Our Lecturers
The Skrivanek Language School team works towards helping you feel more confident communicating in foreign languages in the process of achieving your goals. We are aware that language acquisition is much easier and more entertaining in childhood, and overcoming language barriers as an adult could be a tricky task. This is the exact mission of our language school – to help experts of various areas master a foreign language, gain more confidence in the process, and learn to communicate in personal and business environments in a more effective manner. A well-built team of professional lecturers consisting of experienced linguists of such languages as English, Russian, German, French, Spanish, etc., helps us carry out our linguistic projects. We invite you to meet a few of our lecturers:
KAROLINA – AN ENGLISH LECTURER
How long have you been teaching?
I was interested in the English language ever since I was a kid, so it should not come as a surprise that teaching it turned into my profession. To be honest, I did work for international companies for a few years after I graduated college, but my heart was calling me to come back to teaching. And so, I have been actively giving lectures for more than 6 years. The experience I have gathered previously comes in handy when giving lectures on Business English.
How do you keep your students motivated to continue learning languages?
I believe that the level of motivation the students have depends heavily on the lecturer. If a lecturer is highly driven and motivated and knows how to transfer his love for languages to his students, the students will see that and will get inspired to learn and acquire new skills. I try to make sure that all of my students recall their English classes with smiles on their faces. So far, I have been successful in achieving this as more and more students come back with a desire to improve their skills further.
What are your strong suits when it comes to teaching Business English?
I could point out a few aspects. First of all, the success of teaching a business language depends on the amount of knowledge one has. Knowing a language or two is not enough – a business language is a combination of processes related to language and to business. The experience I have gathered working in international companies allowed me to take a glimpse at the behind-the-scenes of how processes related to business and business-oriented companies, work. I have completed an equalization study program in Business Management and Administration, and have acquired a Master’s degree in Legal English. The knowledge I gained while in university proves useful as well. I have also participated in global Project Management courses, in order to learn more. I keep up with updates, and I love reading books. At the moment I am teaching the subject of Business English in one of the Lithuanian universities. All of this combined allows me to dig deeper into the peculiarities of language, terminology, and current trends, and to have fulfilling discussions with the students attending my courses.
What course of action do you take when one of your students is struggling?
In cases like these, I always try to encourage the student and remind him of the progress he has made so far. Sometimes we take small victories for granted when trying to achieve a bigger goal. Learning a language is a long journey and one should be enjoying the process itself. Did you know that significant progress can usually be felt when one starts learning and still has a lower language level? The more language skills you have, the harder it is to notice the improvements.
What is your biggest inspiration when it comes to teaching languages?
My students inspire me the most – the attendees of the course, their smiles, and their good energy. Teaching languages is a very gratifying profession. I work with a variety of people who come from different companies and cities. This job allows me to gain knowledge on areas that I would never work in myself, helps me meet people I would not come across otherwise, and, most importantly, allows me to make great new friends.
OLGA – A LECTURER OF RUSSIAN
How long have you been teaching?
I have been teaching Russian since 1992. I started giving lectures in Russian when I was still in university and this has been my job ever since. I have been working for the Skrivanek language school for five years already, and I really enjoy it.
Have you ever taken courses or have studied abroad? If so, how was this experience for you?
I was improving my skills in Russia, in the city of Pskov. The language courses were organized by the Pskov State Pedagogical University and by the professors from Saint Petersburg State University. The lectures were given by the professors of these institutions of higher education. These great courses for improving your qualifications provided us, philologists, with a lot of useful knowledge.
How do you keep your students motivated to continue learning languages?
I always reiterate that nothing is impossible, and try not to let even the smallest achievements go unnoticed.
What are your strong suits when it comes to teaching a language of business?
Teaching a business language is very interesting and I, as a humanitarian, continue to learn things I was not aware of yet. I would say that my strong suits are related to spoken language and negotiations.
What course of action do you take when one of your students is struggling?
