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Experienced Tutor Multi-Lingual Spanish French Italian Portuguese ESL
Thomas R.

4,348 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Hourly Rate: $40
Response time: 17 hours

About Thomas


Bio

Thomas R. is a US citizen from birth speaking English, Spanish and Italian at home being born into a polyglot family resident legally in the USA and then learning French by attending French high school in France - eventually teaching in France as an adjunct professor and finally learning Brazilian Portuguese by working in South America.

My education and work experience include many years spent in Mexico, the Caribbean, South America and Western Europe studying and working in the corporate...

Thomas R. is a US citizen from birth speaking English, Spanish and Italian at home being born into a polyglot family resident legally in the USA and then learning French by attending French high school in France - eventually teaching in France as an adjunct professor and finally learning Brazilian Portuguese by working in South America.

My education and work experience include many years spent in Mexico, the Caribbean, South America and Western Europe studying and working in the corporate and academic worlds and prompted me to become certified also in English, ESL, and TOEFL once I joined Wyzant's platform. So, for approximately the past 6 years I have successfully tutored in - alphabetical order English (ESL, TOEFL), French, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish - and - with over 120 student comments about my verbal abilities and a designation by Wyzant as to being ranked for 2015 in the top 250 tutors listing for Wyzant - please consider me for your language needs without hesitation.

A professional certification as a Spanish instructor By IACET (THE ASSOCIATION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION TRAINERS) allows me to provide you CONTINUING ED CREDIT approved by the Texas Education Agency when you take Spanish professional courses in this language with me, such as, Medicine, Nursing, Law Enforcement, Education, Real Estate, Mortgage Banking, Construction, Business, etc. AND MANY MORE - yes - I can issue Spanish credits the same as you taking the course at the community college of your choice any where in the USA.

I have taught ESL in France during the day at the college level on dual Fulbright Fellowships from both the French and US governments while studying at the Universite de Lille, Roubaix-Tourcoin, France in the evening.

The past several years, retired from a full time position, were spent traveling and tutoring, teaching languages and Latino - Anglo workforce cultural diversity to many hundreds of students in one on one as well as group classes in Continuing Ed and corporate training venues. These opport


Education

Saint Francis College
FRENCH SPANISH
UCLA MA LATIN AMERICAN STUDIIES SPANISH FRENCH PORTUGUESE ITALIAN
Masters
COLUMBIA UNIV STEM STUDY - BRAZIL COFFEE DEVELOPMENTL
Graduate Coursework
  • Licensed teacher

Policies


Schedule

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Approved Subjects

English

English

I have tutored students extensively in ESL and TOEFL with success in Europe, South America and USA. I have taught ESL/TOEFL at the community college level. I also have private tutoring experience with ESL training for mid level management within several corporations in USA and Mexico.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

I have teaching experience of English as a second language in the USA, Canada, Europe and South America - my specialty is ENGLISH for Spanish speakers but I can especially help also French, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese speakers because I am also certified in these languages with Wyzant. I taught English in the French school system in Roubaix, France at the middle school level on a Fulbright Fellowhip and worked part time in the evening tutoring IBM French speaking employees as well as giving private lessons to high school and college students in the northern FRANCE metroplex of Lille, Roubaix,Tourcoin. My total experience in ESL includes teaching and privately tutoring French, Spanish, Latin American, Italian, Brazilian, Chinese, and Japanese nationals during my studies, travels and work experience.
French

French

I have lived, studied and worked for many years where the FRENCH language is spoken every day and am bilingual. During this period I got professional degrees and certifications to teach the FRENCH language at all academic levels. My additional FRENCH studies were done on scholarship in AMERICA as well as FRANCE --- US FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE – WASHINGTON, DC US FRENCH CUTURAL CENTER – PARIS, FRANCE UNIVERSITE DE PARIS – LA SORBONNE UNIVERSITE DE LILLE – LILE, ROUBAIX, TOURCOIN – FRANCE *Bilingual FRENCH certified teacher - tutor at all academic levels from high school through college - FRENCH 1 2 3 4 – AP **Certified teacher in the French school system – location – LYCEE VANDERMESCH - northern France
Italian

