How I Started Teaching Italian – And Why I Bothered in the First Place
Learn Italian in Italy? That idea didn’t cross my mind when I was a teenager. But looking back, the seeds of my teaching journey were planted much earlier than I ever realized.
Correcting Italian “Mistakes” – Without Being Asked
Let’s rewind to Italy in 2005, during the first significant wave of immigration. Suddenly, my small town wasn’t as homogeneous anymore. Foreign classmates started to appear—and with them came their “wrong” Italian. To me, correcting them felt natural.
Not in a mean or pedantic way—I would explain why something was wrong and add a dash of etymology too, because it made everything clearer and more fun. (If you ever take a conversation class with me, you’ll see I still do this today!)
But why did I even start correcting people’s Italian? Nobody asked me to. Why didn’t I just keep quiet?
A Teenager Worried About Integration
It might sound odd, but what drove me was concern for public safety and integration.
I’m part of the generation shaped by 9/11 and global unrest. I was sensitive to stories about people living in isolation, struggling with identity, or feeling rejected in their new country. I feared that if my classmates didn’t speak Italian well enough, they’d never integrate into society or find a decent job. And ultimately, they’d end up resenting Italy.
That concern wasn’t unfounded. In recent years, I’ve met people who lost jobs or were rejected at interviews because of their poor Italian, even after living here for years. I’ve also seen foreign students who couldn’t land a side job because their “basic Italian” wasn’t good enough.
Why Learning Proper Italian Matters
This experience shaped my early vision of language learning: using a language correctly, not just “getting by.” That’s still the foundation of how I work today, especially with migrants and expats.
Italy, like France and Germany, is a country where language accuracy matters. In professional environments, being able to write an email properly or understand official documents is crucial—even for basic jobs. It’s not enough to just speak Italian “okay.”
Some international cities may be more forgiving. In Brussels, for example, where English often dominates the workplace, you can get away with a mix of languages. But even there, you never know when you'll need to fall back on the local language.
That’s why I’m learning Dutch—even though I don’t need it now. It’s an investment in future flexibility.
Learning the Hard Way
I’ve met people trying to improve their Italian after 6–10 years in the country. But when the foundation is wrong, it’s much harder. Fossilized mistakes are incredibly hard to unlearn. It’s frustrating, slow, and discouraging.
That's why "just practicing" isn't enough—especially at lower levels. People think they just need conversation, but without correction and feedback, you’ll only reinforce your mistakes. Unless you're a language genius with perfect mimicry and memory, this "immersion myth" doesn’t work.
Living in a country does not automatically mean you’ll learn the language.
Why I Didn’t See Myself as a Language Teacher
Even though I loved correcting people’s Italian and helping them express themselves, I never thought of becoming a language teacher.
To me, language teachers were people who had studied tons of literature and somehow had to make grammar interesting to students who didn’t care. That wasn’t me.
Also, I had zero self-confidence. Doing something I loved for a living felt impossible. I didn’t know that after 2020, new opportunities would arise—remote work, asynchronous teaching, content creation, and more.
In hindsight, it’s clear: I had already started walking this path. I just didn’t know it yet.
Language Learning as a Path
Everything changed after COVID. I started to see how I could help others learn Italian in a more human, conversational, and flexible way—one that actually works.
Sometimes I look back and think: my whole life makes more sense now. All those moments that felt like detours were just preparing me to get here—with more clarity, strength, and motivation than ever.
Are you trying to learn Italian and feel stuck?
Do you want to improve your spoken Italian for work, study, or everyday life in Italy?