Frequently Asked Questions

Get to know us better

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

Language and culture learners need to find a teacher who not only has competent linguistic skills but who truly feels and has lived the language. Additionally, while it is important that a teacher has academic knowledge, it is even more important to be able to transmit that knowledge to the learner through active and meaningful interactions – conversations, activities, games, songs, cooking, and being able to recount cultural stories.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Do you have any inside secrets to share?

The “insider secrets” to language learning are that a student needs:
1. the deep desire to learn,
2. the willingness to feel silly, frustrated, or confused, and
3. the time to spend studying outside of class.

If a student doesn’t have these, then a student will struggle with becoming functional in a language (even if a teacher were to dance the can-can on the table!).

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

KIMBER: As a highly-skilled educator, test prep tutor, cultural facilitator, and translator/interpreter. I have over 20 years of successful experience, including 2 Master’s degrees. There are many qualities to my teaching that set me apart from others: my enthusiastic and engaging methods, my sense of humor, my ability to turn everything into a learning experience, my stories about my personal experiences throughout the world, and my custom teaching materials – games, songs, and mnemonic techniques.

My goal is to bring you to a place where you think and feel in your target language. I have traveled the world and love to share my knowledge of language, culture, and culinary delights with my clients. All of this comes together to make your learning experience fun, meaningful, and memorable.

CHARLES: I grew up in a wine-making family in Bordeaux, France. As a wine consultant, I have over 25 years experience working in the field and ensuring the quality of wines and spirits from all over the world for some of the better-known import/export wine merchants such as Calvet, William Pitters, Marie Brizard, Barton & Guestier, Cordier, Ginestet, Nicolas Feuillate Champagnes, Cognacs and Pineaux Beaulon.
Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What’s your answer?

Clients always ask us why we haven’t written a book about all of our international adventures. We always ask: “Do you know a publisher?!

Q. What do you like most about your job?

We love meeting people, getting to know their stories, and helping them attain their dreams of language proficiency and cultural awareness.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

KIMBER: One of my favorite stories is from when I was team teaching. The other teacher was teaching ‘-er’ verbs that day, and she told me that when the students heard about “er” verbs, they said: ” ‘Kimber’ is an ‘-er’ verb for teaching enthusiastically!” Then, they all proceeded to conjugate my name in Spanish:

Kimbo (I teach enthusiastically)
Kimbes (You teach enthusiastically)
Kimbe (S/he teaches, you teach enthusiastically)
Kimbemos (We teach enthusiastically)
Kimbéis (You ‘guys’ teach enthusiastically)
Kimben (They, All of You teach enthusiastically)

CHARLES: Making the sparkling wine that the Queen drank at the White House as well as the red wine served at the Chelsea Clinton Wedding always makes for a good story 🙂

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

We are passionate about language learning and culture awareness as well as all of the facets of our business. We strive to meet the needs of our clients and go beyond their expectations. Teaching and facilitating culture is not just what we, do, it’s who we are.