Italian

I am a first generation Italian-American who spoke the language at home and then learned English in school. I completed a program in Italian Studies at Columbia University to bring me up to date on what is actually taught and spoken in Italy today both in the school system and on the job - to overcome the confusion of hundreds of regional dialects. My biggest Italian tutoring achievement was working on a two year program with Brinker International to train their US Sales Managers to speak Italian to open various franchise opportunities in Italy for USA franchisors. Other successes included working on projects with Xerox in Torino and Nokia in Milano facilitating language cohesion between sales forces using English, Finnish and Italian. With children from 6 to 16 I tutor using a totally different approach but still stress understanding and speaking Italian from the start. All my materials come from the Stanford University Children's Language Development program.
Marketing

Marketing

Have successfully studied English grammar, reading, writing and speaking at all educational levels in the USA up to and including graduate school. Have qualified to teach ESL both in USA and Europe. Have held corporate management positions in the US that required all executives in this country to converse in English and read all contracts and corporate documents both legal and otherwise in English. Have taught ESL succeddfully for more than 20 years with no difficulties.
Portuguese

Portuguese

Taught Brazilian portuguese for more than 20 years - conversation and grammar Passed Brazilian Portuguese language certification test at UCLA - graduate level Developed and successfully presented professional program "Introduction to Brazil" for both colleges as well as business Very familiar with the following Brazilian areas - Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Manaus, Minas Gerais, Recife, Rio Grande do Sul
Spanish

Spanish

I have lived, studied and worked for many years where the Spanish language is spoken every day and am bilingual. During this period I got professional degrees and certifications to teach the Spanish language at all academic levels. My additional studies were done on scholarship in South America as well as Spain --- Universidad de Salamanca - Spain Universidad Pontifica de - Chile Universidad de San Marcos - Peru Bilingual Spanish certified teacher - tutor at all academic levels from high school through college - SPANISH 1 2 3 4 - AP *IACET (International Association Continuing Education Training) - certified in occupational business and professional SPANISH training at the community college level - eg. MEDICAL, LAW ENFORCEMENT, EDUCATION, BUSINESS, etc.
TOEFL

TOEFL

1.I have taught ESL in the French school system after being tested and approved by the French Ministry of Education, Paris, France. 2.I have taught ESL classes in France for IBM French sales/marketing personnel. 3. I have taught ESL classes in the USA to NEC, Japanese and Bimbo, Mexico sales and administrative personnel. 4.I am actively teaching and tutoring ESL/TOEFL presently to private individuals as well as businesses stressing reading comprehension, vocabulary enhancement, pronunciation improvement, etc.
Grammar
Reading
Vocabulary
Writing

Examples of Expertise


Thomas has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 1 question submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

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Response time: 17 hours

Ratings and Reviews


Rating

5.0 (2,071 ratings)
5 star
(2,018)
4 star
(51)
3 star
(0)
2 star
(1)
1 star
(1)

Reviews

Very knowledgeable and professional

He taught me some grammar, some vocabulary, talked about Italian culture and I feel that in the two times that we had lessons with him I learned a lot. Sine I speak other languages he makes some comparison with Italian and that helps a lot.

Shida, 8 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

Thank you signora for your kind comments about the Italian class - and it's a pleasure assisting you with comparisons to both the Spanish and French languages when appropriate - sempre piacere - don TOMMASO

Amazing teacher!

Thomas does a really good job of knowing what you need to learn and focusing on that. I have always had trouble with pronunciation due to an auditory disorder. He made sure to incoporate a lot of mouth movement and descriptions so that it was easier for me to learn how to pronounce things correctly. He also has amazing resources that are super helpful.

