NewBusiness English Excellence, two afternoons on 11 January and 1 February 2027See the workshop and book
Albatross English Academy07 80 34 50 31
The ridges of the Montagne Noire in mist, a village and its bell tower at the bottom of the valley

The day you stop translating in your head.

English lessons in Mazamet with Helen — a native English teacher, TEFL-qualified, in the Montagne Noire since 2014. Children, adults and companies, one-to-one or in small groups.

Book a first lesson07 80 34 50 31
A person, book in hand, looks down at the village from the heights of the Montagne Noire.

Hello, I'm Helen.

I was born in the north of England and I teach English in Mazamet, in a real room at 4 Boulevard Soult. Native speaker, trained at TEFL Toulouse, living in the Montagne Noire since 2014.

Read more

Individual attention, even in a group.

I don’t teach classes of twenty. One-to-one or in a small group of three to six, I build the programme around the people in front of me: their level, their work, their reasons for learning. It takes longer to prepare and it is a great deal faster to progress.

Book a first lesson

Serious about the result, not about the tone.

There is a lot of laughing in my lessons, and that is not an accident: nobody speaks a foreign language while they are frightened. The day you answer without having translated in your head, my job is done.

Book a first lesson
Helen sitting on the green settee in the room, holding a mug and looking at the camera
Helen Phillips
Helen teaching an adult student at a table in the room, pointing to a line in his notebook
4 Boulevard Soult · Mazamet
Helen laughing with a small group of adults around a table in the room
Mazamet

  1. Hello, I'm Helen.

    I was born in the north of England and I teach English in Mazamet, in a real room at 4 Boulevard Soult. Native speaker, trained at TEFL Toulouse, living in the Montagne Noire since 2014.

    Read more
    Helen sitting on the green settee in the room, holding a mug and looking at the camera
    Helen Phillips

  2. Individual attention, even in a group.

    I don’t teach classes of twenty. One-to-one or in a small group of three to six, I build the programme around the people in front of me: their level, their work, their reasons for learning. It takes longer to prepare and it is a great deal faster to progress.

    Book a first lesson
    Helen teaching an adult student at a table in the room, pointing to a line in his notebook
    4 Boulevard Soult · Mazamet

  3. Serious about the result, not about the tone.

    There is a lot of laughing in my lessons, and that is not an accident: nobody speaks a foreign language while they are frightened. The day you answer without having translated in your head, my job is done.

    Book a first lesson
    Helen laughing with a small group of adults around a table in the room
    Mazamet
Helen sitting on the green settee in the room, holding a mug and looking at the camera
Helen Phillips
Helen teaching an adult student at a table in the room, pointing to a line in his notebook
4 Boulevard Soult · Mazamet
Helen laughing with a small group of adults around a table in the room
Mazamet

  1. Hello, I'm Helen.

    I was born in the north of England and I teach English in Mazamet, in a real room at 4 Boulevard Soult. Native speaker, trained at TEFL Toulouse, living in the Montagne Noire since 2014.

    Read more

  2. Individual attention, even in a group.

    I don’t teach classes of twenty. One-to-one or in a small group of three to six, I build the programme around the people in front of me: their level, their work, their reasons for learning. It takes longer to prepare and it is a great deal faster to progress.

    Book a first lesson

  3. Serious about the result, not about the tone.

    There is a lot of laughing in my lessons, and that is not an accident: nobody speaks a foreign language while they are frightened. The day you answer without having translated in your head, my job is done.

    Book a first lesson

Who it’s for

An adult hand and a child’s hand resting on an open illustrated book on a wooden table

Individuals & families

For your child, your teenager or yourself. One-to-one or small groups, workshops and holiday courses. Prices are published, and the first lesson is there to get to know each other.

See the lessons
An open notebook and a pen on a meeting table, by a window looking onto a village street

Companies

For your teams: management English, sales English, training built around your sector, with written progress reporting. A quote within two working days. You can also ask your OPCO to fund your team’s training.

Qualiopi — certified processRequest a quote

Individual attention, even in a group.

It is not a slogan, it is how I work. Here is what it means in practice.

  1. How I build a programme

    I start from you: your real level, what you want to be able to do in English, and the time you actually have. The programme gets written after the first lesson, not before. It changes when you do.

  2. What a first lesson looks like

    An hour, one-to-one. We talk, in English as much as possible, I place your level, you tell me what you want to do with it. You leave with a clear plan and no commitment.

  3. How progress is measured

    Against the CEFR, the European framework, from A1 (complete beginner) to C2 (mastery). I tell you where you are at the start, and I tell you when you have crossed a level. No vague impressions: a level and a date.

The stay · Mas-Cabardès, Aude

A week of living in English

A stone house surrounded by forest in Mas-Cabardès, in the Aude. One-to-one lessons with me in the morning. In the afternoon you choose: a walk in the forest, cooking, a day in Carcassonne. When we do those together it is all still in English, without feeling like work. That is immersion, and it moves a great deal faster than an hour a week.

Three to seven days, from €1,100 per person.

Discover the stay
The stone house in Mas-Cabardès, sage-green shutters, under a large tree
The rooftops of Mas-Cabardès and the wooded hillside of the Montagne Noire
The kitchen with its long table, terracotta tiles and wood stove
The light-filled living room, blue sofa and oak floorboards
A room of exposed stone with two rush-seated armchairs and a lamp
A bedroom under the beams, with an old wooden bed and stone walls
The Albatross Academy shopfront at 4 Boulevard Soult, Mazamet

The Albatross space, 4 Boulevard Soult

A real room in the town centre, where the lessons happen and where a child can land between two activities. Drop in, or call first to make sure I’m there.

See the room in photos
4 Boulevard Soult · Mazamet

The prices, before you even call.

Most schools want an appointment before they will tell you a price. Here are mine, per person, tax included.

See all prices
  • €40

    an hour, one-to-one

  • €20

    an hour, in a group of three to six

  • €125

    a holiday course of five half-days

The questions people ask me

Another question?07 80 34 50 31

What level do I need to start?

None. I take complete beginners as happily as people who “did English at school” and no longer dare open their mouths. The first lesson exists precisely to place your level.

How long does it take to progress?

Honestly, it depends where you start and how regular you are. An hour a week, with a little practice in between, and you feel the difference after a term. Moving up one CEFR level is counted in tens of hours, not weeks.

Do you teach online?

My lessons take place at 4 Boulevard Soult in Mazamet. If you’re not nearby, call me and we’ll look at what’s possible together.

Can the lessons be funded (CPF, OPCO)?

For a company, yes: you can ask your OPCO to fund your team’s training. For the immersion stay, part of the cost can be covered by the CPF. Individual lessons are paid directly, with no paperwork. Ask me and I’ll explain how it works.

Where do the lessons take place?

At 4 Boulevard Soult, Mazamet, in the town centre. For companies, I can also come to your premises.

What happens in the first lesson?

An hour, one-to-one. We talk, I place your level, you tell me what you want to do with it, and I propose a programme. You leave with a clear plan. No commitment.

4 Boulevard Soult · Mazamet

The first lesson is for getting to know each other.

An hour to see your level, what you want, and whether we get on. No commitment.

Book a first lesson07 80 34 50 31