Brais

Verified teacher profile

5 (10 reviews)

Hourly rate $90
Response Time 2h
Number of students 18

1^st lesson free!

The Best Ivy League Spanish Tutor with a Yale PhD for all Levels

- New York
- at his home
- at your home
- webcam

Super Prof

Brais is one of our best tutors Spanish. They have a high-quality profile, verified qualifications, a quick response time, and great reviews from students!

About the lesson

Through personalized teaching system and advanced methodologies, I make sure that my clients’ objectives and needs are met and their time and effort maximized. In a global context in which internationalization and multiculturalism are no longer empty words but an everyday reality, commanding a global language like Spanish can be the difference between having a job and having a career. I offer exclusive tutorial services tailored to the needs of a wide variety of students-- from professionals with a busy calendar to primary and secondary school students. I will go meet you at the place of your choice --at your home, office, or favorite cafe. Regardless of your language level, I will work with you to ensure that you reach your learning objectives in the most effective way. Each of my clients is unique and so are my tutorials. Unlike regular learning environments, my tutorials are especially designed to address your professional needs and personal interests --whether you work in business, law, the medical industry, or education, or your cultural interests are Latin American music or Spanish architecture.

With years of experience at language teaching in at Ivy League institutions, I incorporate into the teaching the latest and most advanced methodologies in language acquisition. To ensure the quality and adequacy of my tutorials, I design my own exercises and teaching materials.

My interactive, highly communicative exercises, always incorporate cultural materials and content so that grammatical and syntactical learning is made entertaining and informative. In addition, by incorporating multi-media materials such as videos, music, and films into my class materials, I ensure that all students are confronted with diverse cultural and linguistic materials.

subjects

Spanish
Spanish speaking
Spanish listening
+3

Spanish reading

Spanish writing

Spanish phonetics

languages

English
Portuguese
Spanish
+1

German

levels

Elementary School
Middle School
Sophomore
+18

Junior

Senior

Advanced Technical Certificate

College / University

Adult Education

MBA

ILR Level 0

ILR Level 1

ILR Level 2

ILR Level 3

ILR Level 4

ILR Level 5

Other

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Proficient

children

About Brais

I am an Ivy League-educated PhD holder with years of experience teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language at a university level who can offer high quality one-on-one tutorials for primary- and secondary school students and professionals, as well as company-based group lessons. Among my high school students, many study at some of the top NYC schools (Dwight, Regis, Avenues, Trinity, Brearly, Spence, and Horace Mann) and need some reinforcement. Among my adult students, I work with professionals that want to learn Spanish or improve their Spanish skills both for career purposes or pleasure.

I myself speak Spanish, Portuguese, German, English, and French and, therefore, I am fully aware of the joys and pitfalls of language learning, not just as a teacher but also as a professor. My tutorials and classes are dynamic and focused on the active use of Spanish and Portuguese and the integration of cultural materials with grammar and syntax.

In addition, I am a published researcher and specialist in Latin American literature and cultural history and I bring into the tutorials a level of cultural richness that is difficult to match. You can check out some of my publications here:
(concealed information)

Review

All of our reviews are collected by us and are 100% reliable. They correspond to a real experience lived by students with Brais.

5 (10 reviews)

B
Britney
- 5
Perfect! I have worked with Brais during the pandemic to keep up with my Spanish assignments. He is very knowledgeable and has managed to explain grammatical aspects of Spanish I didn't understand at first. Great guy!
See the response from Brais Read more Read more

B
Britney
Perfect! I have worked with Brais during the pandemic to keep up with my Spanish assignments. He is very knowledgeable and has managed to explain grammatical aspects of Spanish I didn't understand at first. Great guy!

Brais's response
Great Student
- Brais's response : Great Student
D
Deborah
- 5
Perfect! My daughter really enjoys working with Brais. She is in 9th grade and she was having real problems with Spanish. Brais has managed to turn round the situation and turn her average grades into solid As. Most importantly, she is enjoying Spanish for the first time. He has a great command of grammar and syntax and he gives her a lot of cultural information that has made my daughter really interested in Latin America and Spain. He is amazing : )
See the response from Brais Read more Read more

D
Deborah
Perfect! My daughter really enjoys working with Brais. She is in 9th grade and she was having real problems with Spanish. Brais has managed to turn round the situation and turn her average grades into solid As. Most importantly, she is enjoying Spanish for the first time. He has a great command of grammar and syntax and he gives her a lot of cultural information that has made my daughter really interested in Latin America and Spain. He is amazing : )

Brais's response
Very good
- Brais's response : Very good
S
Stacey
- 5
Perfect! Excellent session! Brais is very knowledgeable and friendly. He could explain really well some of the grammar problems. Highly recommendable and enjoyable. It was the first of many sessions!
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S
Stacey
Perfect! Excellent session! Brais is very knowledgeable and friendly. He could explain really well some of the grammar problems. Highly recommendable and enjoyable. It was the first of many sessions!

