I OFFER FACE-TO-FACE AND ONLINE TEACHING/TUTORING (VIA ZOOM) 

About me:

My Name is Susanne Bayer-Crosby, I'm a German native speaker and also fluent in French. I have always loved foreign languages: learning them, using them both for work and whilst on holiday, and more recently teaching them.  I have always found that speaking the language of the country you are either doing business with, or are visiting on holiday opens up a whole different, richer experience:
  • people are more open and friendly if you can talk to them in their language - you don't have to be fluent, it's the genuine effort that counts
  • contrary to the widely-held belief, not everyone in all countries speaks English
  • it earns you "brownie points" - especially in business: I worked in Industrial Export Sales for most of my career.  I was the only French and German speaking person in the last company I worked for and our largest client was a French multi-national firm.  Their corporate language was French, not English, and there were many people there who our various departments had to deal with that spoke no English: people who placed orders on us didn't, the stores manager didn't, the Quality Assurance Manager didn't, most people in the Design office didn't etc etc.  So whenever any of these people had a problem they had to come to me.
  • when on holiday I found that again people react totally differently to you if you speak a bit of their language, you also pick up a lot more information about the country, the culture, what's going on etc.

What I offer:

 My approach to tutoring:
  • one-to-one or small group tuition 
  • all ages, all levels
  • conversation
  • grammar busting
  • vocabulary expansion
  • GCSE preparation French and German (all four papers: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing)
  • A-level preparation German and French
  • German/French for business or for leisure/holidays
My experience:
  • I worked for a large part of my career in Export Sales & Marketing, using my three languages (German, English and French) on a day-to-day basis.
  • More recently I worked for 3 years in a State Secondary School as German and French Language Assistant and Teaching Assistant.  A major part of that role was preparing year 10 and year 11 students for their GCSE exams, especially the Speaking paper.  I also ran a German after-school session for students in year 10 and 11 who wanted some extra support.  Thanks to this work, I am fully up-to-date and familiar with the current Foreign Language GCSE Specifications and their requirements.
  • I am fully DBS cleared to work with children
  • I have also experience in tutoring groups of adults German both in an corporate setting and in evening classes.
  • I teach a group of Mexican students aged 16 and 17 German at a private College in Cambridge (St. Andrews College)
Every student is different, even two College students attending the same class at school have different needs:
  • students have different learning styles: some learn better visually and may benefit from using mind maps; others my be better taught orally; others may learn best by using structured written materials
  • students have different motivations
  • students have different requirements based on what they want to or have to use the language for
  • students may be gifted in learning a foreign language or they may find it hard
My answer to this: I tailor my approach and tutoring materials to the needs and wants of each individual student

With new students I set up a (free) initial meeting - for underage students with a parent present, for adults just me and the potential student.  During the meeting I analyse the student's needs and his learning style and have a general chat to see if we both feel that we can work together.  I always tell parents and College students: "in a class of 30, if you don't like the teacher you can always hide in the crowd, but when it is one-to-one you have to get on, or at least be confident you can work with each other".

Contact Us

Ways to contact me:
  • telephone: 
    • mobile: 07933-197810
    • e-Mail: gandftuition@gmail.com



Where I tutor:
  • I am based in Swavesey (CB24 4RR), ca. 8 miles north-west of Cambridge
  • I tutor in my home or in my students' homes according to student preference
  • I don't charge travel costs for the villages around Swavesey, for places further afield I charge mileage at cost (currently 10 pence per mile)

My fees:

  • £25 per hour for one-to-one face-to-face
  • £23 per hour for online lessons
  • groups: POA