About Nora Mitchell English Lessons

Education

  • BA French Language and History, U.C. Berkeley

  • TESL certificate, U.C. Berkeley Extension

  • MA TESOL, University of San Francisco

I love helping people learn the English language. Learning about language and culture has been a lifelong passion of mine having studied French in high school and at U.C. Berkeley for my bachelor’s degree.

More recently, I earned a TESL certificate from U.C. Berkeley Extension and a master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of San Francisco. I've enjoyed my studies thoroughly, enabling me to continue to pursue my life's passion: Helping people communicate.

Professional Career

I can empathize with business professionals who need to work in a different language because I have had the same experience. After receiving my undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley, I moved to France and worked for JP Morgan Bank in their international securities division. After my work visa expired, I returned to the San Francisco Bay Area for a high-level marketing career in the technology space that had me traveling to France and other countries on assignments for Wind River Systems. After 12 years focusing on marketing communications and website management for Wind River, I spent a dozen years leading non-profits focused on youth in Oakland, CA, and throughout Northern California.

After 25 years behind a computer, I found it was time to step away and work face-to-face with people. I discovered teaching English is ideal as it ties my love of language and culture with my business and communication skills. I’ve been teaching business English to professionals one-on-one since July 2014. I’ve also taught at UC Berkeley’s Summer English Language Studies program since 2019. I’m currently a Lecturer teaching oral proficiency to international graduate students at UC Berkeley during the school year. Over the years, I’ve taught all levels of reading & writing and listening & speaking. I’ve also taught specialized courses in pronunciation, job search & interview skills, customer service, and business English. Most importantly, I continue to enjoy teaching privately. I find that being able to draw from my professional experiences—both overseas and in the U.S.—has enabled me to help my students improve their English to advance their educational and professional prospects.