Dr Alison Le Cornu
Visited 17 hours ago
Dr Alison Le Cornu
Professional Teacher![]()
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
Spanish
Other
Highly qualified and experienced teacher with strong academic background
Teaches
English
Native
Speaks
French
Spanish
Other
Highly qualified and experienced teacher with strong academic background
From United KingdomLiving in Oxford, United Kingdom (13:22 UTC+01:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Oct 18, 2019Interest topicPets & AnimalsTravelMusic
Hello! My name is Alison and I’m from a little island called Jersey, but I’ve lived in the lovely city of Oxford for 20 years now. I’ve been an enthusiastic English teacher for the whole of my adult life, interspersing teaching English with working in a variety of UK universities.
I’m a musician. I like all sorts of music, but am most familiar with classical music. I used to be a good French Horn player and organist, but now I focus mostly on singing and I sing with one of Oxford’s big choirs. I go to the gym two or three times a week, and love travelling to different places. Living abroad is one of the real bonuses of teaching English and I've lived in France, Spain, the USA and the UK.Me as a Teacher
I’m a highly-qualified and enthusiastic teacher with lots of experience of teaching in all sorts of situations, most recently in UK universities. I enjoy the variety that English teaching offers: multilingual and monolingual classes; individual one-to-one classes as well as small and large groups; general English as well as English for specific purposes such as business, government, university study and public speaking. I work hard to make sure I target your needs and ambitions, am always willing to do some personal research if necessary, and have an excellent track record of success. For that reason, I am a popular and respected teacher. Try me out. You'll be amazed!My lessons & teaching style
I aim to personalise my lessons and be clear about what I want to achieve with you. My antennae are always up, evaluating whether the work I’m doing for you is meeting your needs, at the right level, and is relevant and interesting. I spot mistakes you regularly make and address them quickly, while ensuring that I maintain a healthy balance between error correction and fluency. My emphasis is on you, and on ensuring that you are able to listen, speak, read and write in English. We will have a lot of fun too! I have a good sense of humour and my lessons are full of laughter. I use activities such as role plays, discussions and real-life scenarios to encourage you to practice your speaking.My teaching material
- PDF file
- Text Documents
- Presentation slides/PPT
- Video files
- Articles and news
- Quizzes
- Homework Assignments
Certificates
PhD - University of Surrey, UK - 2004Six years of part-time study to gain a doctorate in adult education.
Certificate verified
MSc - University of Surrey, UK - 1998A full Master of Science degree in Applied Professional Studies in Education and Training. This focused on teaching adults, and I studied it by distance learning while working full time in Spain.
Certificate verified
DELTA - Royal Society of Arts - 1990This is the higher of two standard TEFL qualifications required for teachers in British Council accredited schools. It involved a full year of distance learning study while working full time in France teaching English to non-native speakers. I had regular observations, together with feedback, and had a final examination lesson, for which I was awarded a distinction.
Certificate verified
CELTA - Royal Society of Arts - 1986A one-month preparatory course for the teaching of English as a Foreign Language to Adults.
Certificate verified
Work Experience
1986 - 1987
General teacher of English as a Foreign LanguageThis is where I developed my passion for teaching English to non-native speakers. I developed my teaching skills as well as my understanding of English, with all its eccentricities!
1987 - 1988
General English teacherAt International House I began to understand that teaching English to non-native speakers could perhaps become my career. I was well supported with additional training and given a lot of encouragement to experience teaching in other countries and to speakers of a variety of different languages rather than to mono-lingual classes.
1988 - 1991
General English teacher and Senior teacherIn Angers, in additional to continuing teaching mono-lingual groups, I expanded my experience by teaching in companies (Cointreau, Bull, La Caval, Les Compagnons de Devoir) and by giving private classes to individuals. I also did some teaching of younger learners. While in Angers I completed my RSA Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults.
1991 - 1994
General English teacherI taught general English classes in the evenings to mixed nationality groups in Enfield College which is a Further Education College. This developed my understanding of some of the challenges of teaching mixed nationality groups as well as my understanding of specific L1 challenges.
1991 - 1994
General English teacherInternational House provided me, as previously, with a strong developmental support and I was able to engage with experienced teachers and academics in the field, as well as observe and learn from colleagues. My practice was greatly enhanced.
2000 - 2002
General English teacherAgain, I taught evening classes at a Further Education College, refreshing and developing my teaching skills and knowledge and understanding of my language.
2008 - 2008
Teacher of English for Academic PurposesWhile working as a lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, I had the opportunity to teach English for Academic Purposes to students whose first language was not English and who needed support either in advance of attending the University or during their studies. This introduced me to a completely different dimension of English language teaching.
2019 - 2022
General English teacher; Director of StudiesMy work with CES since the beginning of March 2019 has been a great way of returning to teaching English to non-native speakers after a break of about 10 years. I have refreshed my teaching skills as well as my familiarity with course materials and current thinking about best teaching practices. I have had excellent staff development opportunities and have attended conferences and workshops, as well as learning from and (I hope) contributed to the learning of my colleagues.
2023 - 2023
Teacher of English as a Foreign Language
5.0
Rating
74
Students
1,834
Lessons
100%
Attendance
100%
Response
English Lessons
Trial Lesson
36 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Communication and fluency lessons (for existing students who began lessons with me before July 31st 2020)
B1 - C2Language Essentials213 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Package with 20% off
Academic English coaching - undergraduate
B2 - C2Conversation46 lessons completed
USD 30.00
Package with 10% off
Academic English coaching - postgraduate
B2 - C2Conversation191 lessons completed
USD 20.00+
Package with 12% off
General English lessons (new students enrolling with me from August 1st 2020 onwards)
A2 - B2Language Essentials376 lessons completed
USD 18.00+
Package with 8% off
Communication and fluency lessons (new students enrolling from August 1st 2020 onwards)
B1 - C2Language Essentials40 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
Package with 10% off
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
206 Reviews
Sandra
6 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
I so much love today’s lesson!every student should come to you, I had fun with today's class, my mouth is still sounding TH 😆 smooth. see you soon
Jan 10, 2020
Andrey Myachkov
1 English lesson
Teacher’s pick
What a great lesson! I enjoyed every minute and it's because Alison is very kind, smart and open person. Apart from it she is a wonderful teacher and there's no doubt I'll take another lesson in the future! Alison, you're a legend!
Dec 18, 2019
Quanzhi
94 English lessons
Teacher’s pick
I am studying with Alison to prepare myself for some university admissions interviews. I had only expected to improve my oral English by this. But her lessons have surpassed my expectation. As a scholar, Alison is academically savvy, and able to ask me questions and provide me with responses in a way that truly simulates the real interviews. Our conversation was demanding but also highly rewarding. In short, I consier myself very lucky to have been coached by her. I look forward to our future lessons.
Nov 7, 2019
Andrei Aseev
177 English lessons
I am happy that having seen each other again, we found each other in good health and I hope to continue these meetings.
May 27, 2022
Eunji Lee
15 English lessons
The Best teacher!
Apr 2, 2022
Trial Lesson
USD 15.00
Your final payment will be made in USD