About Me
My name is Helen Shelton and I am currently based in Leamington Spa.
My first experience of teaching English was in a secondary school in Andalucía, Spain, where I was not much older than the students. Although I was young and inexperienced at the time, I fell in love with teaching the English language and working with international students.
After graduating from Exeter University with a BA in English and Spanish, I spent a summer volunteering as an English teacher in Bran, Romania, where I decided that I wanted to pursue English language teaching as a career. Following that, I completed my CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) course and started teaching EFL to adults in London, where I was preparing students for Cambridge English exams from my first week.
I spent a year teaching at a bilingual high school in Bucharest, Romania, where I focused on communication skills and helping students to express themselves in a range of contexts. I returned to Bucharest a few years later where I worked with young learners at the British Council. Whilst there, I completed my TYLEC (Teaching Young Learners Extension Certificate) to develop my teaching skills further.
At summer schools, I have taught teenagers from all over the world from A1 to C1 level of English. I have also taught international students on a pre-sessional course at the University of Birmingham, where we focused on higher level academic English skills. I have tutored individuals and groups online and in person, including students attending college and preparing for Functional Skills English/ESOL exams.
I have spent four years in the UK teaching EAL (English as an Additional Language) to secondary school students, where I helped students to develop the English language skills they need to settle in and make progress. This includes interpersonal communication skills, as well as higher level academic English. In this role, I have supported students to access most subjects on the UK curriculum, including Maths, Science, History, RE and more.
As well as teaching English, I love learning languages and learning from my students about their cultures and traditions. I studied Spanish and Catalan at university, have studied Romanian and Italian, and am currently learning Russian (although I have lots of languages on my 'to do' list!). I completed teacher training to gain a PGCE in Secondary Spanish and would be happy to provide support for students who would like to learn/improve their Spanish.
I have worked closely with students with a range of SEN (Special Educational Needs), including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, processing and language disorders. I am interested in educational psychology and completed an MSc (with distinction) to help further my knowledge in this area. I believe in learning about each student's individual needs and personalising lessons so that they are engaging, accessible and worthwhile.
If you are interested in improving your English in Leamington Spa or online, please get in touch on the Contact page for more information. I look forward to hearing from you!
