Believe it or not, I became a teacher by pure chance back in the early 90s. Like many young people straight out of high school, I lacked a clear idea about what I wanted to do in life, but one thing was sure: I was in love with the English language and had always been fascinated by languages in general. Thus, choosing an English Philology major at university seemed like the obvious choice. At the exact same time when I started my university studies, the local school that I had just graduated from was looking for an English teacher, as English was in high demand at that time. And that’s how I was offered my first temporary teaching contract.

Here I was, teaching English full-time AND studying for my degree. My very first students were only a year younger than me. I had no experience, but I must have been able to somehow transmit my love for English to others, because I was offered a permanent contract the following year and continued teaching at that same school for the following 10 years. In the meantime, I had graduated from university with a Master’s degree in English Philology and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).

Later, my son was born, and because we wanted to provide him with better social, academic, and professional opportunities, we moved to Sofia (the capital of Bulgaria), where I immediately started working for a US-owned international school. I absolutely loved the beautiful mix of diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds (over 35 nationalities were represented among the student body!). Ten more wonderful years of professional and personal growth, rubbing shoulders with some amazing teachers, and building lasting friendships with people from all over the world.

Then, in 2013, I moved to Italy, and for the first time in my life, I began considering changing the job I had loved for twenty years. No sooner had I started applying for a teaching position than I realized the harsh reality of the language teaching industry in Italy. State schools were practically inaccessible and burdened with disheartening red tape. Private language schools were even worse: precarious or no contracts; overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated teachers; native speakerism; frequent turnover; students who were rushed to sit difficult (and expensive) language exams before they were ready, only to make them feel even more desperate when they failed them.

It is in those language schools that I met hundreds of demotivated English learners who had been studying the language for years, yet were stuck at the basics, obsessed with grammar rules, struggling with pronunciation, and unable to hold a proper conversation in English. Among them, there were some brilliant professionals who were highly successful in their careers, but who felt inadequate for not yet speaking “proper” English.

After seven difficult years of working for various language schools and Cambridge exam centers across Italy and obtaining yet another teaching qualification, Cambridge DELTA, and later on, a Cambridge C2 Proficiency certificate (because, well, one can never have enough certificates in Italy), I decided to quit wasting my time and energy trying to change a faulty system. I wanted to be able to help those demotivated people better and offer them a more meaningful, relevant, efficient, and personalized teaching service. And this is why, in 2020, “gently” nudged by a global pandemic, I set up my own teaching business. It was one of the best decisions I’d ever made in my life!

I am currently working from home as a self-employed online English teacher, offering an alternative to the traditional textbook-driven, teacher-centered, one-size-fits-all type of language learning. Not being constrained by a school-imposed curriculum, I can now respond to people’s internal syllabus and offer them learner-paced, personalized programs that inspire curiosity, autonomy, and self-expression. The two communicative approaches I use, Dogme ELT and Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), are both holistic, responsive, student-centered, conversation-driven, and with a focus on meaning. My mission is to help people level up their English and confidently speak their minds in global conversations.