About Roberta
Hi, I am Roberta, founder of Small Radish Tutoring!
I am an Italian-British entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for languages, travel and cultural discovery. I am fluent in five languages, English, Italian, Spanish, French and Chinese Mandarin, and I have worked in nine countries across Europe, East Asia and Africa.
My relationship with languages began in childhood and shaped everything that followed. I studied languages, cultural studies and archaeology at the University of Palermo in Italy, then lived in Spain before completing an intensive course in Traditional and Simplified Chinese at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan. From there, I went on to study at Cornell University and to complete a Master of Business Administration at Colorado State University.
That journey, across countries, languages and ways of working, is exactly why I founded Small Radish Tutoring. Rather than build another faceless agency, I wanted to create a community: a single place where I collaborate closely with a select group of dedicated tutors, so that students and parents can find every solution they need, from languages to GCSEs, A-levels and beyond, all in one trusted place.
Alongside Small Radish Tutoring, I have also been an active volunteer with Abyss Cleanup since it was founded, a non-profit organisation dedicated to identifying, locating and removing marine litter, a cause that remains close to my heart.
If you would like to work with me directly, whether for language tuition, exam preparation or guidance on your child's learning journey, I would love to hear from you. Get in touch to book a trial lesson today.
Meet the founder
Tell us about yourself as a tutor. What do you actually teach, and what drew you to it?
I teach Italian, English, Spanish, Chinese and French, and I also support Master of Business Administration students and help with essay review. I work with people of any age, from school students to adults and retired learners taking up a language for the first time, and what draws me to it is exactly that variety. No two students learn the same way, and I genuinely enjoy figuring out what will actually work for the person in front of me, whatever stage of life they are at. I have worked in nine countries across Europe, East Asia and Africa, and every one of those experiences changed how I learn and, in turn, how I teach.
With five languages and such a broad teaching range, how would you describe your way of teaching?
I do not believe in a single method that works for everyone. I adapt constantly, drawing on how I learned each of my own languages differently, sometimes through immersion, sometimes through formal study, sometimes simply by making mistakes in front of strangers until it clicked. What stays consistent is that I focus on where a student actually is, not where a textbook assumes they should be, and I build from there patiently and practically.
Why the name "Small Radish"?
It comes from a Chinese nickname I was given, "Xiǎo Luóbo," which means "small radish." A radish is a humble vegetable, but it grows steadily, given the right conditions. That felt like the right way to think about learning: progress is rarely dramatic, but with consistent care, it builds into something substantial.
Outside of tutoring, you are an active volunteer with Abyss Cleanup. What drew you to that cause?
Protecting the environment has always mattered to me, and the sea in particular. Abyss Cleanup is a non-profit organisation dedicated to identifying, locating and removing marine litter, and I have volunteered with them since they were founded. It might seem far removed from tutoring, but both are ultimately about taking consistent, patient action towards something worthwhile.
If a student or parent is unsure whether working with you specifically is the right fit, what would you say?
I would say try a trial lesson and see how it feels. I care about matching my style to how someone actually learns, not pushing them through a fixed programme, and that becomes clear very quickly once we start working together.