Teaching is a calling…

We live in a world where English has asserted itself as the international, leading vehicle of communication at all levels. This means that being able to use this language fruitfully has become an essential requirement for businesses, public entities and even private individuals.

At a job-related level, if you entertain business relationships with foreign entities or individuals, you can no longer settle for just a patchy or general knowledge of English as satisfying the minimum requirement of “good working knowledge”. Therefore, to ensure that you will win the day – at least as far as communication goes – you need to acquire targeted, technical language skills such as to make you truly “effective” and successful in your specific line of business.

Since 2003, I have specialised in all-round professional and vocational training language courses (mainly of English), in business English courses, and, lately, also in Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) exams preparation.

Over the last 20 years, I have achieved a native level of English and French (C2). I have acquired communication, NLP, personal potential development, intuitive and emotional intelligence skills. last but not least, I have gained broad, intensive, long-standing experience in training-related fields such as vocational and professional training apprenticeship, retail & office, business, food & beverage services, tourist reception & territory promotion services, technical English training for Police Forces and front & back office staff of public administrations.

Therefore, today I am confidently able to run successfully intensive, targeted, and highly technical English training programmes, tailor made to meet the unique requirements of the most diverse businesses, of public entities and even of private individuals.

Since the very first lesson, the target is to provide such practical, technical skillfulness as to make every single student as autonomous and effective as possible, and help them to gain the most out of even the most basic language skills.

By way of illustration, here are the most recurrent technical subjects I have dealt with:
▪ Managing a phone call: making contact, taking / leaving messages, making appointments, making reservations and orders, dealing with complaints.
▪ E-mails, commercial correspondence and transversal skills relating to manuals and technical & business procedures for different lines of business.
▪ Welcoming a foreign visitor; socialising and small talking.
▪ Travelling: booking hotel rooms and flights; eating out, dealing with airport procedure & transports; English on holiday, shopping abroad, street directions and tourist information.
▪ Describing the company and products; negotiating prices.
▪ Taking part in meetings.
▪ Welcoming & serving a customer in a shop; dealing with payments.
▪ Welcoming & serving a customer in a restaurant, bar or other food / beverage service; describing/presenting dishes and specialties, receiving reservations/orders and dealing with payments.
▪ Tourist & hotel reception; territory promotion.
▪ Asking for and giving street directions. Giving instructions.

My approach is highly empathic and the maximum possible care is given to each student. Along with this, my teaching method is built around some key benchmarks, namely:
▪ my students are the “protagonists” – they are invited to take an active part in constructing the course;
▪ large space for communication – everyone speaks English since the very beginning, helped to do so by a friendly, creative, naturally-established class environment aimed to stimulate curiosity and make everyone feel nurtured and supported;
▪ practical exercises and role plays revolving around down-to-earth situations of everyday business and life;
▪ combined study of, grammar, language functions, vocabulary and pronunciation;
▪ balanced strengthening of the four key skills relating to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages issued by the Council of Europe: oral expression & oral comprehension (listening and speaking), written expression & written comprehension (writing and reading).
Each course programme is discussed in advance with the client and can be modified and/or supplemented during the progress of the course in order to best fit the unique demands of every business reality and satisfy the personal needs of each student.