Annie Gentil-Kraatz

Founder / Director / French Teacher

Initially trained as a French Teacher, Teaching Advisor, and Teacher Trainer at the University of Mont Saint Aignan, France, and the Teacher Training Center CFEB of Port Vila, Vanuatu, South Pacific (BA and MA in French), I moved to London in 2001 and worked in Banks and big companies as a freelance French Trainer and Assessor and then as a Client Manager in a major UK Language Agency.

In 2008, I completed a Cambridge CELTA (TEFL) course with International House Barcelona, and in 2009, I got a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE Secondary Modern Foreign Languages) at the University of Exeter, UK.

In 2009 and 2010, I worked as a French and English Teacher in an International School in Bucharest, Romania, preparing students for the French International GCSE, AS, and A Level Cambridge Exams.

I am now qualified and experienced to teach French, English, and Spanish, and have chosen to focus on French, my native language.  

In 2012, my friend Tom helped me create my very first website (while boosting my confidence), and I became fully independent. It was called LondonFrenchLessons.com.

In 2018, my husband and I created FrenchWorldOnline.com, and in 2019, we merged my two websites.

In 2026, it made sense to specialise in French Exam Preparation, as I had extensive experience in this field, particularly with DELF B1 and B2, French GCSE, and French A-Level.

In my spare time, I am a photographer and an artist, and I am currently learning how to draw on my iPad with Procreate.

I completed an MA in photography at the University of Falmouth in Cornwall in 2022, and my art and photography website is AnnieGentilKraatz.com.

I have many hobbies…

Opera is a real passion, so I am now part of an opera chorus. My first involvement was in Cavalleria Rusticana at Blackheath Halls in September 2024, singing alongside incredible opera singers such as Catherine Wagner-Broderick and Oliver Johnston.

I love cinema and dance, learning about wine, and organising wine tastings for friends.

You can find out more about me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anniegentilkraatz or on Instagram: @anniegentilkraatz

So far in London, I have worked in so many companies I cannot remember them all:

Bloomberg, Amerada Hess, BP, Shell, Stasco, International Power, GDF Suez, Cofely, Engie, JP Morgan, HSBC, West LB, Lloyds, Morgan Stanley, ABN Amro, Shroders, Barclays Capital, Barclays Global, Barclays Bank, Barclaycard, Societe Generale, Credit Agricole, Royal Bank of Canada, Mitsubishi Trust, AKO Capital, Royal Festival Hall, Moody's, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Universal, Warner Music, Linklaters, Taylor Wessing, Norton Rose, Cameron McKenna, Wedlake Bell LLP, Kartesia, Electronic Arts, Shroders, Glaxo Smith Kline, Danone, Four Seasons Hotel, L'Occitane, L'Oreal, Starr Companies, JLT, FullSix, JWT, Debevoise & Plimpton, Watford Football Club, PWC, The Costa Rican Embassy, Sedgwick, Deter, Moran & Arnold LLP, Katz Art Dealers, Kartesia, Sienna, Open Society Foundations, Amazon, Google, Segovia, TapTapSend, Cloudmade, EBRD...

I have also taught housewives, people on gardening leave, pensioners, secondary school students from Harrow school, Westminster school, Putney High School, Benenden boarding school for girls (…) and primary school children.

André Gentil-Kraatz

Founder & Director

André is my husband, and he is German. Without him, I am not sure this website would exist today. He is a Financial Consultant and still finds the time to help me with my many projects, no matter how big or small they might be. He is the Founder and co-Director of AKCM Services Ltd. He is also my favourite photography model.