A FORMER secondary school teacher has started a new class of business.

Languages specialist Nicola Good has set up Good Language Skills Ltd to offer tuition in French, German, English and modern Greek to pupils of all ages and stages. Ms Good has been a teacher for 16 years, for the past eight years at Victoria College. So why go into business for herself?

‘I was very happy there, but the opportunity came along and I think there is a gap in the market,’ she said. ‘I was approached by a number of people wanting one-to-one tuition, rather than in a group. Anyone who comes is offered a complimentary assessment and they tell me what they want to achieve, whether they are studying for commercial, educational or recreational reasons. At the moment my youngest pupil is seven, and the eldest is 67.’

Brought up in Harrogate in North Yorkshire, she holds a joint honours degree in French and German from Bristol University and a Post-graduate Certificate in Education from Sheffield. ‘I loved languages at school and it opened doors for me. It is not just the linguistic advantage, but also the cultural insight.’

• Picture: Nicola Good of Good Language Skills. Picture by Tony Pike (00599010)