Sönke - German tutor - Newton Abbot

One of our best tutors. Quality profile, experience in their field, verified qualifications and a great response time. Sönke will be happy to arrange your first German lesson.

Sönke

One of our best tutors. Quality profile, experience in their field, verified qualifications and a great response time. Sönke will be happy to arrange your first German lesson.

  • Hourly rate £35
  • Response Time 1h
  • Number of students 23
Sönke - German tutor - Newton Abbot
  • 5 (5 reviews)

£35/hr

1st lesson free

Contact

1st lesson free

1st lesson free

  • German

Sönke - learn with a native German Tutor - all ages and all abilities -face-to-face in Devon, UK, as well as worldwide online tutoring

Lesson location

    • Online
    • at your home or in a public place : will travel up to 50 km from Newton Abbot

Ambassador

One of our best tutors. Quality profile, experience in their field, verified qualifications and a great response time. Sönke will be happy to arrange your first German lesson.

About Sönke

- What kind of experience do you have?

I am a very experienced teacher and tutor. Self-employed since 2016, I taught German in schools for over 20 years, which included working with individual, small and class-size groups of all ages. Having gained first experience in teaching German while working as a British Council Foreign Language Assistant in East Devon, I decided to follow a career in teaching German at secondary and tertiary level.

- Do you have an up-to-date DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service, formerly CRB) Certificate?

I have an Enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service, formerly CRB) Certificate.

- Do you belong to any professional organisations?

I am a member of the Association for Language Learning (ALL).

See more

About the lesson

  • Secondary
  • GCSE
  • AS Level
  • +17
  • levels :

    Secondary

    GCSE

    AS Level

    Adult

    A Level

    Undergraduate

    Masters

    BTEC

    Diploma

    Doctorate

    A1

    A2

    B1

    B2

    C1

    C2

    Beginner

    Intermediate

    Advanced

    Professional

  • English

All languages in which the lesson is available :

English

I cannot guarantee that you will reach native speaker-like proficiency, but I know that you will enjoy learning German, using a mixture of digital and analogue resources with a focus on having fun.

- Which subject(s) do you teach?

I teach conversational and business German, Key Stage 3 and 4, A Level and IBDP German ab initio and German B (, SL and HL), as well as Goethe Zertifikat A1-C2.

- Tell me about your qualifications.

I have a BA and a MA degree. Most importantly for language learners, I am a qualified teacher with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in teaching secondary German (with French and Geography).

- How much do you charge?

I offer a 20-30 min consultation session free of charge to establish your personal learning needs and to suggest/discuss a programme of study.

- Where do you teach?

Living near Bovey Tracey, I am very flexible and can teach at your home (at extra cost), but will normally work online with you. However, I might have to charge you an additional fee to cover travel/time if your home is not in the local area.

- When are you available?

The sessions can run between 10am and 6pm. However, I might be able to meet you earlier or later than that - any time between 9am and 8pm. Just get in touch and ask. Most lessons will last 60 minutes, but - depending on individual learners - session can also last longer. I would consider working with you at the weekend, but might ask you to pay an additional charge.

- Which ages and levels do you teach?

I teach learners of all abilities and ages.

- Which qualifications do you prepare your students for?

“1:1” tutor since 2016, I am using my experience in teaching secondary (Years 7-11) and tertiary (Years 12 and 13) students, I can prepare learners for GCSE (all exam boards), IGCSE, A Level (all exam boards), as well as IBDP German ab inition and German B (SL and HL) exams. I am a current Pearson/Edexcel and IB German B examiner.

- Describe your arrangements for online tutoring.

If you are happy with distance learning, we can use Zoom or other online apps to run the sessions.

See more

Rates

Hourly rate

  • £35

Pack prices

  • 5h: £175
  • 10h: £350

online

  • £35/h

free lessons

The first free lesson with Sönke will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.

  • 1hr

Find out more about Sönke

Find out more about Sönke

  • Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

    German is my mother tongue, but my love for languages started in my first year of secondary school. I was very fortunate to be taught by two of the most inspiring teachers I have ever had the pleasure and privilege to learn from: Mr Rösner (English) and Monsieur Braun (French). They truly motivated me to explore and learn other languages.
  • Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

    Now, that is a challenge and a half, as there are so many eras and aspects of cultures to consider. However, one of my favourite Germans has to be singer, songwriter Rolf Zuckowski. Mainly because of all the joy his songs have brought to my family and me. I still love listening to his songs, one of which is "Die Jahresuhr".
  • Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

    The word most of my tutees like best and always enjoy 'conquering' is the "Donaudampfschifffahrtskapit࣪änsmützenknopf".
    Wikipedia offers even longer words with "Donau­dampf­schiffahrts­elektrizitäten­haupt­betriebs­werk­bau­unter­beamten­gesellschaft" and "Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz.
    Personally, I am rather fond of the word "doch".
  • Why does speaking this language matter to you?

