Italian Language Assistant

My name is Simona. I am a 25 year old girl from, Italy who is currently living here in Melbourne. I arrived in Australia about four weeks ago, as part of the Italian Language Assistants Program 2023.

In Italy I had a wonderful experience teaching English and tutoring in a high school which made me realize that I really enjoy teaching and working with kids.

The Australian education system is quite different from the Italian one, so I’m curious to learn more about it. Kids are cheeky, but some of them are actually very good in Italian and also interested in learning about the Italian language and culture, which makes me happy.

Australia has always fascinated me: since I was a child, I’ve wanted to travel to Melbourne and Queensland. I haven’t seen much of the country yet, but I had an amazing encounter with some wallabies and kangaroos and I went to an authentic Australian football match.

I’d definitely rather be an AFL fan than an Italian soccer one!

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Epping Secondary College welcomes Simona to our community. Simona is here from Piemonte, Italy as part of a partnership between the Australian and Italian governments to promote and enhance the teaching of Italian in Australia. 

75% of people in the world speak more than one language. It is vital our young people become equipped with the skills and knowledge needed for the 21st century and this includes communication and second language speaking skills. 

We want our young people to be able to work anywhere around the world they desire and we want them to be able to be just as capable and globally aware as other young people around the world are. When we have young assistants working in our school who have lived and travelled in other countries, we provide our students with opportunities to learn from others and see people like Simona as role models, giving them an insight into the opportunities speaking other languages can bring. 

We hope she helps our students develop a love of learning Italian and a desire to know more about the world. We hope all our learners get the chance to visit Italy and explore the history, great food and culture it is so easily able to offer. 

Simona has already been helping our Year 9 students prepare for the Dante Alighieri Poetry Competition in addition to helping our students practice their Italian speaking skills. We wish Simona an amazing time in Australia and look forward to sharing our beautiful country with her. 

A big, ‘grazie,’ to all the lovely students and teachers who have made her feel welcome at Epping Secondary College. 

Antoinette Rehak.