Astrid Vallero

Hi!
My name is Astrid, pleased to meet you!

I was born and bred in Turin, where I went to Scientific College. I have been studying English since I was 8; foreign languages have always fascinated me and learning them came natural.

After finishing school, I went to Germany to learn German. I loved it there and found the language really interesting!

In 1998 I moved to the UK to go to university and read Linguistics in Reading. The degree course was incredibly fulfilling as it gave me a wide knowledge not only on grammar and syntax, but also on child language acquisition, socio-linguistics and clinical aspects following illness, disease or accidents.

After graduating, I started working as a translator and part-time Italian language tutor. I then changed jobs a couple of times, but have always taught Italian privately. I now only focus on translations and language tutoring.

The most important aspect for me as a teacher is that my students enjoy their lesson. Therefore I spend part of the lesson talking about things that interest them.

Sometimes grammar and linguistic structures can be dry and tiring, but learning a foreign language and culture can be done through talking about fashion, football, travels, music and so on!

In addition, I use different types of resources such as audio, visual and I often use the web, which not only allows learners to be exposed to different accents but is also interesting and fun!