Anglaisdash Reviews 

I approached Anglais d'Ash with genuine curiosity, hoping to explore english and communication at a more advanced level. I am a native english speaker with previous training from Oxbridge coaches in debate and rhetoric, and my academic ambitions include programmes such as the MPP at Oxford and strategy and public policy programmes at other universities.

Unfortunately, the experience left me with a rather bitter aftertaste. During a trial lesson, I was asked to analyse a video and offered some thoughts on the connections between political language, rhetoric, persuasion and assertive communication. The instructor dismissed these connections, arguing that there was "no overlap" between diplomatic English and assertive or effective communication. The lesson was then abruptly terminated, in the middle of the session, which I found both strange and unnecessarily dismissive.

I later sent a follow-up email explaining why I disagreed with the reasoning, which received no response.

What I found particularly disappointing was the contrast between this experience and the consultancy's public messaging about making "political English" accessible to everyone. In practice, I felt quite the opposite: unwelcome, talked down to and, frankly, made to feel stupid for offering my perspective.

I also find the consultancy's positioning somewhat questionable. Much of what appears to be offered essentially revolves around rhetoric, political jargon and concepts already covered in established fields such as debate, communication and international relations. There is nothing wrong with creating a specialised niche, but I struggle to see what genuinely distinguishes this particular approach from existing advanced tutoring and debate coaching. I was left with the impression that the consultancy has found a profitable way to monetise non-native speakers' insecurities about their English, packaging political vocabulary and established communication concepts as a specialised service

The consultancy also promotes a debate club, which makes the apparent reluctance to engage even more surprising. Having worked with other advanced tutors, I am familiar with much of the material and would have welcomed a discussion.

I have no issue with private tutors choosing their clients. Not every professional relationship is a good fit, and I am glad to seek guidance elsewhere. My criticism is about the way I was treated, the abruptness of the interaction and the lack of professional courtesy afterwards.

For a consultancy that promotes accessibility, political communication, english and debate, I would have expected a greater willingness to engage.

what bothered me was being made to feel stupid for asking a perfectly legitimate question about a subject that is ostensibly the very basis of the consultancy's work. The condescending manner in which the interaction was handled and the use of an explanation that felt intellectually inconsistent with the very services being offered, left a poor impression.