About
Being a European person who has had to deal with different languages for many years I can say that I have a talent to convince people to learn a language in a fun and stimulating way. Since I was very young I loved everything that had to do with languages and so far I have had nothing but success and joy in educating people of all ages and at all levels. I have worked as a tutor in Europe (10 years+) and am currently a tutor (5 years) here in the US (on-line and one-on-one). I have had many years of experience and I have always had a genuine passion for my job. My lessons are tailor-made and I have the capability of teaching beginners, intermediate or advanced students. I try to incorporate a mix of grammar, reading comprehension, speaking, analyzing music, social media, playing Bingo using language .. you name it! I love to make my lessons exciting and most of all enjoyable to everyone.
Here is my Website:
mimihussa.wixsite.com/tutoring
What I like most about the work I do is that I am doing a job I really love. I have always had a strong passion for languages and I would consider myself as being a people person and that combination has always worked very well for me. I also enjoy the challenge it brings along and I really thrive on having contact with my students. Another thing I enjoy most about the work I do is that it makes me feel so happy and satisfied every time I see an improvement in someone's language skills. I love my job because I am in charge of determining what I feel is important for someone to get to the next level. I also enjoy being very creative in my job by making the lessons fun and exciting by using different tools. I personally think I have the best job in the world and there is nothing bettere than doing a job you love.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
First of all I will do an evaluation to see in which category the new student falls. If it happens to be a Beginner I will try to keep my instructions very clear and to the point. The most important thing of all is to stay very positive and to encourage the student as much as I can. I am very aware of the fact that learning a new language can be very overwhelming and intimidating. With a Beginner I will lay out a plan and a goal that we both want to reach. I usually start focusing on pronunciation first and let him/her repeat what I say. I will always encourage him/her as much as possible. After the pronunciation part I will focus on teaching basic verbs, nouns, etc. and give him/her lots of time to repeat and practise what he/she has just learned. Repetition is a key ingredient needed to learn languages and obtain a fluent level. It is also crucial for me as a teacher to make the lessons fun and entertaining.
I would use the same encouraging method with a new Intermediate or Advanced student. In this case I would try to focus on his/her specific needs and his/her weak points. Here I will always use different tools and focus on repeating sounds, teaching some grammar, do reading comprehension, focus on speech, analyse songs, use Social Media etc. It is very important that the lessons have some variation. I will also give homework to the student after each lesson and encourage him/her to listen to the language they're learning for 15mins a day if possible. This can be done by watching foreign movies, listen to a radio program or channel that is in the language you are learning, listen to foreign songs, use Social media that can help you improve your skills. There are many language platforms that can also help a student succeed by using Rosetta Stone, Duo Lingua, Inlingua and many more. It is crucial to have some kind of contact with the foreign language on daily basis.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a degree in Business Administration in combination with 4 foreign languages (French, Dutch, English and German) that I obtained in Brussels, Belgium.
As you may know Belgium is a bilingual country. The languages spoken there are Dutch and French. I can also add that only 3% of the population speaks German.
I also worked in Sedan, France for three executive summers as a language guide in a castle dating from the Middle Ages.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Between $35 and $45 per student/45minutes depending on the circumstances.
My lessons are always 45minutes long and not longer because learning a foreign language can be challenging and tiring at times. Through the years I have seen better results if the lesson is 45minutes long instead of 1hour.
How did you get started teaching?
Because I started off learning/speaking different languages from a very young age and because I enjoyed it so much it was almost a given that I would specialize in becoming a language tutor/teacher one day. Thanks to one of my cousins who worked as a French language teacher in the International school in Waterloo in Brussels I was very inspired to start teaching. I started out teaching French to some young children who lived close to our house and the rest is history.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with all ages and all levels. I have worked with very young students (from age 5), elementary school, middle school, highschool, university students and adults.
While I was living in Belgium I was working with a lot of International students who were doing the IB program at the Antwerp International school in Antwerp, Belgium.
Two years ago I taught French for a beginner/intermediate class for adults (group lesson) at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in Charlotte, NC.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
When we moved to the US almost 5 years ago from Europe we moved to Texas where I had my first student in the US for French tutoring. We started off on a one on one basis for a year in Texas and it went very well. I loved my student and we bonded right away. We then moved to Charlotte after that year and I continued tutoring her via Zoom (on-line) for several years. She graduated from high school last year and is now at University. Her mother has become my student now and she has become such a dear friend to me. I am so happy that her Mom and I can continue French lessons on Zoom .. this will be my 5th year teaching French with the same family.
I also met a very nice family two years ago who needed French and Dutch tutoring here in Charlotte. The wonderful thing is that we have become such close friends in these past two years. They moved to Raleigh recently and we still continue our lessons via Zoom every week.
I am very fond of the fact that I have become such good friends with both families through my teaching job.
I can also add that this has happened to me many times in the past. I am still in contact with many of my previous students.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
I would recommend him/her to find a person who has had many years of experience in the field. It would also be very helpful if the teacher has some connection with the language. What I mean by that is that that teacher will have spent some time in the country/countries where the language is spoken. A teacher that comes from the country where the language is spoken is even better. The most important thing is to find a teacher who is passionate and devoted to his/her job.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
What are their main objectives in learning a foreign language?
What will it take from the student and the teacher to meet these objectives?