After years of teaching English in both Chile and New Zealand, Fernanda Silva Garriga has begun offering free IELTS preparation sessions at the Cromwell Library, alongside her weekly language conversation classes and private lessons. 

IELTS is the English-language test accepted by Immigration New Zealand, as well as universities and employers, as proof of English proficiency. 

The score someone achieves can make or break their hopes of working, studying or settling here. 

English teaching wasn’t always Fernanda’s plan. 

She trained as a translator and interpreter in Chile, having grown up surrounded by teachers and academics.  

But while studying and later working in Valparaíso, she often found herself tutoring English on the side.  

After moving to New Zealand in 2017, she earned her TESOL qualification and taught at a Queenstown language school before launching her own business in Cromwell earlier this year. 

Her teaching style is shaped by her own experience of finding school challenging. 

“When I was in high school, it wasn’t so easy for me - because my brain works differently, and it took me a bit longer to understand certain things,” she said.  

“I always felt the education system wasn’t built for the way I learn.” 

Over the years she adapted her lessons to suit individual students, something they often comment on. 

“They really appreciate that the way that I teach is different for each one of them,” she said. 

For her, the reward is seeing people reach the point where something finally clicks.  

She believes anyone can learn at their own pace, “as long as they have someone to support them”. 

Cromwell’s diverse and fast-growing community has only strengthened her sense of purpose.  

She sees language as central to building a life in a new place - whether that’s making friends, finding a job or simply feeling confident enough to participate.  

“Language is the channel that connects you with pretty much everything,” she said. 

That belief is partly why she approached the Cromwell Library to offer the free classes.  

Having once worked in a library in Chile, she sees the space as more than a building full of books.  

It’s a social hub, she said, and one that can help newcomers feel welcome.  

“I just want to bring people in to know each other,” she said. 

Fernanda grew up on Chile’s long Pacific coastline, but Cromwell now feels like home too. 

She and her French partner endured a long period apart during the Covid-19 border closures before eventually returning to New Zealand to secure residency.  

At that point, Fernanda could have moved anywhere, but she chose the town with the Big Fruit. 

“I don’t see myself in another place right now,” she said. 

“This is the place that life wanted us, where everything worked out.” 

Still, she accepts her heart remains divided.

“Part of me is in Chile and the other part of me is here,” she said.