Your Finnish tutoress to guide your learning, hand in hand

I came to Sofia to start speaking Finnish. I had already been studying the language for over a year with other teachers, but still found it difficult and scary to speak. Sofia asked about my goals and preferences beforehand. In the first lesson, usually the most awkward and anxious, I was feeling comfortable and, most importantly – heard.

Sofia took all my preferences into account and, in the process, determined through an interactive approach which learning format would be the most interesting and comfortable for me.

During the lessons, 90 percent of the time it was me who spoke, and I spoke almost without using my native language – Russian. If I didn’t get something from the conversation, instead of translating, Sofia tried to explain the meaning in simple terms first. The study topics were interesting, and I got to learn a lot of new and helpful vocabulary which we practiced right away during the lesson. All topics that we observed in either way were connected to my future plans and interests, which is why all my newly learned vocabulary was used in my day-to-day life.

Sofia’s individual and professional yet friendly approach makes it possible to learn the language productively and comfortably! I highly recommend Sofia as a tutor!

Studied Finnish with her for about a year, and can confidently recommend her as a teacher. She puts a lot of effort into every lesson, carefully prepares, structures, and adapts materials to students needs and interests. She is patient, explaining things clearly and creating a comfortable learning atmosphere in which it is easy to ask questions. If you are looking for a supportive Finnish teacher who cares about your progress, I would definitely recommend her.

Sofiia has helped me improve my Finnish further after YKI test. I found it difficult to progress with the language after reaching intermediate level and wasn't confident I can successfully study in Finnish university, and Sofiia was just the right tutor to break the spell. We have had lessons once or twice a week for about 10 months. I am currently studying in the Tampere University of Applied Sciences in Finnish with high grades for each exam thanks to her help.

Sofiia's lessons were personalised to my goal of getting into Finnish university as well as my interests and previous experiences. She would explain grammar topics relying on my existing skills in English and Russian, or come up with activities that would engage my hobbies or the profession I was about to apply for. The homework she gave was both challenging and rewarding. As just one example, Sofiia would regularly write exercise texts of her own, that would both reinforce my future professional vocabulary and train the grammatical concepts we were currently working on. I felt like I was actually preparing to use Finnish in real life, not to solve typical exam problems. Sofiia always remembered the smallest details I talked about during our lessons and always communicated friendly, so I felt her close engagement during the whole period of studies.

I have decided not to look for a native Finnish tutor on purpose, because I wanted someone with an experience of being a Finnish student like me. I have never regretted this choice. Sofiia's own Finnish skills are as close to native as it gets, as far as I can judge, but unlike native tutors she has a rich personal experience of studying Finnish and she applied it in our lessons to find the best way to explain the topic to me or to recommend me the studying technique that will work. Sofiia had a lot of such tips to share and I will surely use them again if I am to study another language later in life.

If you are not a beginner, but you need to find a way to strengthen your skills, you can trust Sofiia is right for the job.