AM TEAM

Personal Profile

I am a DipTESOL qualified teacher, and I have had over half a decade of teaching experience. I am from Yorkshire in the UK, and have been in Malta since 2012. I attained 2 separate degrees from two Universities in the UK. I attained a degree in Wine & Spirits from Brighton University, as well as a BA (Hons) in Business Administration from Kingston University, London. I have also had experience running my own Online Language School, which provided me with a hands-on business experience starting up a company. I inject my personality into my lessons and put an emphasis on students enjoying classes. I am currently focusing much of my efforts on developing an IELTS Course for AM Language Studio.

Advice for Learners

Having tried to learn other languages myself, I know the feeling of frustration that arises. I can say from my experience as an English Teacher that many students struggle to progress when frustration takes control, and unrealistic expectations set in. It is important to focus on quality, and not just quantity. Learning needs to be fun, and the process is made easier when the student focuses on the enjoyment of learning the language. There is no need to put extra stress on oneself by worrying unduly.

My Favourite Places in Malta

Malta has a lot to offer the English language student. Whether you like the outdoor lifestyle, socialising, or culture there is a lot of history to keep you interested. Gozo is a great place to escape to, and has some beautiful bays. I would add that the sea in Gozo is really clean. As for Malta itself, Valletta is the capital, and a place to go during the day to see and learn about the famous Knights of Malta. In recent years it has become a delightful place to relax in the evening, as it has many bars and restaurants that offer a good range of food and wine. I also happen to love pizza, and I can say that if you are looking for the best pizza in Malta then I would recommend Monelli, which is located in Paceville, 2 minutes from the Hilton Hotel and the Portomaso Marina.

Personal Profile:

My name is Wayne Zammit, I am a fully licensed and qualified TEFL teacher with a teaching certificate from the Malta University Service. I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada and am a native speaker of English. I continued my studies in Malta where I obtained an Honors Degree in Psychology.

I have been teaching English as a foreign language for the last 18 years during which I have also held the post of Head of School and had up to 300 students and 20 teachers under my supervision. Recently I graduated from the University of Malta with a PGCE in PSD.

I have experience teaching students of all ages and levels in classes of 1 to 25 students. I teach both English grammar and conversation. I’ve also taught Business English classes, Cambridge and IELTS. I have provided “English Out There” classes and also prepare students for a range of examinations.

In my personal life I have a number of hobbies such as gardening, spearfishing and playing the piano.

Advice to Learners

I think one thing which helps students improve their English is to understand why they are doing it. If you don’t have a good reason to learn a language, you are less likely to stay motivated over the long-run. Also, you must try to keep it relevant and try to enjoy it.

My favourite place

I have lived in Malta for around 22 years now and love the islands. However, my favorite place has to be Blue Grotto at the break of dawn, when the light catches the water and seems to illuminate it from underneath. children all live very close to me!

Personal Profile:

Tessa started her career in banking, eventually taking a career break in order to raise her growing family.

During that period, she also helped out occasionally at the Commercial section of the French Embassy. She also periodically hosted foreign students in her home, which enabled her to assist them in conversation practice.

Tessa started her career in teaching English as a foreign language in 2005 with AM Language Studio, and has gained substantial experience in teaching English at all levels across a wide variety of areas including business, legal, medical and fashion.

Tessa keeps herself up to date with the latest developments in teaching by regularly attending seminars and courses.

Personal Background:

Tessa is married to Martin and is a mother to four girls and a grandmother to six young children. In her free time, she enjoys walking, reading and bowling. She forms part of a bowling team, competing in a weekly league.

Tessa’s advice to language learners:

First and foremost well done for taking the initiative to learn what is considered to be the most widespread language universally. You can make this an extremely positive experience since Malta provides constant exposure to the English language in an environment that is friendly, modern and fun. Challenge yourself daily, both inside and outside of the classroom, and you will do well!

My favourite place: Sliema

I have lived in Sliema for the majority of my married life and enjoy the fact that the town provides a perfect combination of city and seaside life. This enables me to enjoy walks on the beautiful promenade regularly and swim very close to home, while at the same time being surrounded by excellent amenities and shopping centres. This is further complemented by the fact that my children all live very close to me!

Personal Profile:

I started teaching English way back in 1988 and am experienced in one-to-one tutoring and group instruction of EFL.

