KalliKids Interview Neil Coster

 

We interviewed Neil Coster from KalliKids accredited BilinguaSing. BilinguaSing offer award winning Spanish and French music classes for babies and young children. 

How long have you been working at BilinguaSing for?

I have worked with BilinguaSing for just over a year.

Do you have any children?

Two, Francesca is 25 and William is 24, great kids or I guess adults now, but both have their fathers’ lack of ability in foreign languages!

What would you say was the most rewarding aspect of working with BilinguaSing?

Being involved in any start-up business can be extremely rewarding, but one that is helping little ones learn new skills is especially so.

What made you decide to work in the children’s sector?

The key was the opportunity of working with a company that is making a real difference to how children develop multiple language skills in Britain. I have worked in Europe a lot during my career and compared with other nations, we are very poor in encouraging children to speak different languages.

What’s your favorite thing about working with children?

Although I don't work directly with the children who attend our classes, I know how our franchisees absolutely love watching little ones develop. They are constantly amazed by how quickly they can pick up a second language.

What’s the most common issue you face at BilinguaSing?

Whilst a number of parents and nursery school managers realise the benefits of introducing children to second or even third languages at a young age, there are still many out there who don’t. To address this issue we summarise the benefits in a number of ways, including a poem written by one of our franchisees Kirsty. 

How has the children’s activity and service industry changed since you started?

We are a relatively new business but I know that when my children were young there were very few classes we could take them to. The sector is now booming with lots of amazing opportunities for children, which as a parent I think is wonderful.

How do you find working within a franchise organisation?

It is a great environment in which to work, the motivation of the franchisees is fantastic as these people are effectively running their own business. As the Franchisor we are a small team, all working extremely hard to help make our franchisees a success.

BilinguaSing focuses on Spanish and French classes. Do you have any plans to branch out into other languages?

The initial focus is on French and Spanish, but we have already started to assess other language classes including Mandarin and German.

If you were to go on holiday to either France or Spain, which one would you choose?

Although there is better horse racing in France (see below) I have a slight preference for Spain and particularly like Barcelona as a city.

We’ve just finished the KalliKids short story writing competition, are you a book enthusiast and what was your favourite children’s book?

Yes I am a keen book reader. I am going to show my age here, as I remember not being able to put down The Famous Five books’ by Enid Blyton. Whilst more recently with my own children, I became a real Harry Potter fan.

After a long week working in the children’s sector what is your ideal weekend?

I love horse racing and manage a number of syndicates, so a day at the races is always nice! Whilst Kay, my partner and I love bike riding, so often do a 20-30 mile ride on a Sunday.

 

 

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