French tutor · Southsea
Catherine C.
AQA French examiner GCSE - Native Speaker - 30 +years teaching experience - French A-Levels -KS3 teaching -Adult education - Conversation
French tutor · Southsea
AQA French examiner GCSE - Native Speaker - 30 +years teaching experience - French A-Levels -KS3 teaching -Adult education - Conversation
About
I have taught in schools, sixth form, adult education and privately for over 30 years and explored different teaching styles and methods. I am still learning other languages to remind myself about the process of learning, the explanation and the repetition (through games or different exercises) we need to absorb it all properly so we can actually use the language.
I know AQA very well for GCSE and A-Levels, I also work with Edexcel, and the Scottish system. I have taught IGCSE too (Edexcel and Cambridge)
I am patient and kind, I tailor my courses around each learner's style and preferences.
Subjects & pricing
Group £18/hr ·from £35/hr
- KS3, 13+, 16+, National 5, AdultGroup £18/hr ·£35/hr
- GCSE — AQA · CCEA · Edexcel · Eduqas · OCR · WJECGroup £18/hr ·£35/hr
- IGCSE — Cambridge · Edexcel · OxfordAQAGroup £18/hr ·£35/hr
- AS-level, A-level — AQA · CCEA · Edexcel · Eduqas · OCR · OxfordAQA · WJECGroup £18/hr ·£40/hr
Discount
10 lessons prepaid, £10 off
Languages
- English Near-native
- French Native
- Spanish Conversational
Qualifications
Teaching qualification
- PGCE French Certificate checked · The Open University · 1998 The Open University · 1998 Certificate checked
- QTS French Certificate checked · DFES · 2001 DFES · 2001 Certificate checked
Reviews from Tutorperch
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Reviews from First Tutors
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- Jul 2025 ·imported from First Tutors
Nicolas
Catherine is an excellent tutor who is helping our son prepare for A Level French. Her lessons are clear, focused, and tailored to his needs. He’s gaining confidence and making strong progress. We highly recommend Catherine.
- Sept 2023 ·imported from First Tutors
Guy
Catherine tutored my son for 18 months in the run up to his French GCSE. She was utterly reliable in all her arrangements. She was focused and friendly, understood exactly what areas needed concentrating on, and was a friendly and inspiring tutor. Our son's GCSE grade exceeded our expectations, thanks in large part to Catherine's excellent tuition. I recommend her unhesitatingly.
Catherine C. replied
Thank you so much Guy! Best wishes to you all, Catherine
- Jan 2021 ·imported from First Tutors
Gulbin
I hired Catherine to help my son who needed help for his French. Catherine is an excellent teacher, right from the beginning she put him at ease. Her gentle approach captured my son’s attention. Her question & answer style made my son focus more and think on what he reads and how he responds. She is very patient and would wait for his answer without putting pressure on him. Overall we were very pleased with the lessons. As a parent I always appreciated her feedback at the end of every lesson on how the lesson went. Her communication with me and my son has always been impeccable. I would recommend Catherine if you need her services. Thank you Catherine.
Catherine C. replied
Thank you so much Gulbin! Sorry I didn't reply earlier… I though I had. It's a pleasure working and communicating with you
- Nov 2020 ·imported from First Tutors
Abigail
My son has settled into his weekly GCSE level lessons with Catherine easily. Only 3 weeks in, but he seems more confident already.
Catherine C. replied
Thank you very much Abi I really appreciate your kind feedback
- Sept 2020 ·imported from First Tutors
Theagarasa
Catherine taught my sons for GCSE French. She is very helpful and explained well during lessons. Her lessons were structured to cover both writing and reading, including grammar. It helped them to obtain very good grade in French. Theaga
Catherine C. replied
Thank you very much for your lovely feedback Theaga. Best wishes to you all
- Sept 2020 ·imported from First Tutors
Oliver
Catherine is not only an excellent tutor but a very warm and hospitable person. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough!
Catherine C. replied
Thank you so much Oliver! It's been lovely to meeting you and working with you and see your progress in French and in your career! Congratulations by the way! And best wishes for the future
- Mar 2020 ·imported from First Tutors
Allison
My daughter is aged 13. She has had French lessons with another tutor online for the past year or so. She has only had 2 lessons with Catherine but said that things have 'clicked into place' within those two lessons as Catherine was very good at explaining. It's a great start and we hope for her to do her GCSE one year early.
Catherine C. replied
Thank you so much Allison! Your daughter is a real pleasure to teach
- Jan 2020 ·imported from First Tutors
Arran
A native french speaker who is also a skilled teacher, kind and understanding with structured lessons.
- Nov 2018 ·imported from First Tutors
Louisa
Catherine is proving to be an invaluable tutor, she really listens to what our son needs and tailors the lessons accordingly. He is thoroughly enjoying the sessions and has grown in confidence and ability with his French speaking. Thank you for all you are doing.
