Italian and English Language Tutor Serena from Vancouver

Italian and English Language Tutor Serena from Vancouver, BC
Name Serena B. Recommended
City Vancouver, BC
Teaching Italian, English
Native Language Italian
Originally From Switzerland
Working With Youth, Adults, Groups
Levels I Teach Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Lessons Take Place Learner's Home or Work, Public Place, Online
Review Rating
Hourly Rate C$40

Hi! I'm Serena, an Italian native speaker and a qualified English teacher. I have a Bachelor's degree in languages and cultures and I speak 6 languages (beside Italian, English, Spanish, German, French and Brazilian Portuguese). I'm passionate about everything related to languages, that's why I would love to accompany you in the rewarding path of learning a new language and culture.

Education / Certificates

I obtained the certificate FILIS (Intercultural Instructor of Italian as a foreign language) by the University of Insubria (Como, Italy).
I'm a CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults - Cambridge) qualified teacher. 

Professional Experience

I have 5+ years experience in teaching Italian to elementary to advanced students of all ages (5-70) both in person and online. I work for the Italian Cultural Centre and the Dante Alighieri Italian school in Vancouver. Moreover, I'm in charge of the PLIDA certification (required to obtain the Italian citizenship).

Previously, I worked as a journalist/editor for the Italian staff of the Swiss News Agency for almost 6 years.

I taught English to pre and upper-intermediate students for the Oxford TEFL (groups from 3 to 10 people).

Teaching Approach

Easy and friendly approach. Focus on conversation and pronunciation. Personalized lessons. Possibility of small groups lessons too. 
Preparation to PLIDA exams.

Availability

I am quite flexible with days and times.

Teaching Place(s)

We can meet in public places or perhaps even in your office or home. Online lessons via Skype or Zoom.

Location on the Map
Profile Details
Listed 6 years, Updated 10 months ago | Seen Active - 3 months ago
Reviews
14 reviews available.

Patrick G.

Verified
Highly recommend!
3 months ago

I can’t recommend Serena enough for learning Italian! She is incredibly patient, making learning less intimidating and more enjoyable. No matter how many questions I have or how many times I need something explained, she always takes the time to ensure I understand. She’s also very flexible with scheduling and adapts her lessons to suit my learning style and pace. Another great aspect of her teaching is she occasionally plans outings where we can practice Italian in real-life settings, which adds a fun and practical dimension to the learning experience. Her encouragement and positive attitude make each session productive and enjoyable!


Clarice M.

Verified
Excellent!!
9 months ago

Serena is incredibly patient, kind, and friendly. She was always invested in my success in learning Italian and established a very inviting and judgement-free learning space. She made sure classes were interactive, incorporating listening, speaking, and writing components into the lessons, and I always looked forward to meeting with her for our classes. I can confidently say I was able to learn a strong intermediate level of Italian through her, allowing me to communicate easily in Italian with native speakers of the language. I could not recommend a tutor more!


Anna G.

Verified
Wonderful tutor!
3 years ago

It has been a pleasure to work with Serena on developing my Italian language skills. Serena possesses the qualities required of an excellent instructor. She is organized, prepared and reliable. Her lessons are well-planned and incorporate a variety of techniques and formats. I have appreciated Serena‘s individualized approach in addressing my evolving needs and objectives. Serena‘s greatest strength, however, is in her ability to connect. She is a fun conversationalist and is encouraging and respectful when providing feedback. Serena is genuinely interested in getting to know and in learning from her students. I am fortunate to have found such a dedicated language tutor. Mille grazie, Serena.


Adi M.

Verified
Outstanding!
4 years ago

Serena has been tutoring me in Italian for several months now and I could not be more pleased. I'm a busy physician mom and she's very flexible with my schedule. She is organized, thorough, knowledgeable, funny and patient. I have learned so much in just a few short months. Her teaching style is excellent and I would highly recommend her! Grazie mille Serena!


Betty Anne C.

Verified
Very patient
4 years ago

I am wired to speak English and struggle to learn any other language. Serena is very patient and always checks to make sure I am comfortable with what she is covering. Grazie!


