About Marina Fountain

Biography

A Career Built on Passion, Precision and People

Marina Fountain is a native Russian speaker and professional language tutor with over 25 years of teaching experience spanning England, Latvia and Russia. Currently based in Bromley, she offers both online and in-person one-to-one tuition — flexible, personal and entirely designed around each student's needs and goals.

Marina's teaching is rooted in a simple belief: with the right support, anyone can learn Russian. She has proven this time and again across a remarkable range of students — from children as young as seven discovering the Cyrillic alphabet for the first time, to a Russian Language student at Cambridge University whom she supported all the way to a First-Class Honours degree.

Academic Track Record

Marina has an outstanding record at GCSE and A-level. Every one of her students has achieved A* or A grades, and in 2025 all eight of her GCSE students received A* results. She understands both the content and the exam technique required to perform under pressure, and builds both into her lessons.

Her approach at A-level is equally thorough — and the results speak for themselves. One former student, Katie, went on to study Russian at Queen Mary University of London after achieving a Grade A at A-level under Marina's tuition.

Beyond the Classroom

Marina's experience extends well beyond the school curriculum. She has delivered private Russian lessons at Clifford Chance, one of the world's leading international law firms, and worked alongside the Mayor of London to run a course in Russian Cultural Awareness — a project that speaks to her breadth of expertise and credibility in cultural as well as linguistic teaching.

She has taught hobbyist learners, heritage speakers, professionals, and travellers — each with different motivations, timescales and starting points. Whatever the context, Marina brings the same level of care, curiosity and thoroughness.

Teaching Philosophy

Marina's lessons are genuinely interest-led. Rather than simply drilling grammar rules and vocabulary lists, she uses songs, news articles, literature, films and real-world materials to bring the language to life. Students regularly comment on how engaging and enjoyable the lessons are — and on how much their confidence grows over time.

She takes great care to understand each student's goals from the outset, monitoring progress closely and adjusting the approach as needed. She is particularly skilled at building independent learning habits — helping students to continue developing between sessions, not just during them.

"Marina genuinely goes above and beyond for her students. It is because of this dedication that I passed Russian A-level with a Grade A and am now studying Russian Language at Queen Mary University of London." — Katie, A-level student

How Lessons Work

Marina offers fully flexible lesson formats. Online students can connect via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet — whichever works best for them. In-person lessons are available in Bromley for those who prefer face-to-face learning.

Lessons are one-to-one and structured around the individual student — there are no generic lesson plans, no one-size-fits-all materials. Every session is prepared with that particular student's needs, level and goals in mind.