Brais's response
Great lesson
- Brais's response : Great lesson
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Recommendations

Recommendations come from relatives, friends and acquaintances of the teacher

D
Devin
Brais is a highly knowledgeable and kind individual who helped me immensely with my college essays, answered my questions, and gave great general college advice. All decisions and writing were my own and we talked about options before doing topics or changing around a sentence. I highly recommend Brais!
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D
Devin
Brais is a highly knowledgeable and kind individual who helped me immensely with my college essays, answered my questions, and gave great general college advice. All decisions and writing were my own and we talked about options before doing topics or changing around a sentence. I highly recommend Brais!
D
Daniel
I give Brais my highest recommendation. Brais’s strengths as an academic tutor are many. For those working towards, or within top-tier undergraduate and graduate programs in the humanities, his experience and abilities are exceptional. Whether for assistance with critical writing, for linguistic and international development, or draft reviews for seminars and publication, Brais’s extensive background and personable approach make for highly effective sessions. Your work should improve significantly and rapidly. I was deeply impressed with the amount of advanced material Brais was able to cover, always with great command and insightful analysis. The hours spent on development and critical review with Brais are well worth your time. He will bring out the very best in your own abilities.

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D
Daniel
I give Brais my highest recommendation. Brais’s strengths as an academic tutor are many. For those working towards, or within top-tier undergraduate and graduate programs in the humanities, his experience and abilities are exceptional. Whether for assistance with critical writing, for linguistic and international development, or draft reviews for seminars and publication, Brais’s extensive background and personable approach make for highly effective sessions. Your work should improve significantly and rapidly. I was deeply impressed with the amount of advanced material Brais was able to cover, always with great command and insightful analysis. The hours spent on development and critical review with Brais are well worth your time. He will bring out the very best in your own abilities.
S
Stephanie
My daughter Sarah hss been workibg with Brais for the past 3 years. She was very stuck in Spanish and workibg with Brais she managed to overcome her initial problems with the grammar. Brais was super patient and now she really enjoys Spanish. Sarah is even asking to do a study abroad in Spain. Brais has been excellent and I cannot encourage enough other families the advantages of working with Brais. Amazing tutor and brilliant person to have around.
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S
Stephanie
My daughter Sarah hss been workibg with Brais for the past 3 years. She was very stuck in Spanish and workibg with Brais she managed to overcome her initial problems with the grammar. Brais was super patient and now she really enjoys Spanish. Sarah is even asking to do a study abroad in Spain. Brais has been excellent and I cannot encourage enough other families the advantages of working with Brais. Amazing tutor and brilliant person to have around.
K
Katherine
My son is an excellent student with great grades but was struggling in his Spanish class at Dwight School (NYC). He started working with Brais in 10th grade and soon his grades started to improve. He went from getting B- to getting As consistently and eventually becoming one of the best students in the class. Mos importantly, Daniel started enjoying Spanish and he has developed a real interest in both Spain and Latin America. Brais's work with him has been exceptional. He is both very knowledgeable as well as caring and also charismatic.
Read more

K
Katherine
My son is an excellent student with great grades but was struggling in his Spanish class at Dwight School (NYC). He started working with Brais in 10th grade and soon his grades started to improve. He went from getting B- to getting As consistently and eventually becoming one of the best students in the class. Mos importantly, Daniel started enjoying Spanish and he has developed a real interest in both Spain and Latin America. Brais's work with him has been exceptional. He is both very knowledgeable as well as caring and also charismatic.
D
Deborah
I have collaborated with Brais for a number of years co-developing language materials and syllabi for Spanish language instruction for adults. He is a fantastic teacher with tons of experience, great knowledge, and a sharp eye for students' needs. Having worked in language instruction for decades, I believe Brais is definitely one of the top performers I have met.
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D
Deborah
I have collaborated with Brais for a number of years co-developing language materials and syllabi for Spanish language instruction for adults. He is a fantastic teacher with tons of experience, great knowledge, and a sharp eye for students' needs. Having worked in language instruction for decades, I believe Brais is definitely one of the top performers I have met.
E
Elena
Brais is one of my colleagues and I know for a fact that the is a very effective language teacher, not only because of his knowledge of the language and his broad experience in teaching, but because of his vocation for the field.
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E
Elena
Brais is one of my colleagues and I know for a fact that the is a very effective language teacher, not only because of his knowledge of the language and his broad experience in teaching, but because of his vocation for the field.
T
Tamilore
I really enjoyed working with Brais for my college application essays . I initially came to him to help me with my Personal Statement but he was so helpful that I decided to work with him with my other supplemental essays .Working with Brais gave me the structure and support that I needed to help turn my essays from good to great . If you are in need of someone to guide you through the daunting college essay process and help you tell your story in the most effective way I would highly recommend Brais!
Read more