Ketta

Verified
Excellent Tutor
5 years ago

Serena tutored my 2 daughters (5&6) in conversational Italian prior to an upcoming trip to the Italian speaking region of Switzerland. She had a wonderful way of engaging the kids through simple games, helping them to understand the basic Italian words for greetings and introductions, colours, numbers, family structure. She would also send a clip of children’s songs each week and a summary of words they learnt. She is an excellent tutor and I would definitely recommend her to anyone wanting their children to learn Italian.


Sher H.

Verified
Exceptional Tutor
5 years ago

Serena's friendly, calm & encouraging approach to teaching is ideal when learning a second language. She is serious about the quality of her tutoring sessions and emphasizes accuracy in both pronunciation and vocabulary.   Serena ensures that she curbs students' mistakes to avoid crystallizing errors yet does so lightheartedly by correcting vs. criticizing.   After meeting with Serena for only a few months, I was able to spend an entire session engrossed in a basic Italian conversation. A most energizing experience!    


Andrew C.
Andrew C.

Verified
Amazing tutor
5 years ago

Serena is amazing at teaching Italian! She always responded very quickly and was very flexible in scheduling a set of 11 one-hour sessions. She met me at a place very convenient for me, my office! I speak French, German and Spanish and she personalized each lesson to my needs, encouraged me to do extra homework and corrected what I sent her. I wanted and got a basic level and some business vocab and expressions. She proactively planned the time we spent together and her friendly approach made me feel so comfortable to learn Italian, even if I mixed in Spanish or French here and there. I really hope I get the chance to do another set of lessons. I would highly recommend asking Serena if she could tutor you instead of taking an expensive course that won't cater to your needs or to your level. Eccezionale! Grazie mille per tutto che hai fatto per me!


Jodi C.

Verified
Wonderful!
5 years ago

Serena taught me Italian for 3 months leading up to a move to Italy. As a total beginner she was very patient with me and she helped me build some strong basics. Because of her teaching I am confident that I will be able to adapt well to living in Italy. Serena is a great tutor and I would recommend her to all!


Thea

Verified
Excellent Tutor!
5 years ago

Serena is an excellent tutor! She always plans out lessons to suit my needs! She is calm and easygoing and is reassuring when I make mistakes and explains clearly in English! As well she is always punctual and flexible with times and meeting locations! If you are looking for an Italian tutor I would highly recommend!


Jessie L.

Verified
Amazing tutor
5 years ago

Serena has been an amazing and skilled tutor for the past couple months. She is attentive and knowledgeable, and throughout our lessons she has helped me become more comfortable engaging in Italian, while also pushing me to expand my skills. Serena is also very approachable, so I never feel self conscious, even when I'm making mistakes. She will always encourage you whenever you make a little bit of progress. Serena is also very accommodating in terms of scheduling, and always punctual. If you're looking for a tutor, Serena would be my first choice. Highly recommend.


Darren T.

Verified
Eccellente!
5 years ago

Serena is a very thoughtful and skilled tutor who plans each lesson around the level and needs of the student. She is exceptionally calm, leading to a relaxing experience in which the learner doesn't feel exceedingly self-conscious when attempting the always difficult work of learning another language. She is very adept at english, and she is able to articulate nuances in both languages. I appreciate her attention to and memory of my goals. I highly recommend her.


Grant V.

Verified
Excellent
5 years ago

Serena has done an exceptional job tutoring me in Italian. her ability to cater lessons to achieve the goals I have set out is phenomenal. I would recommend Serena to everyone trying to learn Italian.


Bill M.

Verified
excellent, punctual, engaged, organized, cheerful
6 years ago

I found Serena to be well named. What I appreciate in a language tutor, (and I have had six or seven tutors for Italian and German) is a patient calm and reassuring demeanour. Second language learners often( if not always) struggle to find the correct word, proper pronunciation or right grammatical structure. Frustration can mount in these situations and it really helps to have a tutor who has a calming effect and brings a serenity to the moment. Serena eases your frustration and allows you time to find your way. Her conversational English is very good so she is well able to translate English into Italian effectively. Serena plans her lessons well and is especially good at preparing a lesson module of Italian tongue twisters which are so useful in learning correct pronunciation. She is punctual, outgoing and above all encouraging. She is also open to being tape recorded so you can relive the lesson later and thus maximize your lesson cost. In short I would highly recommend her.


Contact Serena