    Speaking German is part of my heritage, part of what and who I am and, hopefully, I will be able to support people of all ages and abilities for many years to come in learning 'my' language.

    Most importantly though, as schools are nowadays more and more reduced to delivering what 'counts' in the performance tables, squeezing out the arts, languages and other 'real life' subjects, we all ought to take a stand and support anyone who wishes to learn beyond the school curriculum; I feel very passionate about sharing my skills and knowledge of the German language.
  • What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

    As with every language, building up your vocabulary is probably the biggest challenge for a learner of German. However, I find that learners often tend to set their expectations too high, hoping to not only be fluent but also grammatically correct within a short period of time. Clearly, this can be counterproductive. Just go for it! Just speak! Don't worry about making mistakes! It's making the effort that really counts, as the message tends to get across no matter whether the syntax, case or tense is correct. And don't forget your hands and feet, as 'every little helps'.
    Unfortunately, speaking a language well is not like learning how to ride a bike or swim. Arguably, it takes a lot more effort and time and you need to keep practising! As they say: "Use it or lose it!"
  • Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

    When I was studying for my PGCE at Exeter University, we had to learn a bit of Russian. Little did we know that it was supposed to teach us a valuable lesson. Of course, some of the others lapped it all up and were semi-fluent within a couple of lessons, but it had the desired effect on the majority of us, i.e. to illustrate or remind us of how difficult and frustrating it can be for a learner trying to understand or even memorise the new language. Needless to say, I really struggled and only remember the one phrase: "Ya zhivu v Exeter".
  • How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

    I love travelling and one of the things I like best is to try the local lingo. Having had the opportunity to travel extensively, I always make sure that I know the basics, such as "sawatdee krub", "shukran" or "namaste". If you think that helps in a 'patisserie' in Rennes, just imagine the effect it has in the middle of the Tierra del Fuego.
  • What makes you a Superprof in language?

    Apart from my love for teaching German and my long teaching experience, I believe that my personality makes me a 'Superprof'. My appreciation of humour allows me to quickly build a strong and sympathetic working rapport with my tutees. I set myself the highest of standards, have the highest expectations and use my energy, optimism and creativity to support my tutees in achieving their goals. Furthermore, I always try to use my empathy, motivation, rigour and efficiency to deliver sessions, hoping that a mixture of digital and analogue resources and activities will allow the learners to really enjoy their learning with me.
--
--

Similar German teachers in Newton Abbot

  • Lyndsey

    Newton Abbot & Online

    New
    • £20/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Marissa

    Marldon & Online

    New
    • £12/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Heather -'TorquayTutor'

    Torquay & Online

    New
    • £26/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Georgia

    TAVISTOCK & Online

    5 (1 reviews)
    • £30/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Simon

    & Online

    5 (43 reviews)
    • £35/hr
  • Wafa

    London & Online

    5 (21 reviews)
    • £16/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Maria

    London & Online

    5 (4 reviews)
    • £60/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Adrian

    London & Online

    5 (10 reviews)
    • £33/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Naomi

    London & Online

    5 (18 reviews)
    • £25/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Kristel

    Cardiff & Online

    5 (12 reviews)
    • £40/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Kari

    Cromarty & Online

    4.8 (10 reviews)
    • £20/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Florian

    London & Online

    5 (11 reviews)
    • £45/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Andrea

    Edinburgh & Online

    5 (10 reviews)
    • £40/hr
  • Freddie

    & Online

    5 (15 reviews)
    • £50/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Martina-Carolin

    London & Online

    5 (11 reviews)
    • £50/hr
  • Gabrielle

    London & Online

    5 (12 reviews)
    • £30/hr
  • Alison

    Bristol & Online

    5 (4 reviews)
    • £50/hr
  • Ville

    London & Online

    4.9 (1 reviews)
    • £25/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Patrick

    & Online

    5 (10 reviews)
    • £20/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • Laurence

    Richmond & Online

    5 (6 reviews)
    • £35/hr
    • 1st lesson free
  • See German tutors