How was TPELS born?

Hello everyone. I'm Denise.
After teaching and mentoring students for many years I completed a CELTA at the end of 2013. This Cambridge

​ English qualification allows me to teach English to speakers of other languages. By June 2014 I had found work as an

English teacher in a summer school and in an English Language school in London. I enjoyed teaching the students, but

I missed my baby who was around 1 year old at the time. I wanted more flexibility and freedom.

In-class teaching:
I decided to advertise my services and hire a room to teach groups of students on my own. After much fear and

hesitation, in May 2015 I started my first class in a not so attractive classroom, in Whitechapel in London. I was

excited when a few students turned up to my lessons and flattered when students returned to the following classes. 

Even though I really enjoyed the work, I was not making a profit. After paying for use of the classroom and my

advertisements, there was no money left. 

Online teaching:
So I decided to change things. I would deliver my group lessons over Skype. My worry was, 'Would students want

Skype lessons?' I found out that people did! It was convenient for them. It also gave me greater flexibility, and I did not have to pay for classroom space. 

I also found that there was more demand for one to one classes than there was for group classes. So, I went with the

demand. I began to focus on delivering one to one Skype lessons. 

Exam preparation:
I found that in addition to helping students improve their accuracy, accents and helping them to become more

confident and natural speakers of English, I was also really effective at helping students prepare for exams such IELTS.

Between May 2015 and May 2016 I tutored 6 IELTS students and 1 FCE student. Of the 6 IELTS students, every one

of them saw an improvement in the skill they asked me to support them with. Those who were consistent and took

lessons over a long period of time were able to reach their goal bands of 6.5 or 7 on their IELTS exams. My FCE

student passed with a B2 level after a few weeks of intensive lessons with me. Her testimony is on the website.

So one year later, 'What is The Positive English School's main focus? 
​
We deliver one to one English Speaking Practice sessions, mostly over Skype. We prepare students for exams such as IELTS.