My strengths are that I am a professional with over 25 years’ experience in education with an aptitude to remain flexible, ensuring that every student’s learning style and abilities are addressed.

I consider myself to be a warm and caring teacher who wants all students to be successful learners and try my hardest to create a classroom atmosphere that is stimulating, encouraging, fun and adaptive to the varied needs of students. I am accustomed to working in a multicultural environment that emphasizes inclusion. Always striving to build student self-esteem and encourage understanding of cultural diversity, my experience has taught me the skills necessary to adapt to students’ diverse learning styles.

I consider it a great privilege to work for one of Malta’s leading Language Schools which includes some of the best teachers on the island.

Some of my certificates include:

Trinity College – CertTesol certificate

London Chamber of Commerce – Accounts

College of Professional Management -Business Management

Ray’s advice to students

Try learning words in chunks or groups rather than in isolation. Always personalise new language. Try writing sentences with new items of language that are about you or people you know, making it easier to remember the meaning.

My favourite place in Malta

I recommend that everyone should visit San Anton Gardens.

It is located in Attard and is one of the most beautiful gardens in Malta with a large variety of flowers and plants.

This garden has been open to the public since 1882 and it was built by Grand Master Antoine de Paule to complement his summer residence, San Anton Palace, which today is the residence of the Maltese President. The Gardens are surrounded by walls giving the park a rustic and private atmosphere.

Personal Profile:

Philip has lived in four countries so far. For the first fourteen years of his life, Philip lived in Malta. He then relocated to Ontario, Canada with his family for four years. He then decided to go to the University of Kent in the UK and obtained his undergraduate degree in Biodiversity conservation and management three years later in 2011. Meantime his family moved to Brussels, Belgium and he spent his holidays there. He then did a 360 degree turn and returned back to his roots, obtaining a Masters in Tourism from the University of Malta in 2013.

Philip obtained his TEFL Certificate and has been teaching English as a foreign language in Malta for over three years.

Philip’s advice to language learners:

Well done for taking the first step towards achieving your goal of learning English and of experiencing life in another country. My advice is to strike a balance between work and play. So, work hard and enjoy yourself!

My favourite place: Paceville

After a long day at work, it’s good to kick back, relax and dance the night away with friends and a beer or two. Paceville is the ideal place to do just that!

Personal Profile:

After having graduated in Radiography, Mandy decided to use her Science oriented degree to teach Medical English to foreign students.

She therefore furthered and completed her studies in the English language to teach English for special purposes, as well as General English.

Mandy is very interested in using different teaching methodologies and has recently finished a CLIL – Content and Language Integrated Learning course. This refers to teaching subjects through a foreign language. She has successfully developed lesson plans for the Tourism Industry using such a methodology.

Mandy has been teaching English for the last 17 years and joined our team of teachers last year. She has worked on various projects with her colleagues which have involved presenting lesson plans overseas.

Mandy’s advice to Students

I consider teaching to be vocational. I like to think of myself as a mentor, guiding students throughout their learning experience. Every student has a reason for learning English and I would like to make sure they never lose sight of what it is! Therefore my advice to language learners is to work with their teacher and never be afraid to ask for help and advice. We chose teaching because we love seeing people develop, so help us to help you by communicating what you need in class

My favourite place

Personally, my favourite spot on the island is Mdina – the old capital city. It’s a medieval city which happens to be situated on the highest point on the island. I really enjoy visiting this beautiful city; sipping a cup of tea in one of the best tea gardens on the island whilst admiring the stunning views.

Personal Profile:

Originally from South Wales, UK, Lucy left school at 18 and went straight into a Military career. Unfortunately an injury picked up during basic training meant that she had to leave the Royal Air Force, though she still kept her military connections by working with the Air Cadets. Later she began a career in the Civil Service, working in the field of National Statistics.

During a family holiday, Lucy met her polo playing husband Mark, and moved to Malta at the age of 27, working in the family business – Malta’s oldest riding school. In fact, she is an accredited FEI level 1 International coach. She later trained as an EFL teacher, running the riding school as a part-time business which she still does to this day.

As a teacher, Lucy enjoys teaching a variety of levels to keep her mind fresh, but especially likes the Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate levels. She also loves helping prepare students for exams, especially Cambridge FCE.

