Information About Simon - Limerick tutor

Personal Description:

¡Hola! I'm Simon, a self-employed Spanish and English teacher. Having lived in Spain for over 20 years, I've decided to take the knowledge and experience gained of using the Spanish language on a daily basis since then, to the online classroom. I have created my very own Spanish course, for kids (from 8 and above) and adults, for both absolute beginner and intermedia**Contact Detail Removed**vels. My course is vibrant, thorough and with it, I aim to have my students communicating as the Spanish themselves would. I give great emphasis, not only to what is done in class, but to what we can do between classes. Via audios and text messages, my students have the possibility of practicing their Spanish on a daily basis with me. My student’s goal of learning Spanish will also become my goal. Working together as a team, my ambition is to reach that goal, in the most engaging, memorable and pleasurable way possible.

Tutoring Experience:

I've been teaching both Spanish and English online for over 3 years now (since 2021). In that time I have taken on board over 25 students, of which 21 are learning Spanish with me. I am teaching to expats based in Malaga, Madrid, Alicante and Barcelona, as well as several students based in Ireland and the U.K. My current students range from the age of 10 all the way up to the age of 71. Apart from creating over 200 hours of material (and rising), I also provide the option of learning the language via my pre-recorded lessons. These are unique in that the student can go through a particular lesson, with me tutoring them at every stage, when they want, where they want, for as long as they want and as many times as they want. I also create my own educational videos on social media. These short videos are unique, a whole lot of fun and a great way of picking up colloquial, useful everyday Spanish.

Here are some testimonials seen on my website from a handful of my students:

JOHN WALSH, LIMERICK
Do you want to learn useful Spanish in an engaging and fun way? Do you want locals praising you use of the language? If YES, then contact Simon! We did and have learned so much in a relatively short period of time. Our trips to Spain are now much more engaging and we look forward to learning more and more in the future.
WOULD RECOMMEND: Yes

VALERIE WALSH, LIMERICK
I am thoroughly enjoying my Spanish classes with Simon. I love his style of teaching, it’s fun, encouraging and totally enjoyable. Very quickly Simon has you speaking and understanding some Spanish without getting bogged down with tenses. Recently I was in Spain and found myself confidently asking questions and answering the locals, it was very exciting and a big step for me as I would normally shy away from trying just incase I said the wrong thing. Simon always says “just give it ago” and thanks to him I now can give it a go.​
WOULD RECOMMEND: Yes

DERMOT COLL, LIMERICK
I've been studying Spanish with Simon for the past 12 months or so. Prior to this I have never studied Spanish. I am now having conversations with my Spanish neighbours when on holiday. I find the classes excellent and totally practical. Everything Simon has taught me I have used in everyday conversation. every class is relaxed, funny and beneficial.
WOULD RECOMMEND: Yes

MATTHEW HEWITT, BRISTOL
Great style of teaching, good value for money. Simon is teaching me the kind of things that I would use in everyday situations so its more likely, when I go to Spain, to communicate effectively and interact with people I am likely to meet. I have made a good beginning.
WOULD RECOMMEND: Yes

KATRINA O'NEILL, BRISTOL
Learning Spanish with Simon is a joy. I visited Spain for the first time last year (aged 59). My inspiration to learn comes from returning to Spain later this year with the ability to speak and understand some spanish and to experience much more from my time there. The lessons are great, taken at an easy going pace and confidence building. I would highly recommend Simon to anyone with a desire to learn español!
WOULD RECOMMEND: Yes

LAUREN HENRY, EDINBURGH
I've really enjoyed my lessons with Simon so far! It is great to be able to learn from someone who has been through the same process themselves. He teaches some of the most useful phrases and conversation starters early, enabling a quick understanding of the basics, without too much emphasis on detail until further on. I have loads of fun in my lessons with Simon, and although I was initially sceptical about having lessons online vs in person, it has only been a positive experience. I have been trying to learn Spanish with a variety of methods for many years, however have never managed to stick with a method or had much progress until now. Highly recommend!
WOULD RECOMMEND: Yes

TIM SHANAHAN, LIMERICK
I have been using Simon for my Spanish Language journey for a while now and from basically starting at zero, I cannot believe how far I've come. I remember in the early lessons thinking I'd never understand a thing, but, with his patience, encouragement and sense of fun, without pressure, I've progressed enormously. His lessons have been flexible and in between he has been very good to keep in touch with texts or audio messages (again, at the beginning, I'd have to listen a lot of times to understand, but with audios now, i'm finding first time I know nearly exactly what is being said). It's been a good way to practice speaking coming up with responses in return. Any questions I might have in between classes, Simon's always got back to me with an answer. He's been great. Outside of his course, once complete, I will look forward to continuing classes with Simon using him as a soundboard and to practice conversations, to increase fluency in a fun and easy manner.
WOULD RECOMMEND: Yes

Approach to Grinds:

As I am constantly creating my own material, I can fully adapt to the needs of my students. Whether it is help understanding the conditional tenses coming up on an exam, or you've been invited to a Spanish wedding and you'd like to know the customs and common phrases that surround the occasion. Or you'd love to be able to say a few phrases and ask a few questions to that taxi driver who picks you up at the airport, summer after summer. Provided I'm given enough time, I can create material relevant and useful for you. I will note that my Spanish lessons are generally focused on learning how to understand and communicate the language, as the Spanish themselves do. My course is not designed to help a student pass their exams, much more to actually learn the language in a practical way. However, I am always open and ready to assist in whatever way possible, be it for an exam or how to communicate effectively with the plumber or electrician who you have to call to come around to your Spanish home to fix whatever is ailing.