Business English
Prepare mentally for situations in advance.
Your Benefit
Teaching English has been my passion for nearly 30 years. My career started in Finance, with a B.B.A. in Business (Iowa, 1986). I have worked in banking, bookkeeping, insurance, and in the financial markets of Chicago.
In 1993 I left my broker job in Seattle for Japan and began my English teaching career. I returned to Seattle 4 years later and earned my M.A. in English Teaching & Culture in 1998.
In the year 2000 I came to Frankfurt to work as a Business English teacher and have been in Germany ever since. I now reside in Stuttgart.
The Details
My Method
All lessons are tailor made, unlike one-size-fits-all language books or prepackaged language courses at larger training companies. Most lessons are some form of ESP – English for Specific Purposes, meaning we structure the course & material to your particular work needs. This may include making presentations, corresponding with customers, negotiating, marketing and PR, making small talk, highly technical engineering English or English used in banking/finance, insurance, law, HR and more. Grammar is included at the level desired by the customer.
I use everything from “old school” flash cards to computer presentations and videos. We work through grammar worksheets, do role plays, read texts from the international press and discuss the contents, learn the vocabulary & answer questions and more.
Learning needs to be active, and participation is encouraged at every step of the way. Self confidence is often lacking for learners when using English, so I build it up in a trusting, comforting manner. I expect a lot from my students and believe strongly in enjoying the learning process.
Location, Frequency & Materials
All lessons in and around Stuttgart take place at your office unless otherwise coordinated, e.g. for full-day seminars, which take place throughout Germany. The ideal frequency is 90 minutes once a week, but this is flexible. All materials are prepared by me and brought to each lesson or emailed in advance. If desired, the lessons can take place online via video chat or over the telephone.
Needs analysis/setting goals, Testing and Placement
Initially the participants fill out a questionnaire so that I know exactly what the goals of each person are, as well as learning the specific purposes of the training (i.e. presentations, grammar, HR, fluency, etc.). A brief written test is administered along with a short writing sample and then a brief telephone interview. With this knowledge, groups are then combined and the course structure can be laid out. A course duration is also selected, e.g. 40 “Unterrict Einheiten” of 45 minutes each, which equals 20 lessons at 90 minutes each. If done weekly, 40 UEs would be roughly 5 months of learning. Upon completion, feedback is done formally and testing is done once again if desired. In most cases, courses are extended multiple times.