Lucy’s advice to language learners:

Open your mind! Just because you have no interest in sport or fashion, doesn’t mean that you should ignore these topics when learning English. Sharing your interests with others and and listening to their stories helps you to learn more about the language – and you’ll make great friends too!

My favourite place: Spoilt for choice!

I have a lot of places I love, and though the Chinese Garden (Gnien Is-Serenita) and Riviera Bay (Ghajn Tuffieha) would be among them, I guess my favourites would be on the back of a horse, or on the rugby pitch, a hobby which I share with my daughter.

Personal Profile:

Originally from the former British protectorate of Uganda, Africa; Lesley moved to Buckinghamshire, England as a child. She was educated at a local Grammar School before taking a degree in Psychology followed by a Graduate Certificate of Education.
Despite qualifying as a teacher, Lesley elected to work in the hospitality sector alongside her husband. Subsequently, she had a varied career which included accountancy, administration, healthcare and counseling.

In 2001, Lesley returned to teaching working in English primary, secondary and special needs schools as well as 5 years of hosting and teaching English to French students. Following her move to Malta and being well and truly bitten by the teaching bug, she completed her Cambridge CELTA in 2014. She joined am Language Studio in February 2016 where she has worked across the age and ability spectrum, including several personalised projects with students.

Lesley’s advice to language learners:

Believe in yourself and together we can make learning English enjoyable, helping you to achieve your personal English objectives.
Never be afraid of making mistakes – everyone makes mistakes, even native speakers, the important thing is to learn from those mistakes.
Finally, take every opportunity to use English, both inside and outside of the classroom.

I never get tired of visiting our former glorious capital city. By day it is a living museum of Palazzos and architectural gems, as well as having probably the best cake on the island.
When in Mdina I like to go the ramparts from where you can enjoy a spectacular view across most of Malta and even Sicily on a clear day.

Personal Profile:

Christine is Maltese, born in Sliema.
After many happy years spent as an administrator in schools and the law courts, she decided to turn over a new leaf and retrained as an English language teacher. She has been teaching for over 10 years in different schools.
Teaching is Christine’s number one passion because it gives her the opportunity to help people and maybe even make a little difference in their lives.
Christine feels so blessed to be part of this hard-working team. She also feels honoured to work in the friendly environment of AM Language Studio.

Christine`s advice to language learners:

Hats off to you dear learners, you’ve embarked on an exciting learning trip. Learning English will surely open many doors for you, being work or travel. I believe in taking things ‘step by step’ and our courses will definitely take you places! I love the ‘fun’ feeling in class and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too!

My favourite place: Kalanka bay

Kalanka Bay is situated in the South of Malta, very close to St.Peter’s Pool. This is a very sheltered bay in fact it looks like a natural pool. There the sea is always clean and limpid. This area is also extremely beautiful in winter because the country side is lush green. Walking at Kalanka is most relaxing.

Personal Profile:

I started my EFL career just under thirteen years ago. I started out as a summer teacher with am Language Studio at a very young age and soon found that I loved the industry with a passion. One of the things I enjoy and appreciate most about my job is the opportunity to make a difference in peoples’ lives. Here at am Language Studio we get students from all over the world, and meeting people from different walks of life has indeed been a learning experience for me too. I really enjoy building an environment within the classroom where students get the chance to practice their communicative skills while learning from each other. My favourite kinds of lessons are those where students can mingle and are given opportunities to speak to other students of different cultures – I find these activities very productive and successful.

My Advice to Learners:

If I could give my learners one piece of advice it would be to speak, speak, speak! The opportunity to practice English in an English-speaking country and fully immerse themselves in the language is golden so I would suggest they take every opportunity to speak to people of different nationalities and not to worry too much about their mistakes – everyone learns from mistakes after all and that is why students are here! Above all, I suggest they embrace the experience and make the most of it – have fun!

My Favourite Location in Malta:

My favourite location in Malta is definitely Mdina – the old capital city! I find Mdina so charming and relaxing.
Mdina is beautiful by day – the view from the bastion is spectacular and of course the chocolate cake at Fontanella is not to be missed! However, I especially love Mdina at night – the dim lights lining the narrow streets make it so quaint and romantic! My favourite thing to do in Mdina is going to a nice restaurant for dinner in the evening – I love walking through the silent streets at night and enjoying a delicious meal at one of their many great restaurants!