Today we’d like to introduce you to Coretta Shane.
Coretta, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Some people paint, others write, I loved languages for as long as I remember. As I entered into my career and became a mother, I realized the importance of knowing more than one language. I have always helped others in Spanish and French, but at the time did not know how valuable the ability to speak with others of different language really was. Working part time as a substitute teacher, I found myself speaking Spanish all the time to students who were recent migrants or those whose English was not so great. It was a comfort to others that I knew their language. Looking for schools for my daughter, I realize that she would too need to become bilingual. As I tried to look for other jobs, I continually saw “Spanish speaking preferred” or something that suggested that the position wanted someone who spoke more than one language. I also realized that in my own neighborhood, language services were minimal or nonexistent. I decided to bridge the gap by providing a service that allowed people in all neighborhoods to learn a new language at a reasonable price and that yielded real results. My goal was to have children 0-5 years of age going into Kindergarten being bilingual, and that adults who had never spoke the language, to get an intermediate understanding of another language. My dream was the immersion portion of the business, where people would apply skills learned in classes to several real-life situations. Offering a variety of customized services (no one service is the same for anyone) that were appropriate for those involved and reaching out to several demographics became essential in ensuring that people were getting the enrichment they desired and needed. I wanted to make sure that those learning learned from native speakers, had a plan of action, and were able to see real results.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has been consistent, but I know that some people do not see the value in learning a new language. There are a lot of reservations, including the price, availability of the customer and necessity or real life application for those who are already in their careers. In addition, getting the word out to larger entities about my small business has been a challenge. Everyone is happy about the company, but maybe do not know exactly how we can benefit them. Companies who have people who speak a certain language tend not to want the program, or even daycares and schools are reserved because they feel that their program is great how it is, or they do not have a budget for it. Community centers have budget deadlines, all of which I was unaware of, and so knowing the deadlines are important. Lastly, with the immersion project, the price and level of commitment has been an issue with clients. Finally, with individual and groups and other activities sometimes time and money play a factor.
Please tell us about The Language Immersion Project.
This business focuses on helping people become confident and proficient speakers of the language of their choice. I am most proud of our immersion group. The immersion group is an intense 6 month program that takes 3-4 years of a language (right now we are focusing on Spanish} and giving it to you in 6 months. A beginner can become an intermediate to advanced learner in this period of time! We have regular classroom sessions, immersion sessions (a variety of activities that get you using the language you have learned), homework, phone calls, text messages, and other social activities that will help people master the language of their choice. I believe we are known not only for the immersion program, but too for the individualized curriculums that are unique to every customer. Whether it’s individual, group, immersion, translation, interpretation or corporate training, we sit down and help people achieve their language goals. We have a full circle approach, meaning that people will learn to read, write and speak the language of their choice. What sets us apart is that we offer so much more for a reasonable price and yield real results.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite childhood memories is when my family and I would have game night, watch TGIF and have tacos or pizza for dinner.
Pricing:
- Immersion Groups: $50/session: Includes 3 sessions per week, after first 6 weeks, there are 2 classroom sessions a& 1 immersion group
- Individual Sessions: $30/person for 60 minutes, children 12 and under are $20/person for 60 minutes
- Group Sessions (3+ people): $25/person for 60 minutes, children $15/person for 60 minutes
- Organizational Sessions: $60/hour
- Translation/Interpretation: $80/hour
- Corporate Training: A La Carte Services (Priced as approprate for services required)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.languageimmersionproject.com
- Phone: 773.978.3110
- Email: info@languageimmersionproject.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheLIP77/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLIP7
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Thelip7
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-language-immersion-project-chicago
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