Peartree Languages

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Staff profiles

Nicky Partridge

Centre Manager

NickyThe Partridge in the Peartree!

Originally from Llantrisant, South Wales, Nicky studied at the University of Southampton where she obtained her degree in European Studies specialising in Modern Languages (French and Spanish) in 2001. She began her teaching career in the same year when she taught EFL to children in Cambridge.

Nicky developed her career providing one to one tuition in foreign languages on a freelance basis and obtained her Trinity TESOL qualification from Cardiff University in 2002. After spending four happy years honing her teaching abilities at The Parade ESOL College in Cardiff, she cemented her position professionally by obtaining further adult education qualifications. In 2008 Nicky began working on a freelance basis with Cardiff University in the I.E.L.T.S. department.

LinkedinNicky has always had an interest in business, and establishing her own, innovative language school of the highest possible quality in Cardiff was a natural step. Peartree Languages was initiated in 2003 providing tuition in students’ own homes. However, due to its popularity, the school moved to its own premises in 2005 to allow for in-house provision for groups and private students.

As a result of this excellent growth Nicky now spends her time concentrating on the management of the business; however, she still loves to teach and is keen to be in the classroom as often as possible. Nicky is a Personal Tutor and regularly participates in trips and activities at the school which allows her to keep in regular contact with the students. Refusing to give up her passion for the Spanish language Nicky recently returned from a trip to Colombia and regularly visits Spain and Latin America.

 

Tristan Francis

Director of Studies

TristanTristan has been part of the Peartree Languages team since May 2008. Due to his professional nature and abilities, he quickly established himself as a popular and well-regarded English language tutor. More recently, in November 2009 Tristan’s role was elevated to Director of Studies of the school.

After attaining an undergraduate degree in sociology and philosophy in 2004 at the University of Glamorgan, Tristan went on to complete a PGCE at the University of Wales, Newport, specialising in teaching English to speakers of other languages. As part of his training, he undertook a placement program at The Parade ESOL College in Cardiff where he acquired a wealth of experience teaching English at a variety of levels and was able to cultivate his dynamic teaching style.

In 2006 Tristan gained further expertise when he embarked upon a year of teaching at languages schools in China. During this time, he taught to students of all ages, including children, in both classroom and private settings. He also provided Business English tuition to both individual and corporate clients.

In 2007 Tristan returned to Cardiff with the intention of continuing his English teaching career. As well as teaching General English and our popular ‘study skills’ group at Peartree, Tristan also specialises in pronunciation and preparing students for the IELTS and Cambridge exams.

In addition to his teaching role, as Director of Studies Tristan provides academic support and guidance to other members of the school’s teaching staff, ensuring the high quality of the teaching programs and their delivery for the benefit of all our students. Tristan is a Personal Tutor and Assessment Officer at the school advising new and existing students on their course options and how to maximise their learning experience at Peartree Languages.

Since joining Peartree Tristan has delivered one-to- one cultural consultations for corporate clients wishing to broaden their knowledge of British life. He holds a deep interest in the cultures and languages of other parts of the world, and is currently pursuing fluency in Mandarin Chinese. Aside from his language interests, Tristan is an avid reader and enjoys taking long walks in the Welsh countryside.