A new language school is opening in the hip neighbourhood of Brooklyn in New York this month, founded by the owner of Cactus Worldwide, a UK-based company that focuses on language training and also organises language courses abroad.
Rich Ambler, CEO at Cactus, is opening the Brooklyn School of Languages at the end of this month. The new school occupies the whole floor of a landmark building in Brooklyn Heights, overlooking Manhattan.
It will focus primarily on the ESL market, with year-round adult programmes and a summer junior programme, and it will also offer foreign language courses in the evenings.
Ambler wants to offer an alternative to Manhattan
Ambler, who has lived in Brooklyn for the past two years, decided to set up the school to offer students wanting to study English in New York an alternative to Manhattan.
He will primarily focus on the Western European market and South American countries of Brazil and Colombia – all countries whose nationals can enter the US on a visa waiver programme. Once open, the school will then apply for accreditation so it can issue F1 visas to other nationalities.
The new school is a local independent school, with a neighbourhood ‘village in the city’ feel, offering class sizes of max 10 and a range of Brooklyn-based accommodation, within easy reach of the school.
“Brooklyn is really buzzing at the moment, offering lots of great neighbourhoods, a vibrant culture, arts and music scene, a great mix of bars and restaurants and plenty of green space,” said Ambler. “It seems perfect as a place to base yourself while studying English in New York.”
