Learn to actually
speak English —
with grammar you can trust.
I'm Sofia — a tutor who teaches through dialogue, games, and a little bit of theatre, then makes sure the grammar underneath actually holds up. Personalised plans, real homework, no filler.
LEVEL
Not a straight line — but a thorough one.
I started teaching at 15 years old, long before it was official. Later I studied to become a language teacher properly at university — so my path wasn't the usual straight line, but it means I've been doing this, in one form or another, for most of my life.
For three years I worked at a private English school, tutoring around 15 children, building lessons around speaking — dialogues, games, and even short theatre plays — rather than silent grammar drills.
But I'm also obsessed with grammar. I believe it's the most direct path to being understood: you can have all the vocabulary in the world, but grammar is what makes your sentence land the way you meant it to. So every lesson balances confident, spontaneous speaking with grammar that actually gets explained, not just corrected.
I don't live in a Russian-speaking country anymore, which keeps my own spoken English fluent, current, and lived-in — not textbook-fluent. And I always build a personalised learning plan around the person in front of me, with homework after every lesson to make progress stick.
For the last 5 years I've worked as a private online English tutor, which means lessons are built for a screen from the ground up — not a classroom method awkwardly moved online.
Outside of tutoring, I'm an artist and curator of an art residency — my own interests sit around contemporary art, education, philosophy of the self, and literature. It tends to leak into lessons in a good way: plenty of real conversation topics that aren't "describe your daily routine."
Two things, held in balance.
Talk first. A lot.
Lessons are built around dialogue, roleplay, games, and short theatre scenes — so speaking stops being a test and starts being a habit.
- Real conversation from lesson one
- Games instead of drills
- Short scenes and roleplay
- Confidence built through repetition, not fear
Then make it correct.
Grammar isn't punishment — it's the shortest path to being understood. I explain why, not just what, and it's woven through every lesson.
- Grammar explained, not just corrected
- Listening exercises every lesson
- Personalised plan per student
- Homework after every lesson
Pick the reason you're learning.
English for School
Built around your curriculum — grammar rules, exam prep, essays, and the vocabulary your school actually expects. Good for keeping grades up and exams stress-free.
English for Life
For travel, work, friendships, and everyday confidence. More dialogue, more improvisation, less textbook — focused on speaking naturally in real situations.
Also teaching Russian as a foreign language, using the same method — speaking-first, grammar-solid. Mention it in the questionnaire below if that's what you're after.
Simple pricing. Flexible schedule.
One price, no packages to decode. Lessons are always 60 minutes, one-on-one.
- 1 lesson = 60 minutes, focused and one-on-one.
- Take as many lessons a week as you want — 2–3 per week is the sweet spot for steady progress, but I'm flexible either way.
- Homework after every lesson, checked at the start of the next one.
- Times are booked around your schedule, not a fixed weekly slot — reschedule when life happens.
Start with a free first lesson.
No commitment — we'll talk, I'll get a feel for your level, and you'll get a feel for how I teach. Fill in a few details first so the lesson is built around you from minute one.
- ~20–30 minutes, low pressure
- We figure out your current level together
- You leave with a first taste of a personalised plan
- I'll follow up with times that work for you