๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ. ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ ๐
I've been asked, many times quite frankly, how I became passionate about languages.
Well, it's because of an awful French teacher who made my life "a living hell" (just exaggerating here to add a bit more drama to the story๐)
The truth is, in year 4, I used to memorise texts (and their translations). The first teacher we had would make us stand up in front of the class, read and translate the texts. But I was so bad at French, I had to have my mum help me read, translate and memorise all the texts. ๐๐
Then, in year 5, we had another teacher. And one day, I simply put my homework in the PE bag and completely forgot about it. This new teacher was soooo mean (people who lived in post-communist Romania in the 90s might know what I'm talking about) ๐ญ
So she just gave me a 4 (out of 10).
My mum was furious. And that week, guys, I started. I started having private classes. For French. And the following year, for English.
Now, the big bad teacher found out and was quite upset I did not have classes with her. So, during every class, she would check my knowledge. I had to be one step ahead, all the time.
So I continuously had private classes until I was admitted to Uni. Yeah, my mum never got over it :))) Almost every week, even during holidays.
I was actually talking to my best friend the other day, and she told me how sorry she felt for me. She felt I did not have a proper childhood ๐
I told her : when you don't know how it should be, your reality just seems the normal thing.
So, it was definitely not my choice. I didn't even know I "was good at languages". I just practiced so much, that it just became second nature ๐
Now, I love languages. I also speak a bit of Italian and Spanish, and would mostly like to learn Chinese. ๐คฉ
๐ฝ๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ก๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ง๐ฃ. ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐๐๐๐จ. ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ฉ, ๐๐ช๐ก๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐๐ข๐จ, ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐.
Funny how one thing leads to another.
Did you have enough patience to read so far?
Then what about you? How did you get your passion?
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2018 up to present : Manger, DOS, Language Teacher & Coach - VP Empower & VP Modern Foreign Languages
2019 up to present : OET Preparation Provider
2009 - 2018 : Manger, DOS, Language Teacher & Coach - DAGMAR D.V. & Intel Training
2007 - 2009 : JOUVE International, Romania / France
2003 - 2007 : Volunteer : Interpreter & Translator for various organisations, Romania
QUALIFICATIONS
2022 : Classroom activities, interaction and motivation (refresher course), NILE, Norwich
2022 : From Teacher to Trainer, NILE, Norwich
2019 up to present : Coaching within Education, Coaching Academy, UK
2019 : OET Preparation Provider, OET, Australia
2014 : CELTA (Pass A), Kaplan, Ireland
2011 : Management in ELT, Nile, Norwich
2007 : Translation and Interpreting - English and French, Bachelor's Degree, University of Craiova, Romania
2005-2006 : ERASMUS Scholarship, Universite Lille 3, France
2003 : Intensive Mathematics and IT&C, High-school Diploma, Mid-Level Programmer
Valentina has always been passionate about languages, starting taking regular private classes for both English and French since she was 9. However, she then went on to study IT before going back to her passion, languages.
Forward to 2009, she spent two years working for a French multinational company and the European Union, when she discovered a passion for teaching and qualified as a teacher trainer. She then owned and ran her own language school in her home country for 8 years.
In 2014, her journey as an international teacher began when she succeeded in obtaining her teaching qualification for adult students in Dublin, Ireland. That same year, she worked for Kaplan International in Kent, and the next year, returned to work for them in Brighton.
In December 2017, Valentina opened her online Modern Foreign Languages School for adults in England.
At present, Valentina runs two businesses in the United Kingdom, with headquarters in Royal Leamington Spa.
VP Empower, a coaching, mentoring and training academy, and VP Languages, an online language school for adults, collaborating with a great team of OET and IELTS expert teachers.
All rights reserved @ Valentina Popescu 2018-2022