Tacito Cury turned tragedy into a business to change people’s lives.
After going through the September 11 attack in the USA, the Brazilian created an education network and started developing volunteer projects.
Survivor of the attack on the World Trade Center, Brazilian Tacito Cury, always resilient, transformed the tragedy into a life change not only for himself, but also for other people.
Living in New York at the time, he worked at an English school inside one of the towers. However, with the fateful attack, he ended up being fired because one of his students was a terrorist involved in the attack, which made the FBI look for him to obtain information. This did not go down well with his former boss, who dismissed him and ended up turning a key in Cury’s life.
Out of work, he became his own boss. “I was forced to undertake, as I didn’t have any job opportunities at that time. So, I created my own company that I still have today,” he says, referring to iTTi: International TEFL Training Institute. “In it I find a way to work on the three pillars, make money, travel the world and return to the universe”, he says.
TEFL is the acronym for “Teaching English as a Foreign Language”, which means “Teaching English to Foreigners” in free translation. The certificates offered include specific techniques and cover an expressive social and cultural context in language teaching. “Obtaining TEFL certification is essential for teaching English anywhere in the world,” Tácito explains.
After giving the course’s first classes to a young English woman in 2001, the businessman realized that he could give new meaning to his classes in order to elevate them into a business capable of transforming lives. “iTTi was the evolution of a project I was already offering.”
Since then, there have been three schools opened in New York alone, in operation to this day, and other units around the world, which in addition to the professional course, require 20 hours of voluntary work in the study region in the curriculum. This volunteering usually takes place in a needier community, contributing to the education of these people.
“I came from the outskirts of São Paulo and I know how expensive an English course is. I left Brazil at the age of 17 focusing on my dream of going to the United States, learning the language and working hard to improve my life and help others”, says Cury.
And this requirement for volunteering did not happen by chance. In 2004, the Brazilian survived the great tsunami that hit several areas of Oceania, such as Thailand, where he had traveled. The tourist tour ended with Tácito helping residents, other locals and actively getting to know the Red Cross, which awakened in him this desire to act for others as well.
“The certificate also helps the student obtain a visa and look for jobs in other countries, including translators. Whether it’s to live abroad for a year or build a new life in a new place, whether it’s to teach and make extra income for a period of time, or to start a solid career in language education. There is no age limit, the only requirement is to speak fluent English, and the course enables you to teach the language safely and professionally”, he details.
For the businessman, a bubble is burst when people learn about iTTi. Many want the opportunity to travel and engage in cultural exchange, which the institute offers with dedication and professionalism. “In my schools in New Jersey, American teachers work directly with the Latino public in New York. I am very proud to help the American people teach English.”
Nowadays, Tacito Cury also prospects legal entities through philosophy: money, tourism and volunteering. There are several partners worldwide who purchased the brand and content to replicate the project on a growing scale. They are called “iTTi Ambassadors”. “More than twenty thousand students were certified through this project and we crossed the borders of sixty countries. iTTi causes a local improvement with a global impact”, he concluded.
"What does not kill me makes me stronger"
Friedrich Nietzsche
