“Olga has been an amazing support over the past few years. She is a fantastic teacher – keen, engaging, open-minded and always happy to help. Olga and I worked intensively together in the months leading up to my exam. She went above and beyond to ensure that she understood my topic and could help me express my ideas properly in Russian. She read my entire dissertation, watched the primary sources and by the end knew just as much as me about my topic. We wrote a speech together, which I would give in the exam, and then we practiced the conversation that would ensue. Olga didn’t only focus on my language, but also helped me improve my pronunciation, stress and even my public speaking.”

“Olga has been coaching my daughter helping her to prepare for Russian Language GCSE exam at Loreto Grammar school in Altrincham. I must admit that my daughter has thoroughly enjoyed Olga’s lessons, was motivated all the way through and passed all her exams with flying colours, achieving the highest mark (an A*). All the tasks and activities set out by Olga, has given Anastasia an opportunity to learn the language in an enjoyable and productive way. I believe that Olga’s excellent command of the subject and her ability to address the needs of each of her students makes her an outstanding professional in the field of teaching. Being very organised and always striving for something extra, makes Olga a tutor who is always able to maintain high standards of language learning. “

“I started to learn Russian two years ago. I was a complete beginner and I found the language quite challenging at the beginning. Fortunately, Elena is an excellent teacher. She quickly made me interested in the language and willing to understand how the language works. The course was mostly in Russian but Elena is using a lot of pictures which makes you understand the meaning of the words without having to necessarily translate them. She was bringing new themes/topics very regularly, which keeps the courses interesting and allows you to learn new vocabulary all the time. She is always very kind, patient and available. I remember that I could send her my questions by email during any day of the week and she would answer in a short time scale. I could tell in the way she was teaching that she loves her job and she really wanted us to succeed, which was very motivating. She is probably one of the most optimistic and positive persons I have ever met and surely one of the best teachers I have ever had. She is also a wonderful person to discuss with, who is interested in you as a person, and not only as a student. I am very thankful to Elena and Olga for making these Russian language courses possible. I also really enjoyed the Russian movie nights organised by Olga, which gave me the opportunity to meet native Russian speakers and to discuss with them.”

“My tutor was very friendly and approachable from the beginning of the first lesson. The lessons were carried out in a relaxed yet organized manner allowing me to feel comfortable throughout the lesson. She did not over correct me and instilled confidence when I answered a question correctly. I realize now that it is more important to have a go at speaking and not to think about making mistakes too much.”

“When I arrived at my first lesson I was surprised to learn that no English would be spoken, unlike other language classes I have attended where instructions for tasks were given in English. The first five minutes were confusing and required the most concentration as I got to grips with not only hearing Russian but also seeing how it was written. After the initial confusion I was surprised at how easy it was to follow the lesson and work out what I should be doing. The hardest part was trying to understand the Russian alphabet but that got easier as the lesson went on. By the end of the first lesson I was able to pronounce vocabulary correctly and I could read some words. I absolutely LOVED it!!!”

“I enjoyed being able to practice what we had learnt with other members of the class. I noticed that when we went for a break at the end of lesson all the class were still attempting to practice the Russian they had learnt with one another. I really enjoyed the lesson and was pleased to have learnt some basic vocabulary and phrases that would be understood by a native Russian speaker.”

“I had previously learned Spanish to GCSE level, and a little German, and so, I was looking forward to the first session of Russian. To begin with I had some difficulty pronouncing certain sounds because the stress and intonation was different from English. After a while, I felt quite comfortable with this, thanks to the patience of my teacher.”

“The teacher introduced the written form of the language to me and this is the point where thought I’d encounter some difficulty. This is because in my previous foreign language learning, the alphabets were similar to the English alphabet. In the Russian alphabet there are many phonetic and visual differences. However, I was amazed how quickly it became clear and more interesting once an element of explanation was introduced. The sounds became more understandable, clear and functional.”

“Teacher’s performance in front of the class was impressive she began speaking to the group in Russian, no English, which was a surprise. She spoke well and her use of exaggerated body language and mime helped to convey meaning. Soon we were all able to understand the basics of the lesson and we all began to respond in Russian. Amazing, I would not have believed it was possible.”

“At the beginning we were a bit nervous, because we didn’t know what to expect. The tutor though was able to calm our nerves and draw us into participating into the lesson; this was done, through good use of body language and building up a rapport with myself and that of my fellow students. As we got to know not only the tutor but also each other a little more, people became more eager to practice the vocabulary. One activity that really brought us as a group together was when we had a socialising activity. Everybody had to introduce themselves in Russian, shake hands and smile. This put people at ease and helped the group interact well with each other; it also helped with the other activities that we carried out in pairs and small groups.”

“It would be nice to have a chance to throw myself once more into the experience of learning Russian with Olga. Unfortunately or fortunately, I’ve now moved to Russia and speak Russian on a daily basis. I might come back next year and show off to the class.”

“I would just like to say thank you to the Russian Language Centre and to Olga in particular. I enjoyed the classes, made new friends and feel like I have accomplished something. The Olga’s rapport with us was fundamental to gaining the interest and maintaining the attention of the group and really help me in the early stages of coming to terms with the language.”

“Teacher’s use of mime and repetition really got the basic points across and I even forgot I was spoken to in Russian and replied in Russian as if it was something I did every day. I really like the class, I wish the language lessons I had in school many years ago had been done like this.”

“The general atmosphere between tutor and students was very comfortable and at ease. I started out of interest, as a hobby. I wanted to do something different, something that was a challenge and something that would allow me to share the experience with a few new people. I am now thinking about trips to Russia.”

“As the class became more comfortable with the language and acquired more knowledge we earned the right to have more control over the lesson. The teacher became more inclined to allow us to take the lead in the learning activities, only providing guidance and instruction in group tasks and games where necessary. This was a revelation to many people, but similar to the situations people will find themselves in when traveling. For me at least this is where the most learning took place.”