Anita, 44, is a university qualified teacher who lives in the Algarve, with a mission to “spread my passion for the Portuguese language to as many people as possible worldwide”, she told The Portugal News.

The online platform offers a variety of self-paced courses which provide comprehensive lessons designed for every level, whether you are approaching the Portuguese language for the first time or want to go beyond grammar and speak with fluency.

A Passion for Teaching

“I have known what I wanted to do for the rest of my life since I was 10 years old”, she shared. “I told my mum I’m going to teach Portuguese. She told me to go for it, but I’d have to study hard and go to college.

“I find it amazing to be able to communicate with people from all over the world in their native language, it’s a beautiful way to create a connection”, Anita stated, citing her passion for studying languages as the motivation to acquire a Masters in Teaching English and Portuguese.

“As soon as I finished uni, I started to pursue my career”, she recalled. “Before you finish college, you send CVs to see if you can get a nice job, but you don’t expect to get a good one right away. I consider it to be fate, I got a call from the Four Seasons Country Club, in Quinta do Lago.”

“They needed someone to tutor the kids in Portuguese and they had groups of expats that were interested in learning the language too”, Anita explained. “I was hired and that’s how it started. I wasn’t looking for it, but I couldn’t be happier that I got that call.”

Creating a Platform

Anita continued to teach Portuguese under some positions, including as a teacher in several schools, a Cluster Training Manager for Conrad Hotels and Double Tree by Hilton in Portugal, and as a Pedagogical Director at a local micro international school in the Algarve, which she enjoyed for over a decade, but had always wanted to create a school of her very own. “Once I decided I wanted to pursue teaching differently, I was happy to take the risk, but I didn’t know where to begin.”

“One day, I was talking to my best friend, and she suggested I start with social media, open an account and see how it goes. She created an Instagram page for me, then with my reputation as a teacher, people started to contact me for lessons”, Anita recounted.

“Initially, I began teaching by Zoom. You need to do this face-to-face, even if it’s through a computer, so I had to make schedules”, she continued. “When I realised my hands were a bit full with people from all around the world wanting to have lessons, and the time differences were quite challenging, I thought to myself I had to go the extra mile and try and find a way to help everyone at the same time.”

“I have been teaching for 19 years, since I can remember, there has been a big hole in interactive resources that could make people have fun while learning, which is quite important for me”, Anita emphasised, “so I created my own, which do not require the textbooks often needed for the traditional methods”.

“I developed self-paced courses to help more people and students, which solved the issue of time differences and rushing to class.” The platform is comprised of a variety of video lessons with a focus on pronunciation and vocabulary that make use of visual elements to maintain the audience’s attention, as well as a combination of quizzes, challenges, and listening activities. “I take advantage of all the technological and teaching resources, that together contribute to the success in learning the language in a fun and engaging way”, she summarised.

Anita has taught Portuguese to people from as far as Thailand and Malaysia. “I always ask, where are you from and why do you want to learn the language? I like to know the motivation and focus on the needs. It’s rewarding to hear about the success and accomplishments of my students, being a part of the process.”

The teacher also mentioned the levels of motivation found in her students, and how she manages them. “You can always start very motivated, but there’s ups and downs, I find it crucial to elevate my students when they’re not feeling great. It’s challenging, we’re humans, we can’t always be happy. But I’m here to explain, help them through the less motivated times and harder lessons. I don’t let students give up.”

“Everyone can learn if they’re willing to. I have students up to 85 years old and they love my programmes. If they can, anyone can”, she added.

“I just always had the goal to teach and spread my knowledge of the language and culture, which I consider to be as important when you learn a language to understand the people and country”, Anita concluded with a reflection on her path so far. “I quit my job to launch this platform, to work as an entrepreneur, and create my own company. But I listened to my heart and it worked out great!”

Interested in getting some Portuguese lessons? – Please visit https://www.portuguesewithanita.com/theportugalnews-store to find out more details on her course and get into contact.

Author

A journalist that’s always eager to learn about new things. With a passion for travel, adventure and writing about this diverse world of ours.

“Wisdom begins in wonder” -  Socrates

Kate Sreenarong