About
I love teaching Spanish, meeting new people, sharing my culture, helping others achieving their goals. When I am not teaching, I am traveling, learning languages, cooking. I also love cats, Arabic music, pizza, Italian gelato, American apple pie, Indian dresses, and Venezuelan arepa of course.
Specialties
Current reading level
Current speaking level
Writing level
Reading and writing goals
Speaking goals
Student's age
Photos and videos
Reviews
payam p.
Mark H.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Feel free to contact m and tell me what exactly what you need, if you have studied Spanish before, what your expectations are, etc. If you prefer you can book a first free meeting online or face to face if you live near me.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Maria is an experienced, qualified Spanish teacher from Venezuela. She holds a college degree in Modern Languages and Business, as well as Teaching Certifications in Venezuela and Ecuador. She has been teaching Spanish and English since 2005 to expats, teenagers and kids in Venezuela and Ecuador.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
My prices are between 17 dollars per hour to 23 depending on the purpose of the students.
For test preparation is usually the higher rate.
How did you get started teaching?
I started teaching in 2005 (If you saw my picture you wouldn’t believe my age , but I started teaching at a young age when I was still in college). I would never forget my first student, Mr. Baralt, from Louisiana, USA, who used to work as a supervisor for an oil company and was sent to Venezuela for a project. I honestly don’t think he learned a lot of Spanish from me, because of my lack of experienced back then, but one thing is for sure, we used to have a lot of fun during the classes, and it was then when I knew that a had a passion for teaching and also learning from foreigners and their culture.
What types of students have you worked with?
From Mr. Baralt to this date, I have taught English and Spanish to around 400 people. I also have experience in Tourism, Human Resources for Oil and Construction companies, Translation for different IT projects. I was the Director of a Language School in Quito, Ecuador and since 2017 I started teaching online English and Spanish lessons for a Community College in Ecuador and another Spanish teaching platform which is in Singapore.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
My great satisfaction though is to see people like Anna María, from Italy who was fluent in Spanish after 4 month of class with me. Katherine (Hui Yin) from China, who started communicating in Spanish after 3 month of classes. Also Rufeida from Yemen, who needed Spanish to survive in Ecuador while her husband was working overseas, and thanks to the help I provided them they were able to see results in their journey of learning Spanish. Theses are just few of stories of the many I have to share in this beautiful teaching world.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Always look for somebody who has previous preparation and experience. The fact that a person speak a language not necessarily means that she or he is capable to teach that language. Native speaker friends are good to practice with but not to teach you if they don't have the qualification.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
What is your job experience?
What is your ideal student?
Do you like to teach people of my age?
Do you have a methology or structured program?