A bit about me
Bonjour ! I’m Audrey, a native French speaker from Alsace, in eastern France. I have lived in the UK for over 20 years and I currently live in the Dover area, South of Kent.
Languages and multiculturalism have always played a central role in my life. I grew up hearing a German dialect from birth and learnt German at school from the age of eight. When I was 12, my family moved to the USA and I attended an American school, which gave me the invaluable opportunity to learn English through immersion. This early exposure shaped my passion for languages and cultures, and how they can broaden our intellectual, social, and professional horizons.
Back in France, I furthered my English by studying in the European section of my lycée (sixth‑form college). I then went on to study DUT Communication des Entreprises et Publicité (Business Communications and Advertising) at a French university, before completing my studies in the UK with a work placement in an international office and the final year of a BA (Hons) in Marketing Communications, earning both the BA and the dual French/UK degree (DUETE).
Professionally, I have worked in business support, operations, and sales and marketing across PR, education, publishing, travel retail, and the charity sector, in roles ranging from coordination to management. Several of these roles took place in multicultural environments, which enriched my understanding of communication across cultures.
Alongside these roles, I nurtured a small freelance publishing activity, offering EN–FR translation, proofreading, WordPress website creation and content writing, while developing my knowledge of SEO and digital marketing. Much of this work focused on Christian publishing, an area that I find deeply rewarding and one that opened the door to greater language awareness through ancient Greek and Hebrew.
I am passionate about learning and naturally inclined to share what I love. My curiosity often leads me to explore the meaning and origin of words (etymology), as well as how they compare across languages.
Over the years, I have also volunteered with children in various settings, including church groups, toddler groups, and EYFS forest school sessions. These experiences strengthened my interest in early-years learning and helped me develop an approach to creating warm, engaging and confidence-building environments for young children.
Today, my own family is multicultural, bringing together different cultural backgrounds, including West African heritage. Speaking French with my children every day helps to maintain a bilingual and multicultural environment in our home. This naturally led me to want to share French beyond my family and to encourage others to discover the language and culture in an engaging and positive way.
After several years of contemplation, I reached a point in my career where a change felt right, and the moment had come for this project to finally take shape. So, I took the plunge and L’Atelier Français was born!!
I am certified in teaching FLE (French as a Foreign Language) by Alliance Française Vichy – CAVILAM, and I am passionate about helping learners gain confidence and enjoyment in learning French.
I also hold an enhanced DBS certificate and have completed safeguarding training.