I believe that when a person puts in the work – success is inevitable. However, If I notice that someone is struggling with the learning process, I try to help in every way possible – I switch up the tasks, dedicate additional time to individual work, and try to encourage them.
What is your biggest inspiration when it comes to teaching languages?
When my students, after they begin learning letters, come in after a while and say “I can!” in Russian. Or when they participate in a conversation with a client who speaks Russian for the first time and then call me to share how glad they are.
VIOLETA – A LECTURER OF GERMAN
How many years have you been giving lectures?
The amount of work experience I have gathered in teaching amounts to 27 years.
Have you ever taken courses or have studied abroad? If so, how was this experience for you?
Yes, I attended various seminars in Germany and Austria in order to improve my German skills, and acquire more knowledge. I have also lived in Hanover for a year. This turned out to be a priceless experience, as I could apply the knowledge acquired throughout my years as a student practically. I could have firsthand experiences with the language, feel it more deeply, learn the more subtle peculiarities of spoken language and German culture, and could meet new friends, who I am still in contact with to this day…
How do you keep your students motivated to continue learning languages?
The main source of motivation for the student is to show him that he is improving and to encourage him for even the smallest of achievements. This inspires him to continue learning, improving, and striving to achieve the best results. A positive outlook, positive emotions, and dedication also help raise the student’s level of motivation.
What are your strong suits when it comes to teaching a language of business?
Sociability, taking time to interact with every student individually, a positive outlook, and an ability to teach skills by using real-life situations.
What course of action do you take when one of your students is struggling?
That never happens 😊. On a more serious note, I never stop trying because I have faith in every student. We work, – and we work hard.
What is your biggest inspiration when it comes to teaching languages?
The course results of the students. Their desire for constant improvement, their diligence, how bright their eyes are, their desire to learn more, and their positive emotions.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
I loved the lecturer and his teaching methods. We quickly learned to work hand-in-hand and had a good dynamic. Which was brilliant! I had a great appreciation for the lecturer’s personality, his hobbies, and his outlook on life. I think this contributed to the fact that we were able to discuss various topics in English, which helped me conquer my fear of communicating with English speakers, especially Britons, in English. This intensive course felt like a gift from the universe as it really helped me gain more confidence in my communication skills. It helped me use my English skills when talking to clients, colleagues, and partners in my day-to-day work life with more ease. Overall, it was a very positive experience and proved itself very beneficial in my daily life. This way of learning is extremely enjoyable. I’m only sorry it had to come to an end.
The Russian language courses met all of my expectations and helped me gain valuable knowledge. If need be, the classes could be held in an auditorium in order to understand the language better and process the information in an even more effective manner. In order to put the acquired skills to use, the courses should be continued and the skills that were already acquired should be applied in real-life situations.
I was a big fan of the fact that the lecturer was not Lithuanian. This allowed the errors to be corrected when I was speaking (grammar, phrases and expressions, pronunciation). It also allowed me to get acquainted with a different culture as the lecturer was a Briton who has lived and worked in various countries. The classes were filled with positive emotions, they were entertaining and useful. Both me and my colleagues noticed that our fears related to making errors diminished, and at last, disappeared. We started expressing our thoughts and ideas and using English in a more confident manner at the very beginning of the course. This increased one’s confidence immensely. I’m very grateful for the way the lecturer showed me the way, provided structure, and helped me identify what it is I already know and what could be improved. I am also thankful for the recommendations the lecturer gave me.
I only have nice words to say about the lecturer of our group, Gintarė Z. She created a great atmosphere, paid attention to every individual student, emphasized the important bits, and encouraged us to be brave enough to make mistakes and talk a lot. We had a great time!
This was one of the best lecturers I’ve encountered. The course contents were prepared immaculately, the needs of the group were explained well, and he provided solutions for all of them. Non-standard teaching methods, a great delivery, and a gentle push towards improvement. Thanks Darren!
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