Learning a language...
ist nicht leicht – non è facile – ni lahko.
I'm Marina Toto. After eight years in Berlin, I moved back home to Kastav, a small medieval town on a hill above Rijeka. The sea and the islands are in front of me, the hills are behind, and whenever I can, I take my golden-green bike out for a ride.
I have an MA in Sociology and 15 years of project management experience, including my years in the tech industry, where I worked in German and English as a solution engineer and IT project manager for enterprise clients. I know what it's like to build a career and a life in a language that isn't your own.
I speak six languages, including English (C2) and German (C1, telc-certified), plus Slovenian, Italian and Spanish (when you live in Berlin, you have to go south for some sun). Most of them I learned as an adult, through countless courses and a lot of self-study. German really didn't come easy 🫠. That's exactly why I know what actually helps and what you can skip.
My favourite part is watching students grow more confident from one lesson to the next. Whether you're a beginner, your partner is Croatian, you're moving to a new country or raising a bilingual child – every lesson is 1-on-1 and focused on what you need, with no big groups or generic lesson plans. The methodology is TESOL, the approach is personal.