Catherine C. replied
Thank you so much Louisa for your kind comments and for your son to be such a great student to work with!
- Jul 2018 ·imported from First Tutors
Mark
Catherine is a fantastic teacher! I am 55 years old and have never had a French lesson in my life therefore I thought I might be a challenge for her. Not so, she is so patient with and relaxed with me and as a result I have been gradually improving and gaining an understanding of the structure of the language. She uses a variety of teaching styles to get the key learning points across and backs this up with plenty of praise and encouragement where appropriate. She has given me confidence and belief whereby I am gradually improving my vocabulary and pronounciation and I am now able to structure some simple sentences. I have thoroughly enjoyed our lessons. I anticipate it will be quite a while before I can speak French fluently however I am determined and motivated to do so and with Catherine's help I'm sure I will succeed. Merci beaucoup Catherine
Catherine C. replied
Thank you so much for your very kind comments Mark!:) It's a real pleasure working with you! Catherine
- Apr 2018 ·imported from First Tutors
Alison
Catherine kindly took on the challenge of my daughter studying for Spanish GCSE ab initio. Although my daughter has had to discontinue for health reasons, we were both very impressed with Catherine. She made my daughter feel at ease and was very encouraging. [contact details hidden — unlock to view] lessons worked well. I would highly recommend Catherine.
Catherine C. replied
Thank you so much Alison. It's been a real joy working with both of you.
- Mar 2018 ·imported from First Tutors
Barrie
Excellent, really enjoyed the lessons. Pitched the level I was at perfectly. Expaiins the language in very easy friendly terms.
Catherine C. replied
Thank you so much Baz! It's a real pleasure working with you
- Nov 2017 ·imported from First Tutors
Wendy
Looking forward to starting lessons but excellent communication prior to agreeing lessons
Catherine C. replied
Thank you very much Wendy. I'm looking forward to meeting you for our lessons too:)
- Aug 2017 ·imported from First Tutors
Bill
Just the sort of teacher i have been hunting for! She's kind, patient and fun.
Catherine C. replied
Thanks Bill, that's really kind of you to say so. It's a pleasure to work with you:)
- Mar 2017 ·imported from First Tutors
Valeriya
Thank you very much , Ms. Catherine for your lessons. Just in two weeks I have learned some grammar rules, vocabulary and how to introduce myself. I am already happy with my first results and I am looking forward for the future lessons!
Catherine C. replied
It's always a pleasure to see you and to work with you Valeri:) Besides, you are very motivated, hard working, relaxed and positive: all the right attitude to learn quickly and accurately. Thank you for your kind comments:)
- Mar 2017 ·imported from First Tutors
Nicki
Although we have only had Catherine help my daughter with her French for a short while we have seen a great improvement in my daughters spoken French. Catherine has certainly enabled her to gain confidence and this has paid dividends with grade outcomes.
Catherine C. replied
Thank you very much Nicky. You are a delightful family to work with.
- Mar 2017 ·imported from First Tutors
Helen
Really excellent! We live in France and my daughter is bilingual so we didn't really need Catherine for help with oral fluency. What she has been brilliant at is giving Megan a real understanding and insight into the syllabus literature - and it isn't easy to make Moliere appealing to an 18yr old - she has also helped to make Megan more familiar with the use of written complex grammar and encourages the use of a higher level vocabulary. Learning the skills to answer the exam questions in a way the examiners want is as important as being fluent and writing well, we are hoping that Megan will perform well in her A Levels this year and we know much of her success will be due to Catherine's excellent tutoring.
Catherine C. replied
Wow! thank you so much Helen. These comments are so helpful to me. It's a joy working with your daughter. Thank you
- Mar 2017 ·imported from First Tutors
Martin
Very helpful teacher who is very patient and supportive. Being a French lady she is able to give information about the culture and traditions of France. Highly recommended Martin
Catherine C. replied
Many thanks Martin. It's been a pleasure meeting you and helping you to improve on your French.
- Dec 2016 ·imported from First Tutors
Anne
I am very happy with Catherine, she is so easy to get along with and I am sure with time I will reach my goal of improving the french I have and be able to hold a reasonable conversation in french filling in the casual words that so far I have not mastered. It is important for me to improve on the rather bad french I have and I am sure Catherine will facilitate this. She is so calm and you do not feel intimidated making mistakes or not understanding what she is saying to you and I feel confidant that with effort and revision on my part my french will improve. Thank you Catherine for your patience and understanding. Anne.
Catherine C. replied
Thank you Anne, you are very welcome. Thank you for being my student:) Catherine
- Oct 2016 ·imported from First Tutors
John
Abigail achieved GCSE A* French and A in Spanish. Thank you so much Catherine, for all your hard work and excellent teaching!
Catherine C. replied
Thank you so much both and all the very best for the future you lovely people:) xx