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Drew

Drew

Drew is the Founder of My Language Lab and has tutored hundreds of students from exam students to adults and corporations. Her portfolio of clients includes Amazon Prime, BBC, Premiership Football Clubs, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, NHS, HBO, Admiral PLC, The Economist and M&C Saatchi.

Drew has a special interest in writing about the UK education system, exam success, student wellbeing and careers.

30
Sep

#Tutorlife

By Drew No comments yet

We have serious FOMO swiping through our tutor Marina’s photos from Formentera! She landed in Ibiza and then hopped over to the island with her sister to spend some quality time together. 6 months ago, Marina was loving life in Cardiff teaching Spanish in our centre there but Covid changed everything for her. She missed her family too much and
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20
Jul

Language students at university – your year abroad

By Drew No comments yet , , , ,

“That time I packed all my belongings into two suitcases and arrived alone in this small city after midnight.” For language students at uni who’re about to start their year abroad, there’s tons of thoughts running through your mind before you move to a new country. I’m rewinding aaaall the way back to my experience when I lived in Santiago
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10
Jul

Transitioning from the Spanish GCSE exam to AS level to A2 level

By Drew No comments yet

This summer: What can you expect as you transition from language GCSEs to A Level and then uni? Here’s what I explore: Managing expectation levels Prepping for uni Developing your opinions Honing your presentation and research skills Learning about issues that matter! Gaining a wider outlook of the world Introducing film and literature Consuming news and language tools Adapting to
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2
Jul

Why I’m amazed/curious about Netflix’s ‘Spelling the Dream’

By Drew No comments yet , , , ,

Why do certain groups of children ace the US Spelling Bee competitions, year after year? What can we learn from their success? So I just finished watching ‘Spelling the Dream’ on Netflix and I was amazed at how Indian American children were consistently winning these spelling competitions, year after year. I mean, English isn’t even these children’s parents’ first language!
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24
Jun

Coming soon: Lena Dunham’s HBO/BBC banking drama ‘Industry’, produced by Bad Wolf Productions

By Drew No comments yet , , , , , ,

We're mega excited for this to drop! Lena Dunham’s HBO/BBC banking drama ‘Industry’, produced by Bad Wolf Productions, is released this autumn 2020. We were on set translators and interpreters for various language soundbites and scenes and had so much fun on location. The story centres around bankers making their way in the financial world in the aftermath of the
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17
Jun

What does the future hold for face-to-face learning?

By Drew No comments yet , ,

Here’s what I touch upon in the latest video: 1. Most of our students have been learning online and this trend has been growing exponentially year after year. 2. On the whole, most have found it to be a positive experience, are comfortable with this medium and will continue this way. 3. On the flip-side, some miss having a physical
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8
Jun

Thinking out loud: Our online Spanish tutor Natalia

By Drew No comments yet , , , ,

Thinking out loud: our bilingual Spanish and English tutor Natalia has worked with some impressive clients: Netflix, Universal, Sony Music, Bon Jovi, J-Lo, Foo Fighters, Vogue, The UN, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Cannes Festival, the Environment Agency and a ton more! She lives and breathes Spanish - watch her video here to see what motivates her students, helps memory
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28
May

NEW: Spanish GCSE and A Level Exam Membership Classes!

By Drew No comments yet , , , , , ,

Our Spanish GCSE and A Level Membership classes have now launched! It’s been in the pipeline since Jan 2020 but things have been crazier than we expected recently. These weekly Zoom webinars are taught by our founder Drew, whose students consistently achieve grades 9-7 for GCSE, A*-B for A Level and get into their top choice universities. Designed to support
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25
May

Virtual UK university tours and open days after Coronavirus

By Drew No comments yet , , , , ,

University campus tours and open day events were, in previous years, a great way to give prospective applicants and parents a great impression of their future university. The coronavirus pandemic has all but put an end to leisurely travel to the UK but universities are quickly adapting to provide virtual tours and open day events in lieu of physically attending.
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22
May

Barcelona minus the tourists as lockdown eases

By Drew No comments yet , , , ,

Barcelona Minus the Tourists - What Does the City's Future Look Like? Tapas, Gaudi, and… empty streets? Barcelona would seem unrecognisable to a tourist - if one were to be found - amidst the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s having an enormous impact on how local residents are seeing their own lovely city. How is Barcelona coping with the lockdown and
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15
May

What will UK universities look like from Autumn 2020?

By Drew No comments yet , , , , ,

Intake levels 1. There could be a drop in students - many universities are still charging the same fees as before the virus but with no contact hours. Some applicants might question the value that they receive if distant learning models are somewhat passive. 2. There’ll be more students appealing A level results and choose to defer a year/resit exams.
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10
Apr

Using mock exam results to determine final exam grades in 2020

By Drew No comments yet

The potential problems with using mock results to determine final exam grades in 2020 1. Grade boundaries aren’t standardised across schools which can impact the results; sometimes teachers are less lenient as they don’t want students to feel complacent before the final exam. 2. Not all schools follow the scheme of work chronologically so students aren’t tested on the same
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28
Mar

2020 Coronavirus exam cancellations – ‘Do I need to bother revising for my GCSE and A level exams?’

By Drew No comments yet , , , , ,

'I’m gutted I won’t be able to sit my exams' - 'My teacher doesn’t like me, I’m worried I’ll be marked down' These are some of the many messages we’ve received from our worried students. To all our GCSE, A-level and Degree level students, you're not alone and we've got some advice for you on how to handle the next
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22
Mar

Business and Spanish Degree – Georgie wins uni placement with Danone!

