Melissa P
My Passion & How I Inspire
I have always loved reading, but my passion for learning languages began at secondary school after my first foreign exchange, which was in Lyon, France. The idea of learning a totally new language with a different alphabet was very exciting to me, and I was fascinated by the books I had read by Russian authors, so it seemed like an obvious choice. Learning Russian from scratch was difficult but also incredibly worthwhile because it allowed me to explore a whole new culture and region.
I think my own experience of learning a language like Russian from scratch in a relatively short space of time in order to study its literature has given me an understanding of the real challenge of perfecting the competing skill-sets (reading, speaking, writing, listening) of a modern foreign language, and has made me sensitive to the various difficulties that students might experience along the way.
My Experience
I have over five years' teaching experience, both for larger groups and one-on-one, and for a broad range of ages (between 7 and 22). I have recently graduated from the University of Oxford, where I received my BA in Modern Languages (French & Russian ab initio), a Masters and a PhD in Russian literature. During my BA I also studied abroad at Yaroslavl' State University in Russia. I have taught a combination of English, French and Russian language and literature, and always enjoy the challenge of getting to know a new students specific abilities and requirements.
I have worked with students preparing for GCSE and A level qualifications (for OCR, AQA and Edexcel exam boards) in a range of subjects including Russian, French, and English language and literature. I have also taught Russian language and literature at university degree level at Oxford. I have supervised undergraduate dissertations on literary topics and acted as a study mentor for secondary school and undergraduate students requiring a more hands-on approach to study skills such as organising their time, approaches to vocab learning, or essay-writing technique and structure.
Subjects That I Teach
- English
- English - A-Level
- English - GCSE
- English - Undergraduate
- English - Interview Preparation
- French
- French - A-Level
- French - GCSE
- French - Undergraduate
- French - Interview Preparation
- Russian
- Russian - A-Level
- Russian - GCSE
- Russian - Undergraduate
- Russian - Interview Preparation
My Qualifications
University of Oxford, D.Phil Russian Literature
Winner, Forum Prize for Modern Languages 2017
University of Oxford, M.St Russian Literature (Distinction)
University of Oxford, BA French & Russian
AS/A2 levels (Chelmsford County High School): French (A), German (A), English literature (A), History (A)
AQA Advanced Extension Award in French (Distinction)
Fun fact
I can make my ears move independently of one another!
