I'm Qayyah, and I've taught French, Spanish and Italian privately for over a decade. Whether you want to become genuinely fluent, pass a specific exam, or both, that is what I build every lesson around.

My mum moved to the UK from Karachi when she was one, immersing me in Hindi through Bollywood films, Urdu in the kitchen and teaching me to read classical Arabic before nursery – it was she who nurtured my love of languages. After living in Normandy as an au-pair, I studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and later worked as a journalist for Diario SUR in Málaga, Spain. I graduated with a first and distinction in Modern European Languages BA (Hons) from the University of Liverpool in 2015.

I've taught students aged four to 70 – it's never too soon or too late to start from scratch or dust off your skills. I currently teach twenty individuals, five couples, a family of three generations and a class of thirty children in a school. Three of my students have moderate to severe dyslexia and have kept up well with my methods.

I charge £40 per hour for single lessons, with discounted block bookings available. I offer a 50% discount on the first lesson.

I've prepared students of all ages for oral, reading, writing and listening exams at GCSE, AS and A2 (WJEC, AQA, OCR and Edexcel), and I help students working towards CEFR level exams and proficiency tests. I also teach KS2 and KS3, and have assisted university students with interpreting exams and presentations. I offer workshops and corrective services for university-level exams and coursework.

For exam prep, I have textbooks and past papers at your disposal, and I aim to make you comprehensively solid on grammar application, topic-specific vocabulary and pronunciation – accent and stress. I also give practical tips for impressing examiners: polishing punctuation, using idioms and expressions, appropriate fillers to cover pauses, complex grammar constructions and specialised vocabulary.

Beyond exams, I've helped adults relocating abroad, travellers, business professionals and families hoping to raise bilingual children. Whatever the goal, I tailor classes to the individual.

I aim to be approachable, structured and encouraging. To me, trusting someone enough to be comfortable making mistakes in front of them—and to have a laugh while learning—is key in learning any discipline effectively.

Classes veer away from lengthy explanations and move quickly to practice, so you are speaking and writing in the target language from early on. I tailor oral and written exercises focused on language production, alongside recorded pronunciation exercises, so your vocabulary recall and grammar application improve together. Little and often is how I work: three to five minutes of practice a day rather than one half-hour block a week, because that is what commits language to long-term memory.

For younger children, I use games, pictures and music—more effective and less gruelling than written tests. For adults and teens, I use similar but more structured methods: song lyrics, films and creative writing in the target language. I also use visual, audible and kinaesthetic memory aids.

I want you to leave class understanding what you've learnt, knowing where improvement is needed and, most importantly, feeling accomplished and able to ask questions or give feedback. I prefer a regular day and time because consistent intervals let you process what you've learnt, but I understand life is complex and am flexible.