Tom

As usual my session with Tom exceeded my expectations! I found Tom and started using him as my primary tutor through the Add1Challenge that Benny Lewis of Fluent In 3 Months hosts. The goal of the 90 day challenge is to be able to have a 15 minute conversation with a native speaker by the end of the 90 days! Even as a pure beginner, I was able to meet my goal with Tom's help! I can't thank him enough for all of his patience, encouragement, and language insights!

Just started my second package with Tom and I think he is simply the best conversation tutor on italki PERIOD. With him the lesson just flows, I think because his energy is so relaxed and makes you feel incredibly at ease and open to talking. Not only do I always have a blast talking to him, it’s really the method he uses recording his voice saying the corrected phrases that allows you to really learn the most you can from the session by re-listening as much as you want and reviewing the following days. Thank you for another great lesson Tom, you rock!

I've been having lessons with Tom for 6 months now and it's amazing how much my French has improved using his methods. I can now speak comfortably in French for the whole hour and we always have really interesting conversations. He has really helped me spend my time in the most effective ways possible, not just in French but in the other language I'm learning too.

I’ve had the pleasure of learning conversational French with Tom. His approach to teaching is both engaging and effective, making each lesson something to look forward to. Tom has a natural talent for breaking down complex concepts into simple, understandable pieces. His lessons are well-structured, with a clear focus on practical conversation skills, which has been incredibly helpful for real-life situations. What really sets Tom apart is his ability to tailor lessons to my specific needs and interests. Whether it’s focusing on pronunciation, or practicing real-life scenarios like having small talks at workplace, Tom adapts his teaching to ensure I’m learning what’s most relevant to me. Thanks to Tom, I’ve made significant progress in my French speaking abilities. I feel much more confident in my ability to hold a conversation in French, and I’m excited to continue learning and improving with his guidance.

Tom’s lessons are very practical and extremely helpful. I told him the situations I expected to be in, and he gave me simple phrases to use. He records the phrases he teaches you, so that you can later practice them with free software. This was a great way to solidify the things we covered. He’ll also do pretend conversations, so you get experience in situations, like asking for help when you don’t understand a train announcement. He’ll even do a pretend train announcement all fast and garbled, so you can only make out a few words, just like real life. He’s very flexible, and gave me vocabulary and advice for my particular situations, like renting hiking poles. I highly recommend him! Bon voyage!

Tom is easy to work with and gives solid practical advice. We practice conversations, and minutes after the lesson ends he sends me a new set of Anki flashcards to practice before the next lesson, which is a key for me. I am concentrating on speaking - how to speak naturally the way les français really do. I can learn vocab and grammar on my own, but it's not so easy to develop natural speaking habits from a book - Tom understands exactly what I need to work on during these sessions. Highly recommended.