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Who are we?

Prof.ssa Chiara Gasparotti 

My name is Chiara, but friends call me “La Prof” (the Italian for “the teacher”).

I was born and grew up in Italy. Supporting my early passion for foreign languages and cultures I was given the opportunity to improve my English abroad. I studied foreign languages in High School and completed my Master’s Degree in Italian Literature & Philosophy and a postgraduate diploma in the Sociology of Sports. I began tutoring school children while at university, progressing to more structured teaching roles as a Teacher of English and Italian as second languages, primarily for adults.

In 2014, I moved to Thailand to obtain a TEFL certification, which I completed with the highest score in my group. Shortly afterward, I started teaching English and Italian at Mind Your Language School Thailand, a popular and highly rated language school on Koh Samui.

In 2017, I opened the first Italian Certification Centre in Thailand (PLIDA by Società Dante Alighieri, Roma). I earned additional online diplomas in Dyslexia, Autism, A1, B1, and B2 Italian assessment, as well as a TEFL Trainer Certificate. Following this, I served for two years as a TEFL Head Trainer. In 2019 I became a Supervisor for Italian Courses and Certifications on the board of Società Dante Alighieri Phuket. Recently, I earned the CEDILS certification (Certification for teaching Italian as a foreign language by University Ca’ Foscari in Venice),

At one point I felt my passion for languages and teaching needed a proper welcoming home of my own and in 2020 The Language Cottage, my little online school, was born.

At The Language Cottage we teach Italian to young learners, teenagers, and adults and prepare students for the A2, B1, and B2 certifications needed to apply for the Italian citizenship and university enrollment. Additionally, we offer crash courses of Italian to international students who are about to enroll in top Italian Universities. We regularly offer all PLIDA certification sessions.

Teaching Italian has allowed me to engage with the expat community in Thailand, revealing the importance of maintaining the Italian language and culture alive among families abroad.  Teaching bilingual children and teenagers of Italian heritage has  deepened my interest in understanding the processes of language acquisition and learning.

As a mother of a trilingual child, I witness daily the evolution of three languages and the complexities of raising a functional multilingual child,  I therefore decided  to broaden my awareness of bilingualism and I enrolled in the MA in Bilingualism and Multilingualism at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), which I have been attending with great interest and enthusiasm.

Teaching is my vocation, and having the chance to underpin my practical daily work with the theory behind this practice has proven to be an invaluable asset in empowering all the students and families I work with.

My mission as a teacher is to equip every single student with the right tools needed to express their potential and achieve their learning goals, creating a dynamic, easy, and fun learning environment.

Welcome to The Language Cottage, the place where learning a language feels like home.

Relax. Enjoy. Learn.