you here on italki with your writing and editing skills, taking your use of English to a higher level.
5.0
Rating
77
Students
3,266
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate
English Lessons
Trial Lesson
36 lessons completed
USD 14.00+
Adults - Improve your speaking skills and confidence in English
A2 - C2Language Essentials1,166 lessons completed
USD 22.00+
Package with 5% off
Kids - from 5 to 15 - reading, writing, speaking, listening
A1 - C2Kids970 lessons completed
USD 17.00+
Package with 9% off
Grammar and General English - a structured course of lessons
A1 - C1Language Essentials227 lessons completed
USD 23.00+
Package with 4% off
Proofreading and Editing
B1 - C2Language Essentials9 lessons completed
USD 25.00+
NEW Literature for adults and teens - your one to one book club!
B2 - C2Language Essentials0 lessons completed
USD 22.00+
Package with 3% off
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
138 Reviews
Regina
256 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Tess is the best English teacher ever!!!
Dec 2, 2024
giacomo ambrosi
232 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
Tess is really wonderfull. You can see she loves her job, she is really concerned about her students. I was really lucky to find her. Absolutely recommended
Jun 24, 2019
Regina
256 English lessons
Tess is a fantastic and diligent teacher. I love our classes.
Feb 14, 2024
Bongseok, Song
387 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
This teacher is the best. Take this class.
Apr 10, 2024
Regina
256 English lessons
The best English teacher I have ever had!!
Feb 21, 2025
Regina
256 English lessons
Tess is a wonderful teacher. She is the best English teacher I have ever had.
Jan 19, 2024
Trial Lesson
USD 14.00
Your final payment will be made in USD