About us
From the moment I founded my company in 1992 in my hometown of Lippstadt in the heart of Westphalia, Germany, I have made a point of being closely involved in every aspect of the business, from the initial organisation to the final implementation of courses and tours. I still continue accompanying many of our tour groups personally. Why? You may have guessed it: I love what I am doing and I enjoy seeing people prospering, learning new things and broaden their horizons.
From Banker to Language Expert
But let me start right at the beginning. Right after school at the age of 16, working in a bank seemed to offer an attractive career and after 3 years of training, I worked as a corporate customer consultant for Deutsche Bank. However, I had never stopped dreaming of going to university, which is why I started to attend evening school after work to qualify for Higher Education at a university.
And that is when I discovered a love that was so much stronger than my interest in working in finance and banking: languages! This resulted in my first time accompanying a language tour to England, an experience which defined my professional future!
I went to university to study English and German literature and linguistics and trained as a secondary school teacher. The focus of my studies was foreign language acquisition research which is still one of my key interests. During my time at university, I started to carry out my first self-organised group tours and language tours to English-speaking countries and worked as a language teacher for various language schools.
After graduation and a year of study abroad in London, I accepted a job offer which brought me to Frankfurt as head of the Berlitz language school, but I continued to organise language tours for my own company.
In the year 2000, I finally decided to commit entirely and full-time to my own business.
Reichardt language school today
30 years have passed since I first started my business. Many satisfied customers have made sure that the name Reichardt became a household name for excellent quality and reliability.
The 15-year-old school student is just as important to us as the high-ranking CEO of a large corporation needing to improve his or her language skills. School trips and group tours are organised with the same commitment as language training for adults. Everything is planned from focusing on the learner so that we can offer the best suited programme for each individual.
All our offers have one thing in common: It is all about taking people to the next level — by learning another language and getting to know a new culture. I would love to take you along on this adventure!
The covid pandemic hit our travel business hard in 2020. Currently, no group tours are offered. A new start is planned for 2024.
The language school, on the other hand, has experienced a growth spurt with new online formats. Whereas we were previously a regionally based language school, our online trainings can now be booked without geographical restrictions. In this way, we make our unique quality accessible to a worldwide audience. At many locations, it is still possible to arrange face-to-face lessons with the language trainers who live there. Since the beginning of 2023, the company has been headquartered in London, UK.
A very supportive team
A successful business always relies on the excellent team operating in the back office. In Germany, France and in the United Kingdom we have a team of experienced and committed teachers based in different locations all over Europe who help their students to achieve their goals. Our language trainers, tour guides, host families and organisers in England and France are just as important. Each and every one of them strives to give you the best possible outcome of whatever your goals may be!
Come get to know us
Rest assured: We will not ask you to sign anything unless we know exactly what you need. Which course, which tour, which teacher is right for you! Let us find out together! Please get in touch with us using our contact form or call us in Germany on +49 (0) 6181 424830 or in the UK on +44 (0) 75 39 853 416. We look forward to meeting you!
Yours,
Christian Reichardt