Consultancy, learning with AI, international lessons and working with my local MP

The past couple of weeks have been a mixture of French language consultancy and stretching my comfort zone through learning & development on top of the BAU tutoring.There are so many aspects of my work that I find rewarding and the consultancy support is right up there.  This was a client of mine who I supported in the past,  He needed to work with a solicitor due to resolving some questions with estate following the passing of his wife last year.  In France the laws are a little different when it comes to estate compared to the UK.  I always tell my clients that I am not a legal specialist but I am a French language specialist.  My French mother tongue skills allow me to deep dive and properly understand a situation that perhaps someone with a different French language skills set can’t cope with.  I can listen to and understand both the client and solicitor’s perspective and then, acting as the intermediary, present solutions, options, risks & opportunities for both parties to work towards.  The consultancy work opens up all sorts of different avenues and in the past I have supported business clients in preparation for bid work and technical work as well personal clients.I have pushed myself and my comfort zones by undertaking learning in Business Administration and Leadership.  As a sole trader I don’t get the same learning opportunities as large organisations so I was happy to take the opportunity.  It’s 3 days a week over a number of weeks and so far we have covered leadership & management, project management and AI & it’s implications in the working environment.  There are plenty of great learns to take but the AI subject has been absolutely fascinating in particular.  We have been looking at prompting AI correctly and the need to be very precise to avoid AI tools having what are called ‘hallucinations’ and returning error strewn results.  We’ve also been using AI to prepare business plans which has complimented some of the great support that I get through the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce.  I must admit though, I’m not used to being the student and maintaining a laser guided focus for 6 straight hours has been harder than I had remembered last time around!And I’m working with all sorts of clients in terms of tutoring too.  The students that I have who are based in Singapore have been fast approaching their French oral mock exams so we’ve been focusing on spoken French.  Another of my clients is following the IAL (International Advanced Level) which I am also experienced with.  IAL is similar to A-level but targeted specifically for schools abroad.  One of their exam requirements is translation exercises from English to French so this has been another different focus for me to adjust to. Internationally I have also been working with a student in Switzerland who needs to catch-up with his French to achieve a certain mark in his A-levels so that he can go to his preferred university.  We have decided to increase the number of lessons he does each week in preparation for upcoming exams.I have 2 new client based in Dubai too.  With 16th February representing the start of Ramadan I am trying to be mindful of busy calendars and cultural requirements as well as the impact fasting has on students and their ability to learn so I’m adapting my tutorship accordingly.I continue to support a GCSE student who is also taking the mock exams.  This time the focus is on written French so, as I do with everyone I work with, I have tailored my instructional method accordingly. I’ve also taken on a new student from much closer to home, Norwich in fact.  This is an 8 year old and whilst I typically do not target this age group, I have decided to blend my primary school teaching degree methodologies with my French language specialisms to tailor a different style of learning for someone so young.And my adult aged clients continue their lessons with me too, typically preferring to use current affairs as their subject matter as the basis of their lessons.  Current affairs are a good topic to work with because they are relevant, they are current and the client can understand the subject in English which aids the learning process.  A theme from my senior aged clients seems to be their worries over what’s happening far & wide across the world.I volunteer as a local Town Councillor.  I really enjoy listening to people in my community, representing their needs and helping shape a better place for us all to live and work in.  Last week I joined other members of the council in meeting Ben Goldsborough MP.  We talked about the increasing number of solar farms, the Long Stratton Enterprise Partnership, accessing funding streams through parliament sources via Ben and ways to improve the ‘old village’ centre and wider town.Whatever your motivation, whether you are starting from new and always wanted to learn the language, whether you are more experienced and want to develop your conversation, you might be looking for guidance in-country with healthcare or house buying or perhaps you are looking for support for your business, give me a call with no obligation on 07930 444 078 or email me on [email protected] anytime.