Interview with Noelle Vance, managing director
How did you get involved in this business?
All of us were longtime English language teachers. We wanted to create a school that could better meet students’ individualized needs. When we began to share our ideas, we realized that we had the same goals, and the school developed from there.
What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
Probably class size and our wide variety of class options. First, we firmly believe that small class sizes are a key to quick and efficient learning, so students will never have more than 10 in a class. Second, we have a wide variety of programs so that students can study in the manner that fits their lifestyles. For instance, we have an intensive academic English program for students planning to go on to a college or university. Our part-time program caters to the needs of the international community here in the Golden area, especially students and families associated with the Colorado School of Mines. We have an online English school that provides live, synchronous instruction through the Internet, and our private tutoring program meets individual needs we haven’t accounted for in our other programs.
What do you like best about your line of work?
Working with people from many different countries provides a great opportunity to learn about the world and its cultures. It’s like being able to travel every day while still having all the comforts of home.
What is your business’ biggest challenge?
We’re a small and still relatively new school, so getting the word out to students here in the Denver area and around the world that we exist is certainly a challenge.
Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
Many people think that you have to speak the same language as your students in order for the students to learn. However, when you have students speaking several different languages in the classroom, it isn’t feasible for the teacher to speak every language. So maybe the fact that you can learn English in an English-only classroom is a surprise.
Business: Mountain Language Institute
Address: 1224 Washington Ave., Unit 10, Golden
Hours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, by appointment Friday and Saturday
Founded: 2011
Contact: 720-213-8651; www.mlienglish.com
Employees: 8
To suggest a business for us to profile, e-mail soelrich@denverpost.com.