Sydney, 8 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

Very kind comments Sydney - your progress in beginning Brazilian Portuguese is developing very well especially from the understanding and pronunciation aspects - it is evident your will be communicating in everyday Brasileiro very soon - muito obrigado - ate logo - Tomasinho

Very clear and concise language teacher; a wealth of information

Tomasinho is not only a great teacher but he throughly understands the concepts behind the syntax and pronunciation of a language. He teaches with clarity but with pace and doesn’t gloss over words, for the sake of killing time for a lesson. No instead he makes sure you understand what you’re saying and why you’re saying it. He helps beginners to experience language learners understand the connection, between one langue to another, but he also reminds you of the clear distinctions between the two as well. In addition to that, we go throughout the recommended Portuguese books to have a foundation of what you learning, just like you would a child in grade school. Language is just a building blocks of conjugation and verbs and he’s a great teacher in guiding you to understanding that, but with his spin on it. Lastly I throughly enjoy his way of relating our lessons to the everyday world, and as a world traveler it makes the lesson more exciting relatable and I have enthusiasm to learn more. I considered getting flashcards to learn Portuguese but with his help, I’m more confident in what I’m learning as I plan on traveling to Portugal and Brazil later this year. I’m looking forward to him eventually teaching me French later on this year and eventually Spanish next year. Tomasinho is definitely a walking library filled with a wealth of information!!

Ovian, 6 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

Ovian your enthusiasm for learning languages is fantastic and I certainly will do everything to enable you to achieve your goals - being able to communicate in everyday Brazilian Prortugues - French - and Spanish is a large undertaking but you definitely can do it with or with out flash cards - muito obrigado - merci bien - muy agradecido - Good luck - Tom

Knowledgeable, Professional and Inspiring Tutor

Jumped right into back where to we left off with the Passatto prossimo and which verbs weee irregular as well as how to change the endings.

Dominic, 58 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

Thanks for the kind words Dominic about my assistance with the changes in the Italian language regarding how to communicate everyday in the greater portion of Italy in the past tense - my response was a bit slow due to medical reasons but am back on the language scene with Wyzant - grazie mille - ci vediamo - don Tommaso

Patient Tutor with Good Structure

Thomas has an excellent and deep linguistic and cultural foundation in the languages he teaches and it shows in his lesson plan and classes. He is both flexible and patient and makes the student feel at ease, regardless of your skill level or learning pace. I look forward to every lesson with him and I am highly motivated to tackle any homework that is provided. I highly recommend Thomas for the list of languages he teaches.

Peter, 31 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

Thanks for the kind words Peter - and I am sure you will reach your goals with the Italian language.

Spanish tutor

Super knowledgeable and great tutor. Speaks multiple languages fluently. Daughter is taking Spanish 4 and he helps tremendously. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ray, 11 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

Ray - thank you very much for your kind comments about my Spanish 4 efforts to help your daughter - an already excellent student - become a super achiever- always at your service when necessary - have a great week end - Tomas

Wyzant’s Finest Tutor.

There are many tutors on Wyzant who teach a wide variety of subjects. I have seen many tutors throughout my academic career, however, none were as qualified as Thomas. Thomas is a rare gem of a tutor. He has a sundry of knowledge on the languages of Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. I hired Thomas when I was interested in learning Portuguese and it was one of the best decisions I had ever made. Right before he begins teaching the language, he gives a brief geographic overview of the country where the language is spoken and you can tell he has a wide variety of knowledge on Latin America and Europe from both study and experience. He then took the time to elucidate the inner workings of the Portuguese language starting with pronunciation and the alphabet. As a former university professor, he understands how imperative pronunciation is when learning a foreign language. He then moves on to teaching important survival phrases used in daily life in Brazil. Unlike other language teachers, the situations he presents are realistic to the day by day happenings in Brazil, and Thomas even takes the time to teach the cultural context within the country. He also provided important vocabulary lists on everyday items such as food, street signs, and other useful signs. Thomas always begins his lessons by speaking the target language, so the student can get exposure to how the language sounds in a real life situation. Overall, I would highly recommend Thomas for anyone interested in learning a Romance language and I’m looking forward to learning Italian with him in the future. If Siskel and Ebert were still alive, they would definitely give Thomas two thumbs up 👍👍!