T
Tamilore
I really enjoyed working with Brais for my college application essays . I initially came to him to help me with my Personal Statement but he was so helpful that I decided to work with him with my other supplemental essays .Working with Brais gave me the structure and support that I needed to help turn my essays from good to great . If you are in need of someone to guide you through the daunting college essay process and help you tell your story in the most effective way I would highly recommend Brais!
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Rates

packages

5h: $450
10h: $900

Travel

+ $$45

webcam

$90/h

free lessons

Details

I am open to negotiating my rates for students that are serious about learning and who are willing to make a commitment for us to work together. I am, however, a well educated and trained tutor with excellent credentials and more than a decade experience and that level of expertise is reflected in my fees.

Find out more about Brais

01
1) Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?
I am native speaker of Spanish and Portuguese. I was born and raised in Spain and have spent a lot of time in Portugal throughout my life. Because my family is originally from Latin America, I am able to teach and transition seamlessly from Spanish and Latin American varieties.
02
2) Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?
Frida Kahlo, the noted painter from Mexico, is a representative and hugely inspirational figure. Her talent as a painter, her ability to challenge gender roles and conceptions about disability, and her willingness to reflect on her life through her work make her an unrivalled representative of the sophistication, boldness, and inventiveness of Latin American culture.
03
3) Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?
In Spanish, "tener calle" is used to refer to someone that has been around the block and is rich in life experiences. It means literally "to have street." In Portuguese, "saudades" means the missing of something or the longing for something that one doesn't have. It is also used for homesickness.

I have a weakness for the traditions of Flamenco and Tango in Spain and Argentina, respectively. The intensity of the music and the dance is unrivaled.
04
4) Why does speaking this language matter to you?
For me, Spanish and Portuguese are two of my 3 mother tongues and, obviously, they are an integral component of my cultural identity and of who I am as an individual. Each of the languages I speak are also lenses through which I relate to the world and I experience it cognitively and emotionally. I firmly believe that speaking a variety of languages expands your view of the world.
05
5) What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?
The irregularity of the grammar and syntax of romance languages can be sometimes overwhelming. The way to address this issue is by creating a very structured learning process based on oral and written expression in which the grammar is addressed in a very systematic way. First, one has to consolidate the rules and make sure the student understands the regular forms, to then move on to address the irregular forms.
06
6) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.
While I was learning German, I started saying the word "Eigentlich" as a filler (a word that you repeat a lot even when it doesn't make sense but that provides you time to think about the actual content or grammar of what you want to express). They started calling me "Mr. Eigentlich" (it means "in fact," "really"). It took me a couple of years to get off that habit but I managed: the bottom line is that in language acquisition, dropping bad habits can take a long time and it is crucial to learn things the right way from the beginning.
07
7) How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?
Since Spanish and Portuguese are my mother tongues, traveling for me has been a way of increasing my exposure to different varieties and accents. In that process I have expanded dramatically my understanding of the language. Also, being an academic in New York City that is constantly interacting with Spanish from all over Latin America, has allowed me to develop a very standard Latin American Spanish that can be used in all different countries without any problems.
08
8) What makes you a Superprof in language?
I speak multiple languages. Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician are my mother tongues. I have a near-native level of English and a proficient level of German. My level of French is lower-intermediate. This variety of language experiences has allowed me to really develop a great ability to explain in a succinct way aspects of grammar that might seem difficult, otherwise.

In addition, as a Yale-educated scholar with a publishing record and research agenda on Latin American cultural history, I have a level of intellectual and cultural awareness and knowledge that is difficult to find.

The Best Ivy League Spanish Tutor with a Yale PhD for all Levels

Super Prof

About the lesson

subjects

languages

levels

About Brais

Review

Recommendations

Rates

packages

Travel

webcam

free lessons

Details

Find out more about Brais

1) Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

2) Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

3) Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behaviour in the language that you particularly like?

4) Why does speaking this language matter to you?

5) What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

6) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

7) How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

8) What makes you a Superprof in language?

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