Your hosts
Cheryl
My name is Cheryl. I live in sunny Kent, the garden of England, with Ruben my son. I’ve been helping students to improve their English for a few years now and absolutely love it. Each student is very different, and not just in their ability level. I strive to understand each person carefully, in order to identify the best route to facilitate their learning. I do this not only with methods (interactive puzzles and games, computer work, cooking and activities) but also with topics, often providing lessons tailored to their interests, motivations, feelings. I am consultative in approach and enjoy asking the students how they feel it is going and listening to their viewpoints. I hold the Cambridge CELTA, a first class degree in business studies and the CIM (chartered Institute of Marketing) Diploma. In my marketing career I have coached and mentored and I like to teach actively where possible. I’ve been delivering homestays for three years.
We live on a very sociable road and we have lots of friends who have children of all ages and they have lots of pets! Ruben likes swimming, cycling, Lego, watching films and (sometimes!) playing computer games.
Ruben
Ruben (born in 2008) – hobbies include trains and transformers!
I love socialising with family and friends, music, reading, gardening, cooking, running, cycling and travel. I would invite our students to become involved in all of these activities and Ruben would do the same with theirs.
Your teacher
Cheryl has a BA (Hons) degree in Business Studies as well as the highly recognised Cambridge language qualification CELTA. She’s been helping students to improve their English since 2015 and absolutely loves it.
The home
4 bedroom detached house. There is an electric piano and a guitar in the student’s bedroom.
Location
Royal Tunbridge Wells is in West Kent, the nearest airport is Gatwick (about 40 mins by car)
Other details
Wifi available, smokers not accepted, garden, piano
Local amenities
Golf, Tennis, Swimming, Horse Riding, Water Sports, Sports Centre
Things to do
Living in Kent, the garden of England, is really a perfect location from which to teach English to adults. We’re in a beautiful town called Royal Tunbridge Wells, which is surrounded by stunning countryside yet lies just 50 minutes outside London. It’s close to both Gatwick (40 minutes) and Heathrow (70 minutes), International train services into Ebsfleet, Ashford and London Waterloo and of course all south coast ferry ports.
We have so many lovely places to visit, things to see and do, that you need never be bored! The National Trust and English heritage own a wealth of beautiful properties here, with many: castles (notably Bodiam, Hever (Anne Boleyn’s childhood home) and Scotney) historical stately homes (Chartwell (Churchill), Bateman’s (Rudyard Kipling) and beautiful gardens (including Sissinghurst and Penshurst Place) We’re just an hour from the south coast and so day trips to beaches including Bexhill, Hastings, Brighton and Eastbourne are possible. Kent has vineyards and fruit picking farms which thrive in summer and all can be visited and their produce tasted and purchased. The county has many outstanding restaurants, bars and cafes, with a branch of the famous London restaurant The Ivy having recently opened in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Tunbridge Wells itself has no fewer than five large, landscaped parks, a cinema, two theatres, two nightclubs and many town events showcasing food, music, arts and markets.
It also has a museum which explains the town’s fascinating history and several top quality art galleries. The Pantiles is the town’s “old town” with a rich and interesting history including royal approval in the 1600s! The town is perfect if you like to stay active. Cycling, running routes, sports centres, swimming pools, cricket pitches, tennis, golf and so on and on are plentiful. There is a wealth of stunning walking country. No wonder so many of the good and great settled in this area, even Jane Austen spent time in Kent, with her brother buried here in a very local cemetary. London is only 50 minutes away and can be enjoyed during the homestay either self directed, or with me at an extra charge. There you can enjoy The London Eye, Big Ben, Madame Tussauds, world famous galleries, museums, opera, ballet, west end musicals and plays, restaurants, nightlife, unending shops including Harrods and Selfridges. London is truly one of the best cities in the world and has many things for everyone!