My story 

 

If you are wondering about the person behind Boieva Talen, it would be my pleasure to tell you about myself.

 

My name is Iuliia (read as Julia), and I come from Ukraine. I am bilingual in Ukrainian and Russian, and have been learning English since very early age.

 

The beginning 

   I was born and bred in the centre of Ukraine, in a city called Kirovohrad, which was renamed into Kropyvnytsky a few years ago. It’s an old city, founded on a Kozak Fortress in 1755. Next to the first professional theatre in Ukraine, Kropyvnytsky has always been famous for one of the best pedagogical Universities in Ukraine. And, I was honoured to study there.

 

The first challenge 

   It was not easy to get in, since the competitive examination was pretty tough – the most talented kids from the whole region tried their chances, and only one in 7 would be enrolled. Excited and scared as I was, I did well at the exams, and was amazed to find my name among the freshmen, with the third best result! I still remember that moment in smallest details and get goose-bumps every time I think of it!

 

Teacher of English in the capital of Ukraine

   Five years later, I graduated with a master’s diploma and moved to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, to find the best employer and the nicest colleagues. It was the National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, where I worked for 7 fruitful years. Teaching English to future engineers and programmers; organizing conferences and seminars; writing articles on teaching ESP; taking exams at admission and enrolment committee; giving public speeches – all of this and a little more would fill my regular working days, and I loved it. Next to my work at the university, I would take up other opportunities, like teaching at a Business School, passing CAE and translating texts from time to time. My career was in full swing, and I was on my way to starting PhD study, but one day changed my life…

 

Big change 

   It was the august of 2012 when I met Ronnie Heijnen from the Netherlands, who became my husband in January 2014. After getting all the necessary permissions I moved to the Netherlands, and found myself in a new swirl of life. I could not immediately continue my teaching career here, because of all regulations in educational sphere. The first two years in the Netherlands were very challenging, since I had to start over and get used to living in a new environment. But, I am not easily scared. I rolled up my sleeves and  by fall 2017 I had passed Dutch exam at B2, validated my diploma's, started working as a freelance Teacher of English at Talen Twente, became self-employed and started Boieva Talen, started teaching Ukrainian and Russian to foreigners, became a freelance translator, got my driving license and a car.

 

   If I wanted to summarize my professional credentials into pure facts, I would come up with the following list:

• Master diploma. Teacher of English as a Second or Foreign Language / ESL Language Instructor
• Additional fields of study: the Ukrainian language and literature; world literature
• 1st grade Teacher of English
• Registered as Boieva Talen at Chamber of Commerce
• Registered at Central Register of Vocational Education (Centraal Register Kort Beroepsonderwijs)
• Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English, 2009
• Experience in teaching English – 8+ years
• Expertise – teenagers and adults
• Experience in translating / interpreting – 2+ years
• Experience in teaching Ukrainian and Russian to foreigners – one year

 

You can also find more details about my education, experience, skills and current projects in my CV.

 

Thanks to my husband, who has been the best support and motivator for me, I got back on my track again, with tons of enthusiasm and determination.