Arina

Dedicated educator qualified in the UK and Australia. Passionate about working with young and adult learners. Strong commitment to individual development of each student through fostering positive learning experiences. Effective communicator across cultures and age groups. Taught in Sydney, Australia; Krakow, Poland, and London, UK.

About me

I've been a student for a long time, and I truly understand what it is like to crave academic success.
My academic career wasn’t a smooth one. I studied architecture and realised it wasn't for me. I studied management but was not very interested in the subject at that time. Then finally, I realised that I wanted to study Fine Arts, and since then I had no doubts. This realisation gave me so much drive, motivation and energy to achieve what I wanted. My primary goal was to excel in the subjects such as contemporary art practice and art history. I was so passionate during my degree, and I worked non-stop. I was always at the studio perfecting my artworks and writing numerous essays.

My efforts did not go to waste. I found many wonderful people to collaborate with. I discovered completely unexpected areas of research that helped me develop my ideas and show them to the world. I was alert, alive and had a sense of great purpose in life. I was studying hard and was never afraid to ask questions. I always looked for a supportive environment where people could help me implement my ideas.

Tutoring Experience

English as a Foreign Language teacher (2005 - current)

• Analysing individual needs of every student and creating a learning program to meet their needs
• Teaching adults and young learners
• Teaching monolingual and multilingual groups classes
• Teaching English for Academic Purposes to learners who study for their bachelor’s or master’s degree
• Teaching General English and Business English using the integrative approach (i.e. combining speaking, listening, writing and reading skills)
• Assisting students in integrating into the British culture by providing systematic practice of speaking in various social scenarios
• Preparing for IELTS, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, B1 Preliminary, B2 First, C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency and OET
• Consistently providing students with homework and extensive feedback on their speaking and writing skills
• Teaching English speaking, writing, reading and listening to primary school students using Total Physical Response in combination with art and craft techniques
• Teaching English writing, literary and poetry analysis to secondary school students

Academic writing and study skills tutor (2016 – current) providing guidance on

• How to meet the requirements of university assignments
• How to structure: reflective, argumentative and critical analysis writing; reports, grant proposals, personal statements, abstracts, summaries, and multimodal assignments
• Grammatical, lexical and stylistic accuracy
• How to accurately reference according to APA, Chicago, Harvard and MLA styles
• The whole writing process: brainstorming ideas, putting them in writing; creating the first draft, doing research and taking notes; editing the draft, seeking advice from peers, academics and industry experts; finalising the draft, getting the assignment ready for submission
• Time management strategies and study skills techniques

School English tutor (2016 – current)

• Teaching how to write and analyse various text types (narrative, persuasive writing, information report)
• Teaching students according to the national curriculum
• Preparing students for 7+ Exam, 10+ Exam and 11+ Exam
• Teaching phonics to Year 1 and Year 2 students
• Mentoring students on how to build relationships with peers at school and how to work cooperatively with peers and teachers
• Communicating with parents to provide them with an update on their child's progress

Art tutor (2005; 2015 – current) teaching:

• Figurative drawing and painting
• Female and male portrait
• Drawing and painting landscape, cityscape, seascape and still life
• Impressionism, expressionism, surrealism, cubism, abstraction, conceptual art, minimalism and relational art
• Clay sculpture: human form and animals
• Watercolour, acrylic and mixed media painting techniques
• Pencil, charcoal and ink drawing techniques
• Art theory and history
• Art portfolio preparation (university entry, a job application, galleries and art dealers)

Russian as a Foreign Language tutor (2011 – current)
• General Russian
• Business Russian
• Russian for adults
• Russian for young learners (4 – 17 years old)
• Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9-1) in Russian (1RU0)
• The Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL)

Schools & colleges teaching experience

English for Specific Purposes teacher
The University of Cambridge, UK, 2023 - 2024
• Worked with multilingual groups of 3 – 20 learners with beginner to advanced levels of English
• Developed learners’ communicative competence through a role play and task-based learning using these topics: health, daily routine, everyday problems, hobbies and travel

EFL Teacher
International House London, Ellesmere, UK (July - August 2019)
• Taught EFL to 8 - 9 and 14 - 15 years old; taught art to 13 - 17 years old
• Incorporated game-based learning strategies to engage students of all levels
• Created highly immersive environment where students worked in small teams, pairs and individually
• Using the theory of multiple intelligences, organised project-based learning

Casual Teacher
NSW Department of Education, Sydney, Australia (July 2017 - July 2018)
• Taught Levels 1- 3 (Intensive English Centre) and Year 7-12 (High School), and Special Education classes
• Taught ESL, English, history, art and drama classes

Classroom Teacher
Chatswood Intensive English Centre, Sydney, Australia (October - December 2017)
• Designed learning programs suitable for students aged 12 - 18
• Taught art, ESL, ICT and music
• Elaborated schemes for formative and summative assessments based on the Intensive English Program Curriculum Framework (Secondary) that balanced structure and flexibility to ensure every student could succeed

Russian Language Teacher
BigWorld Pty Ltd (August 2013 - September 2017)
• Taught beginners and intermediate level learners
• Created online quizzes, videos, and presentations to encourage students to study independently
• Organised cultural events

Tutoring Approach

• Using visual and audio material to accelerate learning
• Catering for a diverse range of learning needs in an interactive way that promotes students’ engagement
• Analysing individual needs of students and meticulously tailoring lesson plans to address these needs
• Consistently providing students with homework and extensive feedback
• Assisting students in their careers

One-on-one lessons

30 minutes (under 8 y.o.): £25; 5 lessons: £115 | 10 lessons: £225
45 minutes: £35 | 5 lessons: £165 | 10 lessons: £315
60 minutes: £45 | 5 lessons: £210 | 10 lessons: £400
90 minutes: £60 | 5 lessons: £285 | 10 lessons: £540
120 minutes: £80 | 5 lessons: £380 | 10 lessons: £720

A lesson with 2 or 3 learners
60 minutes: £25 per learner

Please, enquire about group lessons as the rate will depend on the number of students in the group, on the location of classes, and on learning objectives of the group.