Academic
Conversation and the classroom
Everyday ease in a language can hide a growing gap in the register school and university will ask for. Research on internationally mobile children documents it, and parents rarely see it from the outside.
Academic English · Mathematics · Physics & Sciences · Bilingual families in Portugal
Two languages.
One standard.
Held in both.
Private teaching for bilingual and internationally mobile children aged 10 to 18 who go to school in Portuguese. I teach every session myself, and I hold their academic English, mathematics and sciences at full strength beside school.
- 20+
- Years teaching, across the US, Singapore, India and Portugal
- 3
- Subjects, all taught by me: English, mathematics, Physics & Sciences
- 36
- Weeks and 72 sessions, one full school year
- ≤3
- Children per in-person pod, by design
Is this your house?
Conversational at home.
Thinner on the page.
Tick whatever sounds familiar. It takes 20 seconds, and it's the question I open every diagnostic with.
Signs of an academic language gap
Tick the ones that ring true.
Book a diagnosticThe promise
One school year, 72 sessions, every one taught by me. Academic English, mathematics and sciences held at the level your child is capable of, with a written report at each unit so you always know where they stand.
Why it matters
The gap is quiet.
And it compounds.
Identity
Room to think deeply
Being bilingual should mean having 2 languages to think deeply in. Each one deserves its own teaching time, on the calendar, every week.
Long term
The middle years set the pattern
Habits built between roughly 10 and 14 tend to stick. Children who keep every subject at full strength through these years reach the exam tracks with range to spare.
The approach
How the programme
is built.
English and literature is the most structured part: a 36-week curriculum with its own research base and reading list. Mathematics and Physics & Sciences follow the same logic: diagnose first, then teach to the gap.
The research
What the research shows
Third culture kid research documents what many bilingual families sense and can't name. A child can sound fully fluent and still lose ground academically in a language no one is actively teaching.
The framework
Writing scored by trait
Writing is scored against the 6+1 Trait model, the framework many US schools use to benchmark growth. Each unit works on one or two traits, and you see which one moved and by how much.
- Ideas
- Organisation
- Voice
- Word choice
- Fluency
- Conventions
- + Presentation
The library
Four units, texts that fit your child
Two core texts anchor each nine-week unit, chosen to match your child's interests and reading level. Every unit closes with a portfolio review: journal, revised draft, vocabulary log and a short reflection.
The programme
One diagnostic.
Three formats.
Every family starts with a diagnostic. Remote is the core format and works from anywhere. The in-person pod runs in Lisbon or Porto once enough local families commit to the same slot, and in-person individual sessions are available in Coimbra.
Where every family starts
The diagnostic
20 to 25 minutes
A one-to-one conversation with short reading, writing and speaking tasks. I write up what I saw and recommend goals. You leave with a clear read, whether or not you go ahead.
Book a diagnosticRemote · One to one
Remote individual
2 sessions a week · 36 weeks
Every session taught by me, anywhere in Portugal or beyond. Sessions run 60 minutes, across the school year.
Request detailsCoimbra · One to one
In-person individual
Available upon discussion
One-to-one sessions in person, for families in and around Coimbra, where I work with students locally. We agree timing and place in a first conversation.
Request detailsLisbon or Porto · Up to 3 children
In-person pod
2 sessions a week · 36 weeks
A small literature circle on the same texts, with writing and goals tracked per child. Sessions run 60 minutes, across the school year.
Request detailsThe long view
One sequence,
ages 10 to 18.
-
10–12
Foundation
Starts from the diagnostic. Builds reading stamina and a writing baseline the year-end review measures against.
-
12–14
Expansion
Longer books and formal essay structure. Mathematics and Physics & Sciences can run in parallel, matched to the school curriculum.
-
14–16
Rigour
Analytical writing and research, plus the academic vocabulary each subject expects.
-
16–17
Direction
Exam-track preparation for IB, IGCSE or the national exams, fitted to the path your family is already on.
-
17–18
Independence
University-level reading and writing. A student who works at full strength in more than one language.
Mario Aguilar · Founder
About
I'm Mario.
I built this for my own daughter first.
I studied computer science and mathematics, then received a master's degree in education and teaching certification in Physics and Science. I've been teaching for more than 20 years, in classrooms and one to one.
