Closer to home she has had spells at Newcastle University, Hirst Park Middle School in Ashington and Bannockburn High School in Stirling.

Her long-term ambition has been to teach foreign languages to young children and she has just been named Business Person of the Year in County Durham’s Star Radio awards.

She said: “To win the award has been wonderful. I am delighted to have been recognised in such a short space of time.”

Ms Sterling now wants to expand Lingotot across the UK as a franchise and has been encouraged by comments from education minister Michael Gove, who recently insisted that schools should be teaching children languages from the age of five.

He vowed to “pull every lever” in order to make it happen.

Ms Sterling is keen to exploit the ability that young children have to speak any language, which is gradually lost as they get older when their brains become attuned to their mother tongue.

She received initial start-up help from Be Enterprising, County Durham’s Local Enterprise Growth Initiative.