History

Ready Set Italia At A Glance

I moved to Italy in 2024 with my Italian husband and was determined to pass the CILS B1 exam in order to gain my citizenship. I knew applications took months and sometimes years to process, so I didn’t want to waste any time. I didn’t speak any Italian when we moved, but I was ready to learn. I signed up for an online exam preparation course and quickly learned that the class was only for people already speaking Italian at the B1 level. I signed out of that zoom class and began researching other options. I attended an in person language school here in Italy, but 2 months in (and nearly 1500€) my instructor told me I was still at the A1 level. What? I’ve been here for 2 months attending classes 15 hours a week! I have a job and kids… I did not have any more hours per week to devote to this endeavor. So, I bought a B1 test preparation book that came highly recommended only to discover it was completely in Italian. I was beyond discouraged. I needed a new plan. I needed an affordable, self-paced, online course taught in English that would prepare me for the B1 exam. Such a course did not exist.

As a former nationally board certified ESL (English Second Language) teacher in the US with a graduate degree in education, I knew I could create my own preparation program. After all, I wasn’t interested in speaking fluent Italian in order to work or attend school in Italy. I merely wanted to pass my exam, gain citizenship and be comfortable in friendly conversation here in Italy. I researched what was actually on the exam. What did I REALLY need to know? I created my own study plan, study materials, and passed the exam.

Once I passed, I knew my study plan and materials worked. After some encouragement from some Facebook group friends who were studying for the B1, I decided to turn my study plan, methods and materials into an online course to help others. A few months later, Ready Set Italia was born.