Get to know more about Lizzie, founder of Lingotot Sevenoaks

Posted: Thu, Jun 2, 2022 1:13 PM

The children’s language franchise Lingotot teaches fun and interactive classes to kids aged 0-12 across the UK and Ireland. Local entrepreneur Lizzie Walker is the newest member of the network. Lizzie recently founded Lingotot Sevenoaks after seeing an opportunity to bring language learning to children here. We’ve been getting to know more about Lizzie, her background and her business.


Hi Lizzie! Let’s jump straight in with a business question, what languages will you be bringing to children in Sevenoaks?

Hi there! Lingotot Sevenoaks will be bringing French and Italian sessions to kids in our local area initially, with the plan to introduce Spanish and German shortly. Classes will be coming soon so keep an eye out! 


Tell us a little more about yourself 

I moved to Sevenoak from overseas just before the pandemic with my two young boys (now aged 5 and 7) and our one, then two, slightly mad dogs.  I have always had a love of and affinity for languages since a very young age. I lived in Germany as a child and started school there so have been comfortable with foreign languages for a long time. Holidays were spent camping in France where my brother and I were often sent off to buy “une baguette s’il vous plaît” every day.  I went on to gain a first class degree in French and Italian from the University of Bristol and then used my languages for many years in a successful career in the international wine business, during which I was fortunate to live overseas in New Zealand, Australia and most recently Dubai. 


Why did you decide to found your own Lingotot business?

I have always had a passion for languages and would love for my own boys to have a similar experience and opportunity.    More recently, I have been inspired by my niece and nephew, who are fully bilingual, to look at primary language learning and at how we can extend that natural benefit to all.  To me, languages offer our children an open door to a world of opportunities, they encourage curiosity and cultural understanding.  Modern Foreign Languages have always been an after-thought in schools, yet they offer such wide reaching advantages to children from an academic, social, and global perspective. I was also looking for a career that would allow me to have a flexible work life balance to fit around my own children (and naturally my dogs), allowing for me to take my boys to France to ask for a wonderfully fresh baguette “en francais” or to ask for “un gelato per favore” in their best Italian. 


What are you most excited about?

I am excited to use my knowledge and passion for languages in my career and to be building  a business that offers such a significant and lifelong benefit to my customers, as well as one that fits in with my own family. 


Thanks Lizzie! You can find out more about Lingotot Sevenoaks here or get in touch at sevenoaks@lingotot.com

 


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