Learn English and Writing from a Published Writer and Professional Translator (Classes in English / Mandarin Chinese)
I’m passionate about writing, teaching, and helping students excel.
I have a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia (UBC). For the past 8 years, I have taught English, literature, and writing to hundreds of teens and adults in personalized one-on-one classes, as well as ran high school and undergraduate writing workshops at UBC, University Hill Secondary, and Point Grey Secondary in Vancouver, Canada.
As a published writer, I teach students how to navigate academic writing situations, reading assignments, language learning, and exam preparation using creative, clear, and easy-to-understand strategies used by professional writers in the real world.
As an immigrant and translator who is bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese, I specialize in offering personalized English and writing classes to teens and adults from diverse and international backgrounds.
I design lessons based on student interests and needs. My classes draw on engaging, creative, contemporary, relevant, and practical examples. If you work with me, you will not only learn how to succeed in individual assignments or classes. You will also gain valuable language skills that are applicable outside the classroom and help you in the long run.
How I can help you
I offer one-on-one or group classes based on student needs. The subjects I teach include:
- English Literature (grades 6-12, university level, provincial exams, IB, SAT, AP, GRE, etc.)
- Academic writing/reading skills and essay feedback for any subject, such as WORDS 150, English 100/101, literature, history, anthropology, philosophy, social sciences, science, engineering, forestry, business, and so on
- Application strategy and feedback for cover letters, resumes, and personal statements for university, graduate school, medical/dental/law schools, co-op, and scholarships.
- English language exam preparation (TOEFL, IELTS, LEAP, ACT, etc.)
- English Language Learning (reading, writing, listening, and speaking)
- Business Writing and Communication Skills
- Creative Writing (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, children’s literature)
Please note that I DO NOT accept any requests from students to complete their homework for them. I can only offer tutoring to students who genuinely want to improve their English and writing skills.
My Qualifications
- A Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia (UBC), one of the world’s oldest creative writing programs
- A Graduate Level Instructional Skill Workshop (ISW) teaching certificate from the UBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology
- Bilingual teaching skills in English and Mandarin Chinese
- University and high school teaching and tutoring experiences, such as:
- Taught a university undergraduate seminar and lectures as a Teaching Assistant in the UBC Creative Writing department (3 years)
- Trained other Teaching Assistants as UBC Creative Writing department’s TA Training Coordinator
- Gave essay feedback to students as a Writing Consultant at the UBC Writing Center (3 years)
- Taught writing workshops to grade 10-12 high school students at University Hill Secondary and Point Grey Secondary (3 years)
- 8 years of private tutoring experience, working with students from diverse and international backgrounds
- Published writer and translator with work appearing in CBC Books, Business Insider, The Toronto Star, Matador Network, The Tyee, and elsewhere.
Format & Rates
Format: I’m currently offering tutoring online only, via programs such as Google Doc and Zoom/Skype. I can teach both one-on-one as well as small group classes.
Time: I encourage new students to book a one-hour class to start with. Most classes are 1-2 hours long. Most of my students are long-term students who meet with me weekly, while other students come to me specifically for individual assignments.
Rates: $80-100/hr depending on the type of lessons and grade level. I specialize in teaching high school students and adults.
Testimonials
“Yilin is a very patient and vastly knowledgeable tutor. She’s been my English tutor for a year now and the improvements I’ve observed in my writing are unbelievable. I would not hesitate to recommend Yilin to anyone looking for a friendly and experienced English tutor. ”
— Sahar Malekighomi, Grade 12 student at University Hill Secondary
“Yilin has helped me with editing, polishing and finessing my essay at the post-secondary level and she is clearly very experienced with the at-times confusing and demanding processes of academic writing. She is also very patient with instructions and expresses her advice in a lucid manner. I have worked with a few tutors in the past, and I’ll definitely recommend her to anyone who is in need of a little bit of extra help.”
— Victoria Wang, college student in Vancouver
“Yilin is a great tutor who personalizes her classes depending on the student. She is very efficient with class time, and gave me good tips and advice about my grad school application essays. I was able to write better essays for my applications with her help and I was very lucky to have her as my tutor.”
— Qing Dai, UBC Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology
“Yilin is the perfect match for someone like me, who is a ESL student and is unfamiliar with English literature. She is very patient and detailed-oriented. She takes you through steps to analyze any article that is troubling you and identifies and fill in your knowledge gaps for you.”
— Monica Wang, 1st year undergraduate English Literature class student
Contact Me
Email me at yilinw [at] gmail [dot] com for a free email or phone consultation to discuss your tutoring needs.
Please put “Tutoring” in the subject headline. Include a brief note about what you need help with and any questions you have, and I will reply within 48 hours.
Please plan ahead because sessions are limited. I am happy to take bookings days or weeks in advance.
Thank you for your interest!