Language school is not just exercises and textbooks, it’s experienced and qualified lecturers who have already opened the door to the world of English for many of our students. They are not only professionals in their field, but also interesting people, world travelers and unique personalities. Get to know them better with us.
Giada is originally from Florence, but has been living abroad for ten years. She loves to learn foreign languages, which iswhy she left Italy and decided to explore the world and different cultures. She has lived in Morocco, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Vietnam and Spain. She currently lives and works in Slovakia. In the interview you will not only find out what brought her here.
Tell us more about your home.
I love my hometown and my country, and I like to revisit it from time to time, but I’ve been living abroad for about ten years now. I first left in 2013 when I moved to Morocco to study Arabic, and I’ve been traveling constantly from place to place ever since.
Do you ever get homesick?
I miss my family and friends a lot, but now that I’m living in Europe again, things are much easier.
How did you get into teaching English?
I’ve always been interested in languages and linguistics (I’ve actually studied dead languages for most of my life). I started teaching English when I moved to Morocco simply because it was easy to find work in that field. And I soon realized that I actually enjoyed it! There is something really powerful in both learning and teaching foreign languages, and with a lingua franca like English, this is doubly true. If I hadn’t learned English, I would never have gained access to my favourite books and thinkers… and I wouldn’t have met my partner!
How many years have you been teaching English?
I’ve been teaching for about ten years, including about two at The Bridge.
How did you get into The Bridge?
I was looking for an online tutor position and came across an advert. After the interview, they asked me if I was willing to move to Slovakia, and that’s when I thought: “Why not?”.
Where have you worked before?
I’ve worked for many different language centres and universities in Morocco, the UK, the Middle East, Malaysia, Vietnam and Spain, but I love The Bridge, it’s the best school I’ve ever had the opportunity to teach for.
What do you think makes The Bridge different to the others?
There is a level of trust and respect here that I have never experienced at my previous workplaces. Klaudia and Andrea are very empathetic and genuinely care about us as individuals. And I also really like my students because most of them are incredibly interesting.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Definitely building relationships with students, getting to know them, being able to learn a lot from them and in turn helping them to achieve their goals.
What gets on your nerves the most with students?
When students are not willing to work, I find it very frustrating. Some people think that if they show up to class once a week, they will somehow magically become native speakers.
What’s your best quality and what’s your worst?
I enjoy being able to be very open and ask myself often what I can do to be a better person. On the other hand, I don’t like that I often succumb to insecurity and don’t have enough self-confidence.
What do you do in your spare time?
I love reading and writing and I like to devote my time to “mindfulness” techniques such as yoga and meditation. I also like rollerblading and dancing.