Caroline Jestaz
Experienced online language teacher & Novelist
I was born and raised in Paris. I first came to England at the age of seven and fell in love with the language, the culture, and the country. By the time I was thirteen, I spoke English fluently and knew the country better than my own, having visited it twice to three times a year, every year, with my family for ten years. And at the age of seventeen, I had already passed the Cambridge FCE. I moved to Cambridge in 2003.
From a very early age, languages and literature were my two passions, which led me to do a Postgraduate course on Shakespeare at Glasgow University and a Master of Philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin. I am trilingual (French, English, and Italian).
I am curious about the world and love meeting new people and learning from them. That's one of the reasons I created The Creativity for All Podcast. You can listen to my interview on The Couragemakers Podcast.
I'm also a maker. I knit, sew, draw, paint, garden, and craft, as you can see from the pictures below. I also love taking pictures.
MY TEACHING
I became a teacher because I'm passionate about languages, I'm a natural communicator, and love nothing more than seeing my students empowered with language. I have 20+ years of teaching experience (university, language schools, and teaching privately).
I specialise in teaching French and English to adult students of all levels and offer tailored services to companies.
You can listen to Episode 15 of The Creativity for All Podcast: 'The creative approach to language learning', to get a better sense of my teaching method, or you can read my students' testimonials and my Q&A.
MY WRITING
Writing is my vocation. I love developing the psychology of my characters, crafting the plot as I write, while letting the story, at times, take me by surprise. With every new novel I start, I challenge myself to explore a new style, structure, or narrative device. If I knew how to write my novels from the very start, I wouldn't write!
I write accessible literary fiction, weaving in different narratives and viewpoints and exploring themes such as grief, loss, projection, manipulation, and deceit. All my stories contain an element of suspense, without providing all the answers, and raise questions which, I believe, are relevant to our shared human experience.
I have penned two novels in English: Not to Hold (2018) and Heading for the Wall (2014) and two novels in French: L’éloge de l’ombre (2011) and Envolée (2021). I'm currently writing my third novel in French.