Our School
Ambarabà offers Italian and Spanish language courses for the whole family. Our after school programs rely on a playful teaching approach to provide an interactive and fun way to improve your child's language skills. We also offer tailor-made courses for adults focusing on functional language use and cultural awareness. All courses are designed with small study groups to ensure students are provided with individual attention.
Our Values
We see language awareness and intercultural sensitivity as the milestones for an inclusive and egalitarian society.
We believe that multilingualism is a personally and culturally enriching skill and a highly valuable asset for the active participation of the individual in social development.
We aspire for our students to achieve a high level of language proficiency and cultural awareness in the Italian/Spanish language and that they will use it throughout their lives.
Meet the Team
Ambarabà teachers are qualified, native-level speakers and they all hold a Masters Degree Linguistics and/or Humanities. All staff members are DBS checked.
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CARMEN
Italian & Spanish
Language Teacher
Ciao! I am Carmen, originally from Tuscany (Italy). I founded Ambarabà in 2016, aiming to support the second-generation language maintenance of the Italian and Spanish speaking communities in South London. Today, teaching to heritage-language learners is my passion and Ambarabà’s main goal.
During my academic studies in Educational Linguistics (Didattica dell'Italiano) at Università per Stranieri di Siena, I had the chance to teach at the Italian Institutes of Culture and consular schools across the MENA region. When I started teaching to young learners, I immediately discovered my passion for primary education and second language acquisition. Currently, I am working towards my Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics at the University of Essex with a research project on heritage languages and primary education, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
ELENA
Italian & English
Language Teacher
Ciao a tutti! My name is Elena and I come from a small village in the heart of Tuscany. I graduated in English Language and Literature at the University of Tuscia and I hold a Master's degree in TESOL from Birkbeck College as well as a CELTA certificate.
In 2015 I moved to London and I started working as a nanny for bilingual children, taking care of them and their linguistic development in Italian and English. In 2017, I spent some time back in Italy to volunteer at a refugee centre where I had the opportunity to teach Italian to students from different language backgrounds. Through these experiences, I realised that teaching modern languages and spending time with children was what I enjoyed the most, and so here I am! Literature and music are my other passions, and so I tend to incorporate them into my teaching. Also, I value my students' interests and tailor my lessons based on their needs and interests.
TIZIANO
Italian Language Teacher
Ciao a tutti! I’m Tiziano and I come from Rome. After completing my studies in “Modern Foreign Languages & Literature” at Università Degli Studi Roma Tre, I started teaching English and Italian as foreign languages in Estonia, Turkey and now England. In 2017, I trained to teach Italian as a second language and now I teach second-generation Italian kids and teenagers in London. I really enjoy teaching and I love to see my students’ passion being rewarded.
I moved to London to pursue my career as a teacher and as a stand-up comedian. Indeed, in my spare time, you will find me preparing or performing gigs. I perform sometimes in Italian in the UK, and in English in Italy. There is no better way to celebrate multilingualism than laughing with it!
CLARA
Spanish Language Teacher
¡Hola a todos! I am Clara, from the beautiful city of Córdoba, in the south of Spain. As a Spanish teacher, I feel passionate about Spanish language and culture. Apart from my studies in humanities and anthropology, I have a formal education in “Teaching Spanish as a foreign language” and “Teaching Spanish as a new language to migrants”.
In my lessons, I follow the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach to allow the students to develop communicative abilities during the lessons and in their daily life too. I believe that grammar and vocabulary are the foundation of the learning process, but the first step to learning a new language is to overcome shyness, so I always try to create a relaxed and positive atmosphere in the classroom.
PATRIZIA
Italian Dance Teacher
Ciao a tutti! My name is Patrizia and I am a qualified dance teacher with an affluent background in the dance world that spans 20 years as a professional ballerina, jazz, contemporary and modern dancer for stage and television in Italy.
I am trained in the Vaganova technique and worked as national competition coach, choreographer and stage director, and collaborated with the Accademia di Danza in Vercelli and in Novara and IALS Dance School of Milan. I later chose to broaden my international teaching skills with RAD, ISTD and IDTA affiliation which brought me to London two years ago.
I have an in-depth knowledge of the human body and bio-mechanics necessary for superior teaching and my encouraging and enthusiastic nature allow my students to gain self-confidence while learning. Professionalism, technique and a great passion for dance are my strength.
MARCELLA
MFL and SEN Collaborator
Salut! I am Marcella and I am from Macerata, a city in the centre of Italy where I completed my first MA in "Euro‑American Languages and Literature". After my Masters in "Teaching Italian to Foreigners", I worked as a teacher for a charity in Marche, and at Salford University when I moved to the UK.
Due to my mixed background, I believe that anyone has the ability to master a foreign language, especially if starting at a very young age. In the playgroups with infants and toddlers, I use songs and rhymes based on the Total Physical Response method to allow them to familiarise themselves with the new language in a fun and effortless way.
In my spare time, I like reading, listening to music and going out with friends, spotting new places in London and eating Neapolitan Pizza.
Vacancies
If you are a language teacher based in South London and you have experience working with children, feel free to submit a spontaneous application. Please, don't forget to include a cover letter to tell us why you would like to join the Ambarabà team
Thank you!