Language teachers set up on their own after redundancy from Kirklees College

LANGUAGE teachers made redundant by Kirklees College have set up their own school.

The seven women lost their jobs after cut-backs at the college earlier this year.

But the teachers have now set up on their own – offering classes in five languages in venues across Huddersfield.

Raffaella Hinchliffe, 40, taught Italian at the college for 12 years before losing her job this year.

The Golcar woman said: “I really enjoyed my job, I felt I was doing really well.

“I used to work all around Huddersfield – at Almondbury High School, Shelley College, Greenhead College and Huddersfield New College.”

Raffaella and six colleagues, who were also made redundant, have started up on their own.

She said: “We wanted to take all our experience and passion and carry on bringing languages to the people of Huddersfield.”

Raffaella has been joined by French teachers Laurence Dickinson and Annick Helliwell; German tutor Gillian Leah, Spanish teachers Marina Breslin and Ros Tyler and Japanese tutor Mako Byram.

The Huddersfield Language School offers classes at the Polish Centre at Fitzwilliam Street; Ashfield Liberal Club in Lepton; Huddersfield New College; Holmfirth Methodist Church Hall; Slaithwaite Community Centre and St Bartholomew’s Church in Meltham.

Raffaella said: “I was made redundant in February and I’ve already got two classes going – one of 10 students and one of 14.

“When we were at the college we did vocational courses like A-Levels and GCSEs. At the moment we’re only able to do non-vocational courses, but that might change in the future.”

Raffaella, who is originally from Rome, lives in Golcar with her Huddersfield-born husband David, 41.

She said many people in the town were interested in learning Italian.

“I did between two and five classes a week at the college,” she said.

“It was a mixture of people. Some want to learn Italian because they’re going on holiday there, some people have Italian parents and some have bought property in Italy.”

Huddersfield Language School’s website www.huddersfieldlanguageschool.com went live on Monday.