Kyle, 18 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

Hello Kyle - thank you for the kind comments about studying Brazilian Portuguese with me -your enthusiasm for language is unsurpassed and definitely evident every time we have a lesson - prezado estudante muito obligado - Tomasinho

Tomas - just what I was looking for

We had a vey good first lesson, looking forward to number 2. Found out I was using an outdated form of past tense and got advice about the correct, easier form.

Gary, 4 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

Thanks for your kind comments about our first Italian lesson Gary - I am looking with anticipation to doing more conversations with you prior to your trip to Italy.

Charasmatic and knowledgeable

Thomas spoke slowly and was adaptable to our learning styles. There is 2 of us with very different knowledge about Spanish and he was able to adjust his lesson,

Michele and Jack, 4 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

A pleasure to work with both you and Jack - Michele - your kind comments about me adjusting to both your different levels of Spanish is greatly appreciated - and we will continue on the path to have both of you become conversational in Spanish - GRACIAS - don Tomas

An Exceptional Spanish Tutor - Unlocking the Language with Ease!

I recently had the pleasure of working with an incredible Spanish tutor who truly exceeded my expectations. From the very first meeting, it was evident that their expertise and passion for teaching the Spanish language were unparalleled. I am thrilled to share the experience that my child had with them and highly recommend them to anyone seeking to learn or improve their Spanish skills. One of the most impressive aspects of this tutor was their ability to create a comfortable and engaging learning environment. They possess a warm, patient, and easy going demeanor that instantly put my at son at ease, allowing him to ask questions without hesitation. Their genuine enthusiasm for teaching Spanish was contagious, making each lesson a delightful and productive experience. What sets Tomas apart is their exceptional knowledge of the Spanish language. Their command over grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation is truly remarkable. They effortlessly explain complex grammar rules and concepts in a way that is both understandable and memorable. Moreover, they incorporate a wide range of resources and interactive activities that cater to different learning styles, ensuring a well-rounded and comprehensive learning experience. Flexibility and adaptability are also key attributes of this outstanding tutor. They tailored each lesson to my specific needs and learning pace, constantly assessing my progress and adjusting their teaching methods accordingly. Whether my son needed to focus on conversational skills, writing, or comprehension, they consistently provided targeted guidance and support. Beyond their technical expertise, this tutor also possesses a deep cultural understanding of the Spanish-speaking world. They shared fascinating insights into the customs, traditions, and nuances of different Spanish-speaking countries, enriching my language learning journey and providing a holistic experience. Additionally, their commitment to working with my son's teacher's curriculum garnered success which was evident in the extra resources and materials they shared with me. They went above and beyond to recommend valuable online tools, books, and movies that complemented the lessons and helped my son immerse himself in the Spanish language outside of our sessions. In conclusion, I cannot recommend this Spanish tutor enough. Their exceptional skills, genuine passion for teaching, and ability to create a supportive and engaging learning environment make them an outstanding choice for anyone seeking to learn or improve their Spanish. Whether you are a beginner or looking to refine your existing knowledge, working with this tutor will undoubtedly propel you towards fluency with confidence and joy.

Ann, 14 lessons with Thomas
Tutor responded:

Ann - I am more than thankful to you for your very detailed comments about my Spanish language teaching and tutoring abilities - it's evident that your son will be successful not only with the Spanish language but with all his studies - hopefully i assisted him also with considering various colleges that best can meet his needs in his areas of interest - really was a pleasre working with him- good luck to him with his future academic work - Thomas

Hourly Rate: $40
Response time: 17 hours
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