How it all began
As a little girl, I, Sarah, was already busy teaching languages. My English grandfather, who was in his eighties, lived with us. I loved teaching him a few Dutch words every day: “Grandpa, this is een tafel. Een tafel. And this is een stoel. Een stoel.” And so it went on with every object I could find. Since he didn’t have a natural feel for languages, I stoically repeated the same words over and over again. He was a patient student. My very first ‘learner’!
Years passed. After completing my degree in European Studies at the University of Amsterdam, I had several commercial jobs. But I wasn’t doing much with my love for languages. More and more, I longed to teach, thinking back with nostalgia to those lovely ‘lesson moments’ with my grandfather.
Time for action!
In 1998, I took a CELTA course to teach English to non-native speakers. I learned more in that one year than in six years at university. That was a turning point – and the best move I’ve made in my working life.
Was I willing to start right away as a Dutch as a Second Language teacher at BLTC, a training institute? Well, I am a native speaker of Dutch, after all. That required a mental shift – but I jumped in!
That was almost 25 years ago. In the early years, I taught at several language institutes in Amsterdam. After living and working abroad for two years, I decided to go independent.
Since 2009, I’ve also been a certified NT2 (Dutch as a Second Language) teacher.
I now teach expats who temporarily live in the Netherlands, their partners, refugees, and international parents of primary school children.
Whether you want to learn Dutch for work or just want to improve your everyday speaking and writing, I can help you move forward!
And by the way… I speak fluent English and some Spanish, Italian, French, German, and a bit of Polish. Handy, right?
More information? Get in touch!