Profile Picture

Andrei

security_checkedpolice_badgeFlag
4.9
map_pinRussia
9:37 PM (GMT+03:00)
class
Russian
user_group_man_woman
47
time
327
class
Russian
user_group_man_woman
47
time
327

Speaks

Russian
Native
,
English
C1
,
Belarusian
B2

About Me

Hello! My name is Andrei, and I'm a professional theater director and educator from Saint-Petersburg, Russia. I teach theater all over the world - in Europe and the USA, and I teach Russian online for anyone who studies Russian and loves Russian culture.

Learning and teaching languages is my passion. As a theater director, I interact with Russian language and Russian literature on daily basis, so, when teaching Russian, I strive to share my love of it and spread my knowledge.

No less than Russian, I love English, which allows me to communicate with the world. In 2018, I won a Fulbright competition and as a Fulbrighter and Visiting Scholar I taught Russian theater techniques at two American universities - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The University of Illinois at Chicago. This experience helped me improve my spoken English and convinced me that language is a powerful tool for cultural exchange.

Qualifications & Experience
As a tutor, I've been teaching Russian online for about 2 years. During this time I've taught around 50 students - from beginners to advanced. Among my students I have had an American military pilot, an American embassy officer in Kazakhstan, dozens of college students, and others. I've gained some experience in diagnosing student problems and finding effective tactics to improve their skills.
As a person who was trained a lot in voice and speech class during my studies in the Saint-Petersburg State Theater Arts Academy, I can also help you significantly improve your pronunciation.

Teaching Approach
I believe that it's not enough to learn grammar and vocabulary to master a foreign language. One has to be immersed into a real language, a language people really speak, which is always different from those versions we encounter in various textbooks.
On the other hand, it seems to me important to show students higher examples of the Russian language - the literary language. It's essential to know which speech sounds good and to distinguish it.
I mainly rely on conversational practice. However, as to their homework, I strongly recommend students to listen to Russian speech using various videos and podcasts, and I give them four special techniques for working with these types of materials. I firmly believe that listening can create the basis for future communication skills. There's no doubt that children begin to speak imitating the speech of their parents.
During my lessons I use "Russian in Exercises" written by S.A. Khavronina and A.I. Shirochenskaya - a book published in 2014, which became a bestseller among those who teach Russian as a foreign language, "53 Models of Russian Grammar" by T.M. Dorofeeva and M.N. Lebedeva, various exercises, tables and games, as well as interviewing and retelling.
Read More

Teacher Stats

watchWithin a few hours
timetable6 years ago
place_marker92.00%
class327
class_blackboard11.4 lesson average
filled_star4.9

Schedule

February 22, 2025 - March 1, 2025

All times listed are in your local timezone
(GMT+0000)
GMT+0000
Sat
02/22/2025
Sun
02/23/2025
Mon
02/24/2025
Tue
02/25/2025
Wed
02/26/2025
Thu
02/27/2025
Fri
02/28/2025
5:00 AM
6:00 AM
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM
9:00 PM

Teaching Expertise

Beginner
Upper Beginner
Intermediate
Upper Intermediate
Advanced
Upper Advanced

Résumé

schoolEducation

1995 - 2003
M.A.
Saint-Petersburg State Theater Arts Academy - Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Acting and Directing, Voice and Speech

briefcaseWork Experience

2017 - 2019

Ratings

confetti
7
Fun
flex_biceps
14
Motivation Guru
versions
18
Excellent Materials
chat
22
Great Conversation
blog
4
Writing Coach
for_beginner
9
Great for Beginners
for_beginner
15
Great for Intermediate
for_experienced
1
Great for Advanced
voice_recognition_scan
14
Accent Reduction
electronics
5
Tech Savvy
trainers
13
Goes the Extra Mile
language
17
Grammar Expert
handshake
14
Cultural Insights

4.9 Average

61 ratings, 47 students
Profile Picture
April 11, 2024 • Lessons: 6
I took 5 Russian lessons with Andrei in April 2024, all in one week! My aims were to increase my confidence in conversation and to use more native-like phrasing.

Very early on, he identified a couple of small things I could do to sound more native-like, and they helped a lot. He corrected texts for me between sessions and suggested exercises.
I found him to be a patient conversation partner, but still to consistently make corrections or, even better, prompt me to go back and make the correction myself.
We used some questionnaires he had to provoke discussion - some really interesting materials. He also has some Telegram channels with Russian-learning materials and a community of learners.
Really good value to money, and I look forward to learning with him again.
He has lots of interesting things to say, and I found him clear to understand.
Read More
Profile Picture
December 12, 2020 • Lessons: 16
Unless you have at least (and I mean at least) an hour of time to devote to out of class activity (i.e., preparing for your lesson) per every one hour session with Andrei, this is not the instructor for you. He will not be shy about expressing his dissatisfaction with you and he will not care one iota about what may be going on in your life. If you've got plenty of time on your hands and can meet his demands, by all means, sign right up.
Read More
Page 1 of 8