Josien continued teaching when she moved to Nigeria, her students comprising both adults and children. Back in the Netherlands, she developed a course and a workbook specifically aimed at au pairs, which focuses on childcare-related vocabulary and language needs. It was a great success, with au pairs travelling from places as far afield as Haarlem and Utrecht to attend the courses. She then devised tailor-made courses for expatriates, taking into account not only their abilities, but also their varied interests and expectations. Josien has ensured that Kickstart has the flexibility and experience to cater for these needs.

As Kickstart has grown substantially, Josien now has to dedicate much of her time to managing Kickstart, which she also finds a rewarding task.

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Away from the Netherlands, Jacqueline has been involved with various Dutch language institutes and has taught to a wide range of age-groups. She loves the international character of her classes, and enjoys helping students to improve and develop their understanding of Dutch culture by learning the language!

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Graduating from the University of Amsterdam with a degree in Dutch law, Marla received her diploma in Dutch Language teaching (NT2) at the University of Utrecht in 2003. On completion, Marla went on to work at various language schools including the British Language Training Centre, the European Language Centre and a wide range of international companies. In the past five years, Marla has worked at the University of Rotterdam as a lecturer and teacher of Dutch Law and Communications, specialising in Financial Management training.

Marla finds that learning about the culture, countries, and the lives of her students is very rewarding, and enhances her life in the international community.

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Maria has a wide range of experience, and has taught Dutch language to a variety of groups at different ability levels. She takes great pleasure in working with motivated learners and enjoys transferring her own enthusiasm for the Dutch language to her students. Once she has achieved this, it's easy to approach the grammar! In Maria's lessons, she forms a solid base for language learning on which her students can build, and makes her classes as interactive as possible.

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She derives enormous satisfaction from teaching Dutch at Kickstart, and enjoys seeing the students grow more confident as the course progresses. With Kickstart's prime location and fantastic international environment, learning a language within a small group of people from different countries and cultures is enormous fun for both Christine and her students.

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Although she considers it to be a challenging task, Diane loves teaching large groups of students, and especially enjoys the class dynamic, where she can combine the development of individual students and of the group as a whole. Diane is a creative teacher and takes pride in her ability to develop and supplement her teaching materials, making her classroom an innovative and exciting environment.

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Currently, a large percentage of Marina's work is made up of tutoring and aiding secondary school students with their school work. Since the spring of 2009, Marina has been working at Kickstart where she teaches different groups at various ability levels.

Marina is aware of the practical reasons for learning a language: you want to be able to express yourself and communicate fluently in everyday situations. However, she understands that the fascinating nature of learning a foreign language lies in its potential to give you access to a whole new culture, broaden your horizons, and enrich your life. When Marina teaches, she tries to evoke this experience in her students.

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Victorine has taught for over 3 years many groups with students from different nationalities, ages and backgrounds, and finds it fascinating to meet and work within this melting-pot of cultures and personalities. As an expat herself, Victorine has often felt a little like a foreigner, but it is this very variety that creates the lively dynamic in the Kickstart classroom. She understands how people feel when they are are unable to speak or understand the language, and thus takes great pleasure in giving them a helping hand to get started.

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At Kickstart Luce currently teaches the Au Pair course. She finds it a joy to meet new students and in the lessons she likes to encourage and challenge them in an informal learning atmosphere. The dynamics in a group of international students are always different. Learning about various cultures within the group is an enriching experience. This makes teaching at Kickstart very special and rewarding.

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She has worked as a teacher of English not only in language schools and in-company but also in adult education centres, secondary schools and privately, teaching adults and children with various language backgrounds and abilities.

At Kickstart, she teaches on the general English group courses and provides English training for specific purposes both to groups and individuals.

Communication makes the world go round. Helping people to improve their communication skills is what language teaching is all about. Margaret creates a welcoming and stimulating environment in the lessons. She provides her students with the language skills and confidence they require in order to be able to communicate clearly and effectively, whether it be in a business context, in an academic environment or in every-day situations.

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She has been living in The Netherlands for the last two years, where she combines teaching English with studying International and European Law. Previously, Kirsty has taught in Spain and New Zealand. As an English teacher, she has been able to combine her two main passions: travelling, and meeting people from different cultures. Kirsty enjoys lively debates and is able to converse on many different topics. She is a conscientious teacher who always makes her lessons fun, informative and worthwhile.

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She also worked as a Learning and Development Consultant with the national training team of UK charity Citizens Advice, where she gained expertise in writing and developing training resources and publications.

After moving to The Hague she worked as a Project Development Officer with an international NGO from 2010 - 2011, writing proposals for funding from governmental and European bodies and developing website content. Since 2010, she has taught intermediate English to refugees at an educational project based in The Hague. She particularly enjoys the opportunity to meet and teach people from all corners of the world.

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Nicky has been in The Hague for eighteen months and divides her working time between radio work and teaching the IELTS course at Kickstart. She enjoys engaging with people of different cultures and her lessons are always lively and stimulating. She has a special interest in helping students with enunciation and pronunciation.

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