My family has lived in Asia twice, in Singapore and India, and we've been in Portugal for over a year. My daughter moved with us each time, across languages and school systems. I watched how fast academic language slips while conversational fluency still sounds fine. So I built this programme for her, then for the children of close friends who saw the same thing at home.
Every subject gets the same treatment here: a real diagnostic, a written report at each unit, and progress you can see.
Academic language is what school and exams reward, and it needs its own hours.
- 20+
- Years teaching in the US, Singapore, India and Portugal
- NY · NJ
- Teaching certification in Physics and Science, grades 5 to 12
- MEd
- Master's in education. BSc in computer science and mathematics
- EN · ES
- Teaches in English and Spanish, alongside Portuguese school
Fit
Built for a
specific family.
This is for
- Bilingual and internationally mobile children, aged 10 to 18
- Families in Coimbra, Porto or Lisbon, or anywhere in Portugal remotely
- Children already conversational in English who need academic depth
- Families who want mathematics and Physics & Sciences held to the same standard, in parallel
- Parents who want progress they can see, in writing, at the end of every unit
This is a poor fit for
- Complete beginners in English. The programme builds on existing fluency.
- Last-minute exam cramming with no time for a proper diagnostic
- General homework help without a defined curriculum
- Children well under 8. The diagnostic isn't calibrated for them yet.
FAQ
Questions parents
actually ask.
What ages and levels do you work with?
I teach ages 10 to 18, matched to reading level whatever the school year says. That's the range my teaching certification covers, so mathematics and Physics & Sciences run through the exam years. I've tutored children from 8, so younger learners are welcome to ask.
Is this only English? What about mathematics and Physics & Sciences?
English and literature is the most structured offering: a 36-week programme with its own diagnostic and curriculum. Mathematics and Physics & Sciences are taught one to one at the level your child needs, alongside the English programme or on their own.
What happens in the diagnostic?
A one-to-one conversation of 20 to 25 minutes with short reading, writing and speaking tasks. Mathematics or Physics & Sciences are added if that's the concern. I share what I saw and recommend goals, whether or not you go ahead.
What do parents receive?
A short note after the diagnostic, then a written report at weeks 9, 18, 27 and 36. Each one has a skill snapshot against the last unit, a portfolio highlight, what's going well, what we're working on and goals for the next unit. Week 18 adds a mid-year assessment. In week 36 your child presents their own growth, and we hold a parent conference.
What does a typical week look like?
2 sessions. The first is reading and discussion: a vocabulary check-in, close reading, inference questions and a journal entry. The second is writing and language: a grammar mini-lesson drawn from your child's own writing, a structured writing task, vocabulary in use and portfolio revision.
How is this different from a regular tutor or a language school?
Conversation practice and exam coaching are the 2 options families usually find. This is the layer between them, for children who are fluent day to day and need the academic register: the English, mathematics and science reasoning behind essays, lab reports and exams. Every session is taught by me, one to one or in a pod of 3, alongside Portuguese school.
Does this replace school?
It runs alongside school. The programme reinforces academic English, mathematics and science, and it's timed around the school week.
My child's English already sounds strong. Is this still useful?
Often, yes. Conversational and academic fluency are different skills, and the gap is easy to miss precisely because the child sounds fluent. The diagnostic tells you plainly whether there's a real gap to close.
How do the in-person pods in Lisbon and Porto work?
A pod is up to 3 children on the same weekly schedule, meeting in person and reading the same core texts as a small literature circle. Discussion happens together. Writing and individual goals are tracked per child. Pods form when enough local families commit to the same slot, so timing depends on demand in your area.
What does it cost?
Fees depend on the format and schedule. When you send an inquiry through the form, you'll see the programme options and fees straight away, and I'll reply personally within 2 working days to set up a call.
What language are sessions in?
English, for the English and literature programme. Mathematics and science can run in English or Spanish, with the Portuguese terms from school brought in wherever they help. We agree on that in the diagnostic.
Would you like to hear more?
Tell me how
I can help.
A few quick questions. When you send them, you'll see the programme options and fees straight away. I reply personally within 2 working days with times for a call.
- Coimbra
- Porto
- Lisbon
- Remote, anywhere in Portugal