By Drew No comments yet

Congrats to our degree student Georgie who’s secured a marketing placement with Danone for her 3rd year out! She aced her telephone, video, face-to-face AND assessment day interviews. She’s been having 1:1 Spanish with us for the last few years to support her though her A levels and her Business & Spanish degree at Exeter Uni. She came to My
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17
Mar

Covid-19 – Important student update

By Drew No comments yet , , , ,

Whilst most of our students are already learning online, we advise face-to-face students in our centres in Cardiff and London to transition to classes on Skype or Zoom. Both apps have great features and you can continue with your current timetables so there’s minimal disruption to your learning. ✅ We've also recruited more GCSE, A-level and Degree-level tutors to meet
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28
Feb

What’s your WHY? Once you know, we can help you!

By Drew No comments yet

Our students who know why they’re learning a language get results. Do you know what your “why” is? When learning a new foreign language, you need to identify why you’re learning a new language.  It’s easy to say that you want to learn Spanish because you’ve always wanted to or study English because you think it’s an important language. As
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11
Feb

Post Brexit thoughts: speaking a second language is a valuable commodity

By Drew No comments yet

It’s been 10 days since Britain left the European Union and there were mixed emotions across the nation. Amongst the huge celebrations, there were also tears for many reasons. From an economic perspective, there were concerns surrounding the impact of business, trade and the education sector. The focus for My Language Lab was mainly in relation to the education sector
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10
Feb

Parasite is the first non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars!

By Drew No comments yet , , ,

Parasite is the first non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars! The Oscars recognising this and other films such as Netflix’s Roma, has shone a spotlight on subtitled that might’ve dissuaded viewers from watching such rich and diverse foreign movies. Seeing Netflix and Amazon investing in more arthouse foreign films that need subtitles, is making these films
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30
Sep

Our brand-new website: The Spanish Academy is now My Language Lab

By Drew 2 comments

We’re excited to be merging The Spanish Academy with My Language Lab! We’ve come a long way since we began teaching in our living room... We started The Spanish Academy in Cardiff and as our team of tutors grew, we set up another centre in London, where our HQ is now based. We noticed a trend of students wanting to
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25
Aug

A week in Cataluña | Gerona, Àger and Tarragona

By Drew No comments yet

Part 1: Gerona Gathering popularity because of the filming location for Game of Thrones (and home to El Celler De Can Roca voted ‘The best restaurant in the world’), we visited the stunning cathedral, walked along the bridges with the colourful houses, couldn’t get enough of the local eateries, stumbled upon the Festival of Flowers, climbed up the Torre to

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10
Jul

Booking a language study trip abroad

By Drew No comments yet

Choosing to study abroad can be a daunting yet exciting prospect for many students. In this article, we look into more detail about the benefits of learning a new language whilst spending time in the country where the language is being spoken. The programmes are varied so that they’re flexible and tailored to your learning requirements. By selecting a study

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7
Jun

4 Amazing Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language

By Drew No comments yet

You often hear people mentioning that learning a foreign language can have huge benefits for your future. But what do they really mean? From career opportunities to keeping your brain healthy, there are many potential benefits to picking up a second language. There’s always the case where people will ask why they need to learn a second language when “everybody
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16
May

Textbooks and Screen Time – Are You Really Studying?

By Drew No comments yet

Parents may notice their child looking at their iPhone, laptop or another device and they may jump to the conclusion that their child is not performing anything productive. This may well be the case. Whereas if a parent were to see their child fully ‘engaged’ in a textbook, that could be seen as doing something productive. But is it really?
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14
Apr

Vlog: How to book your free online assessment

By Drew No comments yet

Watch our 1-minute video here on how to book your free online assessment with My Language Lab. Tell us what you're looking for, book your 30-minute time slot and join us in our virtual classroom on the day. We'll talk you through what to expect, the resources we provide (all included in the price), our tutors, timetable, pricing and answer
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1
Apr

Vlog: How long does it take to learn a foreign language?

By Drew No comments yet

Watch our 1-minute video from founder Drew and discover how long it takes you to become fluent in a foreign language. Drew discusses the various factors that determine how quickly you can learn a new foreign language. By dedicating one hour a day to language learning, your pronunciation skills, everyday vocabulary, foundation grammar and verb skills will all be improved

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26
Mar

The Erasmus exchange program – understanding the real benefits and the impact of Brexit

By Drew No comments yet

“Currently 53% of UK university students who do learn abroad, do so through the scheme [Source: BBC] That’s a large percentage of UK university students studying through the Erasmus exchange programme. As explained in El País, the Erasmus exchange program is considered a life-changing experience for many students. The numbers speak for itself – in total, Erasmus has hosted around

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26
Feb

How technology can help students remain engaged and learn more effectively

By Drew No comments yet

The arguments of whether technology is good or bad for education are constantly up for debate. However, our beliefs are open in that we believe in technology as much as we believe in traditional forms of learning techniques. The requirement of foreign languages is only becoming more apparent across the world, whether for jobs, moving to a different country or

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30
Jan

How technology is shaping the way we learn languages in 2019

By Drew No comments yet

Technology has shaped the way we do almost anything in modern day life and we’re now at a point where some we rely on technology to complete certain tasks, remain organised, learn new languages and much more. In this blog, we aim to break down our view in this area and how we think technology can assist in learning a

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