New York, USA

Our clients can benefit from personalized English courses and lessons, English translation/interpreting courses, and other English language services such as translation, consulting, or project assistance.

Most people who relocate to the United States for business reasons or as temporary tourists are nervous about their English skills and feel relieved to see that they can improve so fast with the right training. While it is enormously useful to a foreigner to master English, he or she would quickly discover how important it is to become familiar with the local culture, too; our ESL courses are personalized to prepare students for both challenges.

“Gabriela worked with my Belgian family for the past year to master the English language and we will continue working with her as well! With Gabriela you have much more than a basic language training… My 12 year old daughter was able to step out the ESL program at school after 1,5 year! When we moved she was at beginners level and now she is already high advanced. We loved that Gabriela made our daughter read some classics! Gabriela knows perfectly how the school system in the USA works and is an expert in prep programs for standardized tests. She supported my daughter with STAAR practice and also helped my boys with several AP classes, SAT and ACT training as well. My oldest son even graduates a year early! She advised him and guided him through the college application process. We really appreciated her expertise in essay writing.  As for my personal experience I liked working with her on TOEFL but I also learned a lot about the American culture and entrepreneurship. In fact her enthusiasm made me take the decision to start my own private teaching business! In the fall 2016 the European STAR Academy (French/Dutch/European History/Cooking) will open!”  Katleen (History Teacher, Belgium) for herself, Dries, Fien, Seppe, and Jonas, ESL/English Immersion Program, French test prep, STAAR test prep, Local Orientation courses for relocated Belgian family, Kimberly Clark firm, 2016-2018

English is the 3rd most-common native language in the world (after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish) and our students have been intrigued to learn more about the Latin etymology of English words, the differences between British English and American English languages, cultures and literatures, and other aspects of transatlantic and global interconnectivity analyzed in our European Studies courses.

The English language dates back to the 5th century and the more or less common dialects of the Germanic tribes that invaded Britain; the Norman Conquest of 1066 brought a form of French to England from Normandie, France  — a region previously conquered by Vikings; although the Normans are best remembered for their military achievements, they also showed remarkable skill in government (they established many schools, monasteries, and churches in both Italy and England, and, after conquering England, built majestic castles to defend their new land). With the advent of printing in the 16th century, the English language became more standardized. The Industrial Revolution and British colonization led to an enrichment of English with many neologisms, leading to the creation of contemporary English. Approximately 1.5 billion people speak English i.e. 20% of the world’s population; out of these, over 360 million people speak English as their first language. English is the most studied language, being used to facilitate business and administration (French is the 2nd most studied language).

Being the contemporary lingua franca, English is spoken as an official language in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Northern Ireland; in most European countries and many Asian countries, English is largely studied and employed in office environments and the academia. English is either an official language or a formally important language in Ireland, Gibraltar, Botswana, Ghana, Liberia, Namibia, Saint Helena, Zambia, South Africa, Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Gambia, Mauritius, Swaziland, British and U.S. Virgin Islands, Antigua, Bahamas, Belize, Barbuda, Anguilla, Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Brunei, The Philippines, India, Singapore, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, N. Mariana Islands, Guam, Nauru, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Palau, Pitcairn, and Niue.

Examples of personalised ESL curricula in the past:

• Conversational American English (includes field trips)

• Comparative Grammars

• Advanced English

• Professional English

• American Writers

• Contemporary U.S. Society

• Classical literature: U.K. authors

• Business English