From Academia to Migrapreneur, with Agnese Bresin
- August 19, 2025
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FROM ACADEMIA TO MIGRAPRENEUR, the journey of a linguist that built a business by building a community of bilinguals
In this episode, Agnese Bresin talks about her 12-year journey in academia, where she faced challenges in securing a permanent job despite her efforts. Frustrated by the sense of rejection, she began to question her desire for an academic career and ultimately decided to explore new opportunities. This shift was influenced by her commitment to raising her children as bilinguals, leading her to consider a career that aligns with her personal values.
LISTEN AND LEARN
- Career choices and how you can craft your growth
- Emotions lead to change
- Ability to shift
- Real challenges and practical tips to transition into a new job
- Entrepreneurial values and opportunities
Rejection sometimes means redirection
Agnese shared her background in linguistics and her experiences navigating the academic job market, which led her to reassess her career path.
Agnese struggled in securing a permanent job in academia
She was frustrated in not getting the job she was aspiring to.
Then she started asking herself if in the end, she was really wanting that job in her heart?
The rejection she felt from academia was starting to creep in.
How can we use what we have learned in our journey to build something new?
Agnese started to reflect on ways to use her skills and competences differently
What helped her to decide to seek options?
She found herself fully invested in her family life and trying to raise her children as bilinguals.
Agnese realised that this was a way to turn her passion for languages into a job.
“Then I was at the point where I had to make some choices about which direction to go… And basically what helped me to decide was the fact that I was finding myself really invested in my own life with my own children, trying to raise them as bilinguals. And then I realized that maybe there was an opportunity there for a change of career in that direction. So basically turning my passion for raising bilingual children into a job” says Agnese.
Her partner has been very supportive, one day he told her: “ If you can’t find a job, then make your own job.”
Agnese was building a community of bilingual families in the area where she lives.
Parents of young children with the same goal of sharing a common language started to meet up with her and her children.
Building Community for Bilingual Families
Agnese Bresin shared her experience of building a community among Italian-speaking families to help raise bilingual children. She highlighted the positive feedback from community members, who have found friendship and support through shared experiences. This initiative has fostered a sense of belonging and connection among families.
“One of the pillars in raising bilingual children is to normalise that a language is not only spoken in the household, but also out in the community” says Agnese. Kids who hear other parents speak the language tend to keep that channel open for conversation.
She facilitates a group chat with 80 families that became friends, have found useful information through the community. She has built a community where everyone feels they belong to this group, and feel less isolated, especially for newcomers who struggle enough abroad, even more so with young children.
Different life phases and different needs
This community has flourished thanks also to the successful dedication of Agnese and her family situation. Agnese has young children and she could start planting the seeds of multicultural concepts through play-based learning.
All these families have been meeting up, organising playdates with kids of similar age, eating Italian food together, reading Italian books and playing Italian games together.
By helping other families keep the Italian language alive, she helped her own children as well, and she built a community of families with similar interests nurturing their sense of belonging.
“So basically, a child who is comfortable with themselves being half Italian and half Australian, they can position themselves as someone who is interculturally trained. They know what diversity is and they value it and they celebrate it and hopefully the really long-term goal or let’s say the long-term super positive effect for me is that they will be able to celebrate diversity in all its aspects. So once you have learned that there’s not only one way to say things, there’s not only one way to view the world, at that point you welcome all diversity and that includes all other communities, disabilities, gender fluidity. So hopefully to create that frame of mind that is not rigid, there’s only one truth, but to be open to diversity.”
This is one of the reasons why I am working on a new project I want you to hear about.
A community, a co-working space, and a learning space all under the same roof.
So that all those people like you, that have a dream, an idea, or a seed for a new project won’t feel alone and will have a community to tap into. Like minded people that work side by side to their new business idea or career path, with a dedicated learning space.
It will be by invitation, and will host monthly meetings online.
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How did Agnese planned the shift from her career in academia to her new project
Agnese’s transition from academia to entrepreneurship was a key focus, as she balanced freelance work and part-time academic roles while conducting market research for her school.
“When I decided that I was going to try to open a school, Italian school for kids, my involvement with academia was already composed of a number of small jobs. So whether it’s tutoring job just for the semester or some research work for particular projects. So the shift has been a gradual transition. “
Agnese is involved in a number of freelance jobs as a consultant or proofreader or author. A combination of things, that all revolve around languages.
This approach helps, with the financial side of the transition, and keeps her connected in a bigger network that enables other possibilities.
Agnese also looked at local venues she could use for her Italian classes. After a short market research, she realized that there was none, and that she could be the first one opening in her area. She then looked at potential venues that could offer affordable space and complementary activities. That’s how she ended up being offered a space in her local community, the same rooms that on other days are used as childcare.
Also, in Australia it is very easy to start your own business, it does not involve a big financial investment or complicated administrative procedure.
Agnese started her business, Buongiorno Bimbi, in January 2025
The local context, how opening up a business is supported abroad
- This is another useful decision factor: have you investigated the small business opening opportunities in the country where you live?
- Has the local government specific grants to foster entrepreneurial projects?
- How is the startup landscape where do you live?
“I did take a good look at myself and my skills. Okay, I’m quite an organized person. I can run things. I can book venues. I can probably try to do something on social media too. And also, I’m from Italy, and in Italy, if you need to open a business, you need to hire an accountant, not a commercialista. There’s all these steps that you need to do.
“It looks undoable. It’s not feasible. You just gave up. It’s going to cost a lot of money. Whereas in here, it’s really easy that if you just wanted to give it a go, So, that part is quite easy. You just need an ABN, register the name and off you go!” says Agnese.
So use that growth mindset and think about where I can market my services??
Agnese’s biggest learning from her career shift
The biggest learning is that believing in oneself—supported by confidence, trusted feedback, and resilience—enables taking action despite imperfect experience, while also preparing emotionally for setbacks and fluctuations in the early stages.
FIND AGNESE ONLINE
Agnese Bresin is an Italian-born linguist based in Australia. After completing her PhD in 2017, she worked at La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne. She has taught Italian at all levels, sociolinguistics and research foundations. She has conducted research in the area of language and identities, migration and diversity, and is currently Co-Investigator in the project “Italian Languages and Identities in Melbourne”. In 2025 she founded Buongiorno Bimbi, a new language school offering Italian for kids in Melbourne. Raising bilingual children, and supporting others to do so, has become the new version of her passion for languages.
Founder – Buongiorno Bimbi, a new language school offering Italian classes for kids in Melbourne
Website: https://buongiornobimbi.com.au
Resources and Inspiration
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