We are a team of professional, highly qualified teachers dedicated to making language instruction a personal experience. We are passionate about what we do and love working with people. We believe from experience that learning a language can be life changing.
Personal
Individualized, flexible language instruction at your home or office.
P
ersonal means every course is unique and created individually to meet the particular needs of each student. There are no standardized courses at Icon.
It also refers to a personal student-teacher interaction present at every step of the course: from the initial assessment and the selection of materials, all the way to scheduling and instruction, you deal with a single teacher who knows your learning style, keeps track of your progress, and supports you all the way through your learning process.
Professional
Highly qualified, native teachers with years of professional experience.
T
o us, a professional teacher must not only be a native speaker of the language, but also possess an advanced degree, years of professional experience, and excellent interpersonal skills.
Being a native speaker is an essential requirement to work with us, since only natives truly understand and are able to convey the linguistic and cultural nuances of a language. An advanced degree ensures the high level of linguistic competency needed to teach at all levels. Experience provides the pedagogical expertise that makes a skilled teacher highly qualified.
Effective
Exceptional methodology guaranteed to help you reach your goals.
O ur students’ feedback is proof that our pedagogical approach is effective and leads to tangible accomplishments. Some of the real success stories our students have shared with us include:
- Increased self-confidence when dealing with clients in a foreign language.
- A successful job interview in English with an American company.
- The ability to interact freely and easily with colleagues from several countries at a leadership conference.
- Confidently delivering a presentation on a case study at a medical congress.
Nando López Greco, BA.
OWNER & DIRECTOR
Native: English / Spanish
Also spoken: German / Italian / French
- Bachelor’s Degree in English
- Bachelor’s Degree in Conference Interpreting
- Bachelor’s Degree in Scientific-Literary Translation
- California State Certified Court Interpreter
- Certified Legal Translator with the Buenos Aires Translators Association
I have been teaching languages for more than 14 years and have lived and worked as a language professional in the United States, Germany and Argentina.
Languages have always been an integral part of my life. I was raised and educated bilingual and have lived in three different countries and cultures.
I have turned my passion into a successful career that helps other people. This is both a privilege as well as one of my greatest professional accomplishments.
Jeff Carlson, MA.
CO-OWNER
Native: English
Also spoken: German / French / Spanish
- Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish
- Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science
- Master’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology
I have over 20 years of experience teaching foreign languages to students of all ages in Southern California, including teaching English as a foreign language to adults who have moved to the United States from other countries.
My work with people from other cultures kindled an interest in the cultural aspect of language. Consequently, I decided to enroll in a master’s program and study culture in depth.
My anthropological research in several countries has given me a profound understanding of the role language plays in society. This has in turn intensified